COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP SPECIAL RELEASE 4
Lifecycle BIM for Infrastructure
A BUSINESS CASE FOR PROJECT DELIVERY
AND ASSET MANAGEMENT
Alexa Mitchell
Chris Williges
Sarah Henly-Thomas
HDR, INC.
Washington, DC
John Messner
PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY
University Park, PA
Subject Areas
Highways • Construction • Data and Information Technology
CRP SPECIAL RELEASE SERIES
The Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) Special Release series publishes the findings of projects managed by CRP upon request by organizations outside of CRP’s core research programs.
CRP SPECIAL RELEASE 4
Project TFRS-02
ISSN 2831-4670
ISBN 978-0-309-69845-0
© 2023 by the National Academy of Sciences. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the graphical logo are trademarks of the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein.
Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will be used to imply TRB, AASHTO, APTA, FAA, FHWA, FTA, GHSA, or NHTSA endorsement of a particular product, method, or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For other uses of the material, request permission from CRP.
NOTICE
The report was reviewed by the technical panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; or the program sponsors.
The Transportation Research Board does not develop, issue, or publish standards or specifications. The Transportation Research Board manages applied research projects which provide the scientific foundation that may be used by Transportation Research Board sponsors, industry associations, or other organizations as the basis for revised practices, procedures, or specifications.
The Transportation Research Board; the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; and the sponsors of the Cooperative Research Programs do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names or logos appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of the report.
Published reports of the
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
are available from
Transportation Research Board
Business Office
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
and can be ordered through the Internet by going to
https://www.mytrb.org/MyTRB/Store/default.aspx
Printed in the United States of America
The National Academy of Sciences was established in 1863 by an Act of Congress, signed by President Lincoln, as a private, non-governmental institution to advise the nation on issues related to science and technology. Members are elected by their peers for outstanding contributions to research. Dr. Marcia McNutt is president.
The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to bring the practices of engineering to advising the nation. Members are elected by their peers for extraordinary contributions to engineering. Dr. John L. Anderson is president.
The National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) was established in 1970 under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences to advise the nation on medical and health issues. Members are elected by their peers for distinguished contributions to medicine and health. Dr. Victor J. Dzau is president.
The three Academies work together as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation and conduct other activities to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions. The National Academies also encourage education and research, recognize outstanding contributions to knowledge, and increase public understanding in matters of science, engineering, and medicine.
Learn more about the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine at www.nationalacademies.org.
The Transportation Research Board is one of seven major programs of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation improvements and innovation through trusted, timely, impartial, and evidence-based information exchange, research, and advice regarding all modes of transportation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 8,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation.
Learn more about the Transportation Research Board at www.TRB.org.
COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
CRP STAFF FOR CRP SPECIAL RELEASE 4
Christopher J. Hedges, Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Waseem Dekelbab, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research Programs
Edward T. Harrigan, Senior Program Officer (retired)
Roberto Barcena, Senior Program Officer
Anthony Avery, Senior Program Assistant
Natalie Barnes, Director of Publications
Heather DiAngelis, Associate Director of Publications
Lisa Whittington, Editor
CRP PROJECT TFRS-02 PANEL
Lance William Parve, WSP, Madison, WI (Chair)
Rebecca M. Hjelm, Utah Department of Transportation, Holladay, UT
Michael James Kennerly, Iowa Department of Transportation, Ames, IA
Mohamed Mahgoub, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ
William S. Pratt, Connecticut Department of Transportation, Newington, CT
Jonathan W. Starr, Nebraska Department of Transportation, Lincoln, NE
Steven L. Tritsch, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
John D. Wilkerson, Michigan Department of Transportation, Lansing, MI
Morgan Kessler, FHWA Liaison
AUTHOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The research for this report was performed under Project TFRS-02, “Lifecycle BIM for Infrastructure: A Business Case for Project Delivery and Asset Management,” by HDR; Pennsylvania State University; Weris, Inc.; and Fernanda Leite. Final report authors are Alexa Mitchell (co-principal investigator), Chris Williges (project manager and co-principal investigator), Dr. John Messner (co-principal investigator), Sarah Henly-Thomas, Daphne Federing, Xiahoui Wang, and Dr. Fernanda Leite (technical reviewer). Appendix A was created by Ruth Tane, Eileen Smith, Kailey Krystyniak, Monica Anderson, Monica Doebel, and Lauren Walters.
Special thanks go to the Colorado Department of Transportation, Costain Group PLC, Denver International Airport, New York State Department of Transportation, and Utah Department of Transportation for participating in the case study interviews, and to Allen Melley, Charles Hixon, Matt Blake, Nick Laga, Trisha Stefanski, Steve Hutsell, and Vern Danforth for their participation in the Building Information Modeling subject matter expert panel.
FOREWORD
By Roberto Barcena
Staff Officer
Transportation Research Board
This report presents a state-of-the-art guide and resources to support and enhance the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in infrastructure. This report will be of interest to transportation agencies and policy-makers to assess and understand the costs and potential benefits of BIM implementation at an enterprise level.
