Vista Ridge Land Acquisition: A P3 Success Story and a Case Study in Schedule Compression for a Long, Linear Water Pipeline Project

In most linear water line projects, the design and construction process follows a logical, systematic approach of solidifying a route via land acquisition, finalizing engineering plans based on that secured route, and then using the finalized plans to build the project. The obvious benefit to this process is that it reduces the risk associated with various costs that may stem from changes in the route such as re-engineering, unusable material purchases, and retrofitted construction work. The flip side to this conservative approach is that it requires time to develop. This restriction is most evident in long, linear projects where the greatest uncertainty in the process is land acquisition. This uncertainty becomes more complex to manage as the number of affected landowners increases. This paper presents a case study in how to manage a long, linear project within an extremely short delivery schedule without relying on condemnation to acquire land.