Summary Report: Interim Planning for a Future Strategic Highway Research Program (F-SHRP) (2003)

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Interim Planning for a Future Strategic Highway Research Program 2-1 CHAPTER 2 RENEWAL—ACCELERATING THE RENEWAL OF AMERICA’S HIGHWAYS5 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Throughout the United States, highways and roads that are operating at or near capacity are in need of major renewal. This renewal work—which includes preservation, rehabilita- tion, and reconstruction—causes significant disruption by creating bottlenecks at work zones, disturbing local communities and businesses, and propagating disruption to other parts of the highway and roadway system. New methods and technologies are needed to carry out renewal work that is accomplished more quickly with minimum disruption and results in longer-lasting facilities. Several factors contribute to the magnitude of the problem. First is the significant role that highways play in the economy and in personal mobility. The close relationship between highways and the economy is illustrated in Figure 2–1. Highway VMT increased 76% between 1980 and 1999 and is projected to increase another 50% by 2020. Trucks carry about 70% of the value of the country’s freight traffic; truck volume is predicted to double from 8 billion tons to 16.8 billion tons by 2020. The second factor is the increasing congestion on many of the most critical highway and road segments. The National Highway System (NHS), which comprises the high end of the transportation arteries in the nation and represents 4% of the national system, carries 44% of total VMT (Figure 2–2). In many cases, this traffic load is well in excess of the design capacity of these roads, resulting in their being heavily congested. A recent Texas Trans- portation Institute study (Schrank, et al., 2001) estimates the cost of congestion in just 68 urban areas has grown from $21 billion in 1982 to $78 billion in 1999 (36 hours per driver a year and 6.8 billion gallons of wasted fuel). The study also estimated that congestion results in 4.4 billion person hours of delay annually in the 68 urban areas studied. The third major factor is the aging of significant portions of the highway and road sys- tem, which will continue over the next several decades as the Interstate system and other major roads reach the end of their design life. According to the Federal Highway Admin- istration 2002 Status of the Nation’s Highways, Bridges, and Transit: Conditions and Per- formance report, 57% (91,000 miles) of the pavement on the National Highway System is in the fair, mediocre, or poor range. Urban pavements are in poorer shape than average, with 67% in the fair, mediocre, or poor range. The report also indicates that 29% of the NHS bridge inventory is structurally deficient or functionally obsolete. Thirty-two percent of bridges in urban areas, including nearly 27% of urban Interstate bridges, are deficient. These bridges carry high traffic volumes, and over half of them are under local jurisdiction, mak- ing the renewal problem a concern for local highway agencies as well as state agencies. A fourth factor is that additional capacity, in highway lane miles, is not expected to grow very significantly in the next 20 years, even as traffic volumes increase. This will compound the problem of accommodating traffic during renewal operations. 5 The material in this chapter is summarized from Detailed Planning for Research on Accelerating the Renewal of America’s Highways, Final Report, prepared for NCHRP Project 20–58(1) by Stephen J. Andrle and E. Thomas Cackler of the Center for Transportation Research and Education at Iowa State University; Theodore Ferragut of TDC Partners, Ltd.; and Rebecca McDaniel of Purdue University, April 2003.

2-2 Interim Planning for a Future Strategic Highway Research Program F-SHRP RENEWAL RESEARCH The need for major renewal is clear. How to fund this work, deliver the projects without public outcry over the delays, and deliver a superior highway product is not so clear. The major research renewal objectives as stated in Special Report 260 are as follows: 1. Achieve renewal that is performed rapidly, causes minimum disruption, and produces long-lived facilities, and 2. Achieve such renewal not just on isolated, high-profile projects but consistently throughout the highway system. The strategic objectives for the research plan focus on developing a continuous, system- atic approach that includes tactics in the following areas: 1. Rapid renewal of highways, 2. Minimum disruption to the public, and 3. Long-lived facilities. 1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 Year GDP VMT In de x: 1 99 6 = 10 0 120 100 80 60 40 20 SOURCE: Federal Highway Administration, Our Nation's Highways 2000 Figure 2–1. Gross domestic product and travel relationship. NHS: 161,188 miles (4.1%) Total highway miles: 3,951,098 SOURCE: Our Nation's Highways 2000, FHWA NHS VMT: 1.2 trillion (44.3%) Total VMT: 2.8 trillion Figure 2–2. National Highway System miles and vehicle miles traveled.

