Bidding of Accelerated Bridge Construction Projects: Case Studies and Consensus Building [ABC-UTC-2016-C1-ISU02]

Accelerated bridge construction (ABC) is a solution for upgrading substandard bridges that reduces construction and closure times and minimizes exposure of the traveling public and road workers to construction activities. To take full advantage of the benefits of ABC, agencies should decide which projects are appropriate for ABC and how to bid these projects given the unique attributes of ABC methods. The research team compiled information on decision matrices for identifying ABC projects and outlined bidding processes for projects that utilized ABC. Four ABC projects in three states (Georgia, Indiana, and Minnesota) were then investigated in detail. Note that this project coincides with a partner project that contained similar information collection efforts for project delivery methods (Delivery Methods for Accelerated Bridge Construction Projects: Case Studies and Consensus Building [ABC-UTC2016-C1-ISU01]). The research team reached out to personnel involved in the projects to discuss bid items, contracting methods, and lessons learned. The results of this effort are included in this report and also in four standalone case study summaries. The case studies suggest that, when bids allow for flexibility, innovation is often incorporated into the project, which results in financial savings for the agency and/or time savings for the traveling public. After a project is completed, the agency can benefit from reviewing the lessons learned and successful aspects of the project and applying these to future projects. Final Presentation: https://youtu.be/e1xfrxvH8d0