Beginning in Texas in 2003 and continuing around the country, the Accelerated Construction Technology Transfer (ACTT) program is transforming the way highways and bridges are planned and built, with millions of dollars and years of delays shaved off of projects. Over the past two years, more than half of the states have reaped the benefits of participating in an ACTT workshop. A number of these workshops are already scheduled for 2006. States can now realize the benefits of ACTT by holding their own accelerated construction workshops, with the assistance of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
The Transportation Research Board, American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials and FHWA launched ACTT to give agencies a tool to address their need for system improvement while meeting the challenges of reducing construction time and work-zone congestion. ACTT brings state highway agency staff together with national experts in a range of skill sets for a three-day workshop.
At the workshop, the participants brainstorm innovative strategies for reducing time, costs and congestion for a planned highway project, while improving safety, quality and roadway performance at the same time. Projects to date have ranged from those with projected budgets of $1 million to those expected to cost more than $2.5 billion. Most ACTT workshops have resulted in a reduction of planned construction time by 30% or more.
Factors a state should consider in selecting an ACTT project include:
- Does the project involve major reconstruction or rehabilitation work that will begin over the next 4-6 years?
- Is there an urgent need to accelerate construction?
- Are the project limits or boundaries still fluid?
- Is the project team open to innovation and willing to consider and apply fresh concepts?
ACTT skill sets cover such areas as financing, the environment, design, right-of-way/utilities, contracting, construction and others. A recently revised Accelerated Construction Management Team led by FHWA will maintain a national roster of skill-set experts and assist states with forming a skill-set team and organizing and delivering an ACTT workshop. The costs for states to plan, organize and carry out workshops are now eligible for federal-aid funding. States can find assistance as well in a new publication available from FHWA, ACTT: A “How To” Guide for State Highway Agencies (Publication No. FHWA-IF-05-038). The guide features details on how to select an ACTT project and plan and hold a workshop, as well as such resources as sample workshop agendas and lists of the various ACTT skill sets and their team leaders. An update on ACTT workshops is in the 2005 report, ACTT Now (Publication No. FHWA-IF-05-039).
Over the next few years, the ACTT Management Team will work with states that have held an ACTT workshop and are now proceeding with the construction phase of their project. ACTT workshop recommendations will be tracked to see which ones are implemented and how much is actually saved in time and costs. These real-world results will aid in the effort to make ACTT a standard business practice for highway agencies embarking on major reconstruction or rehabilitation projects or corridor improvements.