Interim Planning for a Future Strategic Highway Research Program 2-3 BARRIERS AND TACTICS TO OVERCOME THEM In several isolated, high-profile “rapid renewal” projects, highway agencies have suc- cessfully reduced traffic disruption to a bare minimum. (See Figure 2–3 for an illustration of the successful renewal continuum and Exhibit 2–1 for examples of successful projects.) In nearly every case, however, doing so required extensive human and financial resources. So, although rapid renewal can be accomplished successfully, the expected increase in the num- ber and complexity of these projects will stress agencies’ human and financial resources. Renewal projects must now be analyzed as to their impacts on the entire system within a region or jurisdiction. Rapid renewal has been achieved only under special high-profile circumstances because very real barriers exist to consistent application of renewal methods. For instance, to build facilities more quickly, it is necessary to perform in situ work faster, do as much as possi- ble away from the site, monitor and inspect construction rapidly, and provide a contracting environment that allows this to happen. However, limitations of current prefabricated struc- tural systems technology prevent maximizing off-site work. Likewise, limits on sensing technology inhibit rapid inspection and construction acceptance. Transfer of risk to contractors makes innovative contracting strategies unworkable with- out financial or other contractual adjustments. Financing is a barrier to planning renewal projects to minimize disruption, because the systems approach often leads to bigger proj- ects. Timely coordination with railroads and utilities is a major barrier to rapid construction and can be a disruption to their services as well. Research is necessary to enable highway agencies to develop financing strategies and mutually satisfactory mitigation strategies for railroads and utilities. Until these technical problems are solved, the rapid renewal meth- ods cannot be implemented broadly and consistently. The nation cannot accept shorter facility life spans as the price of rapid renewal. A method for achieving long facility life is to optimize designs and materials, but current designs do not consider constructability, material performance, and in-service performance to the extent necessary to achieve this strategic objective. The researchers identified 10 tac- tics for overcoming the barriers to achieving the strategic objectives. The 10 tactics are described below, and Table 2–1 summarizes the relationship between the strategic objec- tives and the tactics, the barriers, and the projects. (Appendix A contains brief descriptions of the F-SHRP Renewal projects.) Rapid Approaches Tactic 1. Perform Faster In Situ Construction—Renewal time can be defined as the time it takes to complete those on-roadway construction activities that impact traffic flow and the communities and businesses that rely on that roadway for services. Rapid renewal Long-Lived Facilities Minimal Disruption Rapid Approaches SUCCESSFUL RENEWAL approach c o n si st en t system ic Figure 2–3. Rapid approaches to renewal.

applies innovative activities or technologies to reduce the time traditionally allocated to these on-roadway activities, thereby minimizing the impact. Tactic 2. Minimize Field Fabrication Effort—This tactic examines approaches that will minimize the amount of fabrication at the actual project site, thus speeding up the on-site construction phase of the work that actually impacts traffic. New systems need to be devel- oped that consider design approaches, construction processes, material selection, and safe inspection and maintenance requirements. Tactic 3. Perform Faster Construction Inspection and Monitoring—To be rapid, a renewal project must be built and accepted quickly before opening to the public. However, current acceptance testing procedures are not done in real time, and if there are problems, subse- quent rework requires additional time and money. In a high-pressure, time-constrained proj- ect, the demands to keep moving can overwhelm the construction inspection process. The intent is to focus on the development of an innovative, high-speed construction inspection process that can be used to make sure that the overall quality is obtained without delaying the project. Tactic 4. Facilitate Innovative and Equitable Contracting Environment—One of the main challenges facing agencies in the future is the reduction in human resources available 2-4 Interim Planning for a Future Strategic Highway Research Program Exhibit 2–1. Examples of Successful High-Profile Renewal Projects The Washington State DOT took a bold step when faced with the prospect of lengthy work zone projects to reconstruct three intersections on US–395 in Kennewick. It shut down each intersection completely for one weekend. The work was done in hours instead of days using quick-setting portland cement concrete (PCC), and an intensive information campaign for motorists was developed. This major