BIM has been implemented successfully in transportation, vertical construction, and other industries as an asset lifecycle management methodology. This success is due to BIM’s capabilities and tools, such as access to advanced digital applications, large data repositories, enhanced visualization, and flexibility to embrace new and existing business processes.
The architecture, engineering, and construction industry has used BIM for planning, design, construction, and operation of many facilities. In general, BIM implementation in infrastructure projects has decreased project costs, increased productivity and quality, reduced project delivery time, and provided information to make business decisions. However, BIM’s benefits have not been fully realized due to the lack of standardization of processes in infrastructure. Additionally, there is a perception that the implementation and use of BIM is an expensive business proposition.
Under CRP Project TFRS-02, “Lifecycle BIM for Infrastructure: A Business Case for Project Delivery and Asset Management,” HDR was asked to evaluate the business case for BIM in the United States by quantifying how adopting enterprise-wide BIM systems can lead to increased agency efficiencies and improved cost savings, as well as foster advanced, comprehensive lifecycle management of enterprise assets.
The benefit-cost analysis framework and the detailed case studies developed in this project examine the opportunities, risks, costs, and benefits of BIM adoption and operation in transportation. The research findings will also help transportation agencies establish baselines, set targets, and quantify how adopting enterprise BIM systems can lead to increased agency efficiencies, as well as advanced and comprehensive lifecycle management of their infrastructure assets.
The BIM Multi-Media Toolkit was developed to complement and support the project’s report. This toolkit provides resources that can be used to inform stakeholders about tangible business cases for adopting lifecycle BIM. The BIM ROI Tool and BIM Assessment Matrix are spreadsheets created to evaluate the costs and benefits of implementing BIM for Infrastructure and identify the current level of BIM maturity within a transportation agency, respectively. The BIM Multi-Media Toolkit, BIM ROI Tool, and BIM Assessment Matrix are
available on the National Academies Press website (nap.nationalacademies.org) by searching for CRP Special Release 4. The multi-media toolkit includes
- Frequently Asked Questions,
- BIM graphics,
- Presentations (directed to technical staff, managers, and executives),
- Webinar presentation, and
- Video interviews.
The videos and assessment matrix are linked separately, while the other supplementary materials are included in a zip folder.
ABOUT THE TRB COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS
The Transportation Research Board (TRB) has provided customer-focused, applied-research program management services since the founding of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) in 1962. Over the course of those 60 years, other programs have been funded including current cooperative research programs for transit, airports, and behavioral traffic safety. The well-established procedures developed and refined in the NCHRP serve as the foundation for each of the programs that comprise the Cooperative Research Programs division (CRP) of TRB. These procedures ensure a competitive, merit-based selection of research institutions to conduct the research; outcome-based research project oversight; and dissemination of research results. Probably the most important factor contributing to the success and longevity of CRP is the emphasis put on stakeholder involvement from beginning to end—from the identification and selection of research topics through to participation on advisory panels to guide the work and implementation of final results.
From time to time, CRP is asked to take on the management and oversight of projects from outside organizations. One such organization is the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), with whom TRB has had a long and productive relationship. FHWA’s Research, Development, and Technology (RD&T) Program staff routinely solicit advice from TRB, particularly from the Research and Technology Coordinating Committee (RTCC), a federally mandated TRB committee that provides review and guidance on FHWA’s research activities.
Early in 2019, FHWA asked TRB to manage an undefined number of projects on behalf of RD&T. The initiative was named the TRB–FHWA Research Support Program; research projects are managed by NCHRP staff and program oversight is provided by the RTCC.
The initial projects requested by FHWA originated from RD&T’s Office of Infrastructure Research and Development, which conducts and oversees research and development programs and projects that address critical highway infrastructure needs and priorities of national importance. Studies focus on the design, materials, construction, operation, and preservation of highway pavements, bridges, culverts, tunnels, and other structures.
The first two infrastructure projects initiated at FHWA’s request concern quality assurance aspects of performance-related specifications and building information modeling for infrastructure.
This page intentionally left blank.
CONTENTS
2.2 BIM Adoption in Infrastructure
2.3 ROI Analysis for BIM Adoption
2.4 Measuring BIM Adoption in Organization and Projects
2.5 BIM Adoption in Published Case Studies
2.6 Conclusions and Observations
Chapter 3 Case Studies and BIM Expert Validation Panel
3.2 Case Study 1: New York State Department of Transportation—Kew Gardens Interchange Program
3.3 Case Study 2: Utah Department of Transportation—Digital Delivery Experience
3.4 Case Study 3: Colorado Department of Transportation—I-70G Edwards Spur
3.5 Case Study 4: Denver International Airport—Hotel and Transit Center Program
3.6 Case Study 5: Highways England—A556 Dual Carriageway
3.7 BIM Expert Validation Panel
Chapter 4 Making the Business Case
4.1 Overview of Business Case Approach
4.2 Benefit-Cost Analysis Framework
4.3 Factors Influencing Realization of Benefits
4.4 Identified Benefits and Costs of BIM
4.6 Conclusions and Observations
Chapter 5 BIM for Asset Data Management
5.3 Section 1: BIM for Asset Data Management Strategic Plan
5.4 Section 2: Information Exchange Requirements for BIM Asset Data
5.5 Section 3: BIM in the Delivery Phase
