Design Management in Design-Build Megaprojects: SR 99 Bored Tunnel Case Study

Abstract

The increasing use of the design-build project delivery method has resulted in it now being one of the most popular nontraditional methods for delivering road, bridge, mass transit, and rail projects in the United States. However, although the use of design-build is widespread, there remains a substantial lack of information about how to effectively plan and implement design management procedures for design-build transportation projects. In particular, transportation agencies lack information about how to shape appropriate design management roles for various contractual parties and to manage design activities for design-build megaprojects. To fill this gap, this paper presents a case study of the SR 99 Bored Tunnel project in Seattle, Washington. It provides detailed information on how the owner, the Washington State DOT (WSDOT), incorporated design management procedures into its requirements and how the design-builder, Seattle Tunnel Partners, implemented them within its project management processes.