project was completed using innovative methods with minimal impacts on mobility and safety, and an ahead-of-schedule completion was realized (Nelson, 2002). The reconstruction of the “Big I” in Albuquerque, New Mexico—a $220 million reconstruction of the I–40/I–25 interchange—was completed in 24 months instead of the 4 to 10 years that would have been required using traditional methods. Forty-five new bridges and ten rehabilitated bridges were involved, including eight “flyover” bridges that employed precast, segmental construction—the first use of this type of structure in New Mexico. The rapid progress is attributed largely to a unique oversight agreement between the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department and FHWA. FHWA representatives were closely involved in the design phase, facilitating the request for Interstate modification and designation as a special experimental project for innovative financing. FHWA approvals were expedited for unique and critical bridges, design exceptions, bid plans, specifications, and estimates. Approvals that usually take months were completed in days. The close working relationship allowed the FHWA to participate first hand, resolving construction and design issues as they arose. The project was let under a low-bid system, but time-driven performance-based specifications were used instead of traditional process specifications. A lane rental fee of $2,000 per hour was used to ensure that traffic was maintained as planned. An aggressive public outreach program employed a website, toll-free hotline, and a public advisory group (Civil Engineering News, 2002). The I–15 reconstruction in Utah involved 142 bridges, 18 miles of Interstate, 8 interchanges with urban crossroads, and three major junctions with other Interstates. All work had to be completed before the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. The FHWA and the Utah DOT used design-build contracting to complete on time and on budget, and they developed a public relations initiative to offer the latest traffic information to the traveling public via website, real-time photos, toll-free telephone numbers, faxes to businesses, advertising, and public meetings. The public relations campaign achieved widespread public approval of the project despite significant disruption to travel in the Salt Lake Valley (FHWA, 2002). The Michigan DOT developed the Michigan Capital Preventive Maintenance Program to preserve pavement and bridge structures, delay future deterioration, and improve overall conditions cost-effectively and efficiently. A strategy has been implemented for pavement preservation, preventive maintenance, and management. The strategy combines long-term fixes (reconstruction), medium-term fixes (rehabilitation), and short-term fixes (preventive maintenance) in a “mix of fixes” approach. Combining all three programs into a single comprehensive strategy achieves the most manageable highway network. The “mix of fixes” approach helps optimize available funds to meet network condition needs (Galehouse, 2002).

Interim Planning for a Future Strategic Highway Research Program 2-5 TABLE 2–1 Relationship of research projects to research objectives Strategic Objectives Tactics (Topics) Barriers Research Projects Budget 1–1.1. Utilities Location Technology Advancements $5,000,000 1–1.2. Geotechnical Solutions for Soil Improvement and Rapid Embankment Construction $2,000,000 1–1.3. Replacement of Conventional Materials with High-Performance Materials in Bridge Applications $2,150,000 1–1.4. Rapid Rehabilitation Strategies of Specialty Structures $4,000,000 1–1.5. Micropiles for Renewal of Bridge Foundations $1,000,000 1–1.6. Needs Assessment and Implementation Plan for Developing a Comprehensive Intelligent Project Delivery System $1,000,000 Rapid Approaches 1. Perform Faster In-Situ Construction • Traditional approaches are slow and costly • Limited data collection and sharing • Not enough emphasis given to human limitations and performance 1–1.7. Facilitating the Use of Recycled Aggregates $2,500,000 1–1.8. Identifying and Reducing Worker, Inspector, and Manager Fatigue in Rapid Renewal Environments $1,500,000 1–2.1. Modular Bridge Systems $9,550,000 1–2.2. Develop Bridge Designs That Take Advantage of Innovative Construction Technology $4,000,000 2. Minimize Field Fabrication Effort • Traditional techniques for bridge and pavement construction are built on site 1–2.3. Modular Pavement Technology $2,500,000 3. Perform Faster Construction Inspection and Monitoring • Limits on sensing technology 1–3.1. High-Speed, Nondestructive Testing Procedures for Design Evaluation and Construction Inspection $5,000,000 1–4.1. Performance Specifications $2,225,000 1–4.2. Alternate Contracting Strategies for Rapid Renewal $2,000,000 1–4.3. Incentive-Based Specifications to Assure Meeting Rapid Renewal Project Goals $1,500,000 1–4.4. Development and Evaluation of Performance- Based Warranties $1,500,000 1–4.5. Risk Manual for Rapid Renewal Contracts $1,000,000 4. Facilitate