A Review of Constructibility Barriers and Issues in Highway Construction

The objective of any constructibility program is to identify elements of a project that can be modified to make the project easier to bid and to build. Such a review can help minimize the number and magnitude of change orders, disputes, cost overruns, and delays during construction. This involves enhancing the input of construction knowledge and experience during the design and planning stages of a project. The type of construction, scale of a project, and owner will influence the implementation of a constructibility process. This paper reports the results of a study that is examining how to implement constructibility practices on projects for a state transportation agency. In particular, it examines the common barriers such as the availability of time and manpower. The paper further identifies some of the most common constructibility issues that arise on highway construction projects, such as utilities, right-of-way commitments, traffic control, as well as other issues. Some possible resolutions to these issues are also discussed. One element of some constructibility programs is a "lessons learned" system, which is a formal process designed to collect, organize, and disseminate constructibility knowledge from project to project. The paper examines the barriers and success factors of lessons learned systems implemented by state transportation agencies. Recommendations are also made regarding successful implementation of constructibility programs and lessons learned systems on highway construction projects.