Influence of Project Bundling on Maintenance of Traffic Costs across Highway Project Types

Abstract

Maintenance of traffic (MOT) is the process of providing transportation management and traffic control at highway work zones. MOT work is an essential part of any construction project and can constitute a significant fraction of overall project cost. It is hypothesized that MOT costs can be reduced significantly through project bundling (consolidation of several separate projects into a single contract). However, no existing study has quantified the impact of bundling on MOT costs. In addressing the issue, this paper develops statistical models that take into account the effects of bundling and other influential factors. Six construction work categories that involve 36 different project types were considered. Several significant variables were identified including the project cost, bundle size, geographical proximity, functional class, traffic volume, and letting season; It was found that the impacts of these variables on MOT cost varies significantly by project type. The study results can provide construction managers with knowledge on projects of specific attributes for which MOT cost could be reduced significantly by project bundling, and those for which bundling would have no such effect.