Construction Management Challenges and Best Practices for Rural Transit Projects

Abstract

Rural transit projects are often small in scope but numerous and geographically dispersed. Management of these projects can be challenging because of very limited resources, unique risk factors, and a lack of construction management expertise. Without effective construction management strategies, it is unlikely that rural transit projects will be optimally planned and controlled, possibly resulting in delays, cost overruns, rework, injuries, and poor quality. This paper presents the results of a comprehensive desk scan, survey, and case studies that focused on identifying specific construction management challenges and effective practices that are unique to rural projects. We obtained responses from 33 of the 52 U.S. states’ Departments of Transportation (63%) and two Canadian provinces. The survey findings were validated with interviews from representatives of seven rural case study projects. The results indicate that the primary issues facing rural transit projects include documentation issues; staffing; remote location issues; small contractor issues; communication issues; and local and environmental issues. The counter measures identified for these issues in agency interviews and described in this paper provide the first targeted resource for rural construction management practices. The research community benefits from this study with the increased understanding of the inherent difference in construction management practices between large urban and small rural construction projects.