A synthesis of constructability in transportation construction

The problem of “constructability” was successfully addressed by leading researchers in the early 1990s, and was considered a problem in remission for over a decade afterward. Constructability, at that time, was seen as the level of difficulty faced by a constructor (usually a contractor) in building a structure in the field as drawn by the designer. Many contractors in those days found it impossible to build the project as drawn and directed. Researchers then devised what became known as the Constructability Review Process, and state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) took up their recommendations as each agency saw fit. This review process drastically reduced obstacles to the point that constructability was no longer viewed as a problem. Then, however, came the proliferation of fast-track, integrated construction delivery systems in the transportation construction industry, with early contractor involvement in the design inherent in these delivery methods. About the same time, DOTs were inundated with new requirements for procuring environmental permits prior to construction, as well as an additional process required by the National Environmental Protection Act. Constructability, with these new requirements, has returned as a problem. This paper reports on a survey conducted as part of a research project funded by the National Cooperative Research Program to determine how each of the 52 DOTs in the US are confronting this problem.