Identification of Geotechnical-Related Problems Impacting Cost, Schedule, and Claims on Bridge Construction Projects

Abstract

Changes made during the construction period generally generate claims, cost overruns, and schedule delays. Although there are publications relating to these concerns, because of geotechnical reasons on transportation projects there is a dearth of studies specifically focusing on bridge projects. Therefore, this study aims to learn the causes of claims, change orders, and cost overruns associated with geotechnical reasons for bridge projects. It also focuses on the impacts of geotechnical-related problems and identifies measures for their mitigation. For this study, survey questionnaires were received from 53 state DOTs engineers and from 43 engineer consultants. Through the survey, nine geotechnical-related problems from the design phase were identified. Based on analysis, the top four geotechnical-related problems with negative impacts on the costs, schedules, and claims of bridge projects were found as lack of sufficient boring locations, misclassified or mischaracterized soil, dewatering due to seepage problem, and design change in superstructure. The survey results also showed that the three major preventive measures to reduce geotechnical-related change orders were reported as the designer should have detailed knowledge about the geotechnical information of the project site, detailed site investigation with a experienced consultant, and development and implementation of minimum standards for subsurface investigation and site characterization.