Innovative and Equitable Contracting Environment • Methods specifications constrain efficiency in quality • Sub-optimized contracting approaches and use of incentives • Unbalanced risk allocation between owners and contractors • Lack of rapid decision making can constrain project activities 1–4.6. Innovative Project Management Strategies for Large, Complex Projects $750,000 1–5.1. Strategic Approaches at the Corridor and Network Level to Minimize Public Disruption from the Renewal Process $1,250,000 1–5.2. Integrating the “Mix of Fixes” Strategy into Corridor Development $1,500,000 5. Plan Improvements to Mitigate Disruption • Planning is not corridor based • Traditional project-based objectives • Financing constraints 1–5.3. Strategic Approaches for Financing Large Renewal Projects $1,000,000 1–6.1. New Guidelines for Improving Public Involvement in Renewal Strategy Selection $2,500,000 1–6.2. New Guidelines for Improving Business Relationships and Emergency Response during Renewal Projects $1,500,000 1–6.3. Utilities–DOT Institutional Mitigation Strategies $3,000,000 1–6.4. Railroad–DOT Institutional Mitigation Strategies $1,750,000 6. Improve Customer Relationships • Difficult to mitigate impact to users and public services • Ineffective coordination with utilities and railroads • Insufficient consideration to adjacent environment 1–6.5. Context-Sensitive Designs and Construction Operations to Minimize Impact on Adjacent Neighborhoods $750,000 Minimize Disruption (for Users on and Adjacent to Project) 7. Improve Traffic Flow in Work Zone • Traditional approaches are inadequate for high traffic volumes 1–7.1. Design, Installation, and Maintenance of Work Zones for High Consistency, Visibility, and Safety $2,000,000 (continued on the next page)

to conduct renewal operations. It is safe to expect that these agencies will be transferring more responsibilities to consultants and contractors. An examination of trends in other countries shows that the transfer can be accomplished but requires new strategies and coop- eration among the various interests. This topic focuses on developing an environment that is more conducive to delivery of the type of services needed in the future. Minimize Disruption Tactic 5. Plan Improvements to Mitigate Disruption—There are more ways to minimize the impact of renewal if the analysis starts early in the project development process: not only selecting the renewal items of work that need to be done but also the best way to assem- ble and procure the work. Agencies need to strategically define, analyze, package, and renew highway corridors and projects so as to minimize current and future traffic disruptions as well as overall initial and life-cycle costs. Financial solutions are urgently needed to pro- vide the ability to address very high-cost renewal projects in a sustainable manner. Tactic 6. Improve Customer Relationships—The key to improving customer relations is to get customers involved in the decision-making process as partners with the agency. Cus- tomers include those using the facility and those who live near it and are affected by the renewal activities. In addition, utilities and railroads share roadway right-of-way and have a huge stake in renewal activities. Unresolved or undetected utility issues have been rec- ognized as one of the leading causes of construction delays. It behooves the highway agen- cies to address fundamental relationships and explore innovative arrangements to minimize this impact. This tactic directly addresses those most affected by the renewal work and looks for creative solutions and partnerships. Tactic 7. Improve Traffic Flow in Work Zone—Traffic must move efficiently and safely through work zones. Many of the traditional work zone approaches are simply inadequate to address the high-traffic environment of some rapid renewal projects. The goal is that 2-6 Interim Planning for a Future Strategic Highway Research Program TABLE 2–1 (Continued) Strategic Objectives Tactics (Topics) Barriers Research Projects Budget 1–8.3. Composite Pavement Systems $5,000,000 1–8.4. Stabilization of the Pavement Working Platform $1,600,000 1–8.5. Using Existing Pavement in Place and Achieving Long Life $1,000,000 1–9.1. Nondestructive Evaluation Methodology for Unknown Bridge Foundations $1,000,000 1–9.2. Development of Rapid Renewal Inputs to Bridge Management and Inspection Systems $4,000,000 9. Monitor In- Service Performance • Lack of performance- related metrics and analysis systems 1–9.3. Monitoring and Design of Structures for Improved Maintenance and Security $5,000,000 1–10.1. Preservation Approaches for High Traffic Volume Roadways $750,000 1–10.2. Bridge Repair/Strengthening Systems $2,000,000 10. Preserve Facility Life • High traffic volumes • Lack of methods to extend life 1–10.3. Techniques for Retrofitting Bridges with Nonredundant Structural Members $1,500,000 1–8.1. Durable Bridge Subsystems $6,000,000 Produce Long-Lived Facilities 8. Design and Construct Low- Maintenance Facilities • Maintenance is not adequately considered during design and construction • Lack of predictable performance models 1–8.2. Design for Desired Bridge Performance $3,000,000

Interim Planning for a Future Strategic Highway Research Program 2-7 work zones and work sites of the future will be safer and more efficient for both motorists and construction workers. Produce Long-Lived Facilities Tactic 8. Design and Construct Low-Maintenance Facilities—Producing long-lived facilities not only reduces ownership costs but also significantly reduces the disruption to the users over the life cycle of the facility. Building for long life, using low-maintenance designs and materials, and designing facilities for easier maintenance need to be simulta- neously achieved. Through improved material selection, design processes, and integration with construction technologies, facilities must be designed to reliably achieve the desired performance life. The goal is to integrate performance-related designs with innovative con- struction processes that will result in long-life solutions. Tactic 9. Monitor In-Service Performance—Technology provides an opportunity to address a key strategy for providing improved service to the public both for planned main- tenance and for security. Having the ability to continuously monitor in-service performance and the necessary decision support systems will result in lower life-cycle user and owner- ship costs as well as improve safety to the public. Tactic 10. Preserve Facility Life—One of the essential components of a rapid renewal program is preservation of existing facilities for the longest possible time at the required level of performance. Additional techniques are needed to extend the life of roadways that carry high traffic volumes, to strengthen bridges without total reconstruction, and to retro- fit bridges that were not built with redundant structural members. RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER RESEARCH PROGRAMS Renewal research projects within F-SHRP are closely related to research conducted in the major highway research programs, which are sponsored by FHWA; other federal agen- cies, such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Science Foundation (NSF); the state DOTs, whether individually or through pooled-fund research; and AASHTO (through NCHRP). F-SHRP will work closely with these programs to build on their results. However, F-SHRP is distinct from these other programs in several important ways as follows: 1. F-SHRP is aimed at bringing about a completely new way of approaching highway renewal, rather than creating incremental improvements in current practice; 2. F-SHRP is structured around a practical outcome to which multiple scientific and technical disciplines must contribute, rather than around specific engineering or other disciplines, as is generally the case with other research programs; and 3. F-SHRP will focus a large scale investment over a fixed time frame on addressing the renewal goal. Table 2–2 shows a simple schematic of where F-SHRP fits with respect to other major highway research programs.

2-8 Interim Planning for a Future Strategic Highway Research Program REFERENCES The Big I. Civil Engineering News, Vol. 72, No. 4, April 2002. An Olympic Undertaking. Unifying America: 2001 FHWA Report to the American People. FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, January 2002. Galehouse, L. Strategic Planning for Pavement Preventive Maintenance. TR News, No. 219, March–April 2002, pp. 3–8. Nelson, T. In and Out in 72 Hours. Unifying America: 2001 FHWA Report to the American People. FHWA, U.S. Department of Transportation, January 2002. Schrank, D., and Lomax, T. The 2001 Urban Mobility Report at mobility.tamu.edu. Texas Transpor- tation Institute, College Station, TX, 2001. TABLE 2–2 Public-sector research programs related to highway renewal Program Structure Generally structured around highway-related or scientific disciplines, such as pavements, safety, materials science, etc. Structured around outcomes to which multiple disciplines will contribute Scope State Regional/Multi-State National Shorter-term projects aimed at incremental improvements in current practices State DOT Infrastructure and Operational Research Programs Pooled Fund Studies NCHRP T yp e of O ut co m e A nt ic ip at ed Mission oriented, gap filling, and longer-term applied research to advance the state of the practice FHWA Infrastructure RD&T Program F-SHRP Breakthroughs in knowledge and/or practice FHWA Advanced Research Program, NIST, NSF F-SHRP NOTES: 1. University research is not included as a separate program; many universities participate in the programs mentioned by performing the research under contracts, grants, or other agreements. Several university transportation centers (UTCs) include some aspect of infrastructure renewal in their center theme. 2. Private-sector research is not included. Equipment manufacturers, construction materials associations, and the largest construction firms sponsor research in their respective product areas.