Bridge bundling: combining discipline with experience to reduce infrastructure backlog

A new approach to bridge projects, known as bundling, is helping transportation agencies and municipalities provide desperately needed services for bridges across the United States, without breaking the bank.  Infrastructure expert and program manager, Chris Shaeffer, P.E. sets out how these programs, when delivered effectively, can stretch dollars, expedite delivery and reduce backlogs of essential bridge maintenance and repair.

The United States has a serious bridge problem. According to the American Road and Transportation Builders Association’s 2019 Bridge Report, 47,052 of America’s 616,087 bridges are rated “structurally deficient” and 235,020 are in need of repair. But, with limited resources available for infrastructure, municipalities and transportation agencies are struggling to maintain, rehabilitate or replace bridges.

Bridge bundling — which technically builds on the procurement process used by many municipalities and transportation agencies to deliver multiple projects via a single contract — is an innovative solution that can help to effectively address this backlog, on the broader, more significant scale required.

A disciplined, focused approach is needed to fully leverage the efficiencies that bridge bundling can deliver. Based on our experience working with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) to replace over 550 bridges across the Commonwealth in five years, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) to expedite the rehabilitation and replacement of more than 1,000 bridges over six years, here are four steps agencies, municipalities and program teams need to take together to fully realize the benefits available.

1/ Define your criteria

At the start of a bridge bundling program, you need to screen and group together the bridges that are close in location and have similar attributes to each other, such as road classifications, traffic volumes and geometries. This enables project teams to apply standardized designs and construction methods across these groups to complete the work, helping to increase efficiency, accelerate delivery and reduce overall costs through economies of scale.

It is essential, therefore, that agencies and municipalities work closely with the project team to develop the appropriate criteria for these groupings and consistently adhere to the delivery methods laid out.

2/ Recognize that one size does not fit all

A traditional transportation project, such as the reconstruction of a highway corridor, will produce individual submittals, for example, reviews and approvals needed for permits, plans and estimates, for the impacted area.

In contrast, due to the decentralized nature of bridge bundling packages, each bridge in a bundle has site-specific design and construction requirements, such as environmental, right-of-way and utility considerations. As a result, these requirements may each be subject to third party stakeholder review and approval by, for example, permitting agencies, railroads and utilities. This review process can have a multiplying effect on the length of submittal review times.

Across the project team, therefore, there needs a detailed understanding of, and organized approach to, each bridge to complete the necessary submittal processing within the contract and schedule’s established timeframes.

3/ Communicate to build support

As with any major project, good communication that keeps internal employees and external stakeholders informed and engaged is critical to the success of bridge bundling programs. Regular briefings to share the program’s priorities, key milestones and benefits with agency and municipality employees, working in central and regional offices (who often have additional responsibilities outside of the program), as well as those communities affected by the program will help to secure the necessary “buy-ins” at all levels.

And program managers must support agencies and municipalities in this, establishing a clear direction and plan to deliver each program that can be shared and communicated effectively.

4/ Set out an agreed route to success

Accountability can make or break bridge bundling projects. Establishing clearly defined roles, responsibilities, expectations and delegations of authority at the outset of the program will keep everyone on the same page while also providing a framework for meeting the program’s goals.

Implementing project management information systems (PMIS) with state-specific charters and workflows — such as the systems established by AECOM in Pennsylvania and Kentucky — shortens review cycles and reduces the risks associated with late reviews and missed submittals.

Under a PMIS, real-time data can be extracted to provide automated reports, dashboards and trend analyses, helping agencies and municipalities to manage costs and maintain control over schedule and program documentation from planning, design and procurement through to construction, operations and maintenance.  Workflows are particularly important as they ensure that submittals, reviews and approvals are performed in accordance with contractual obligations.

Results that speak volumes

With much discussion in the industry about the real-world expertise and experience needed to deliver these projects successfully, we’re now seeing the results from the early bridge bundling programs in the U.S. This includes ongoing work in Pennsylvania and Kentucky to tackle critical bridge projects, supported by different financing models.

A flexible system to deliver results — the PennDOT Rapid Bridge Replacement Project

PennDOT’s US$1.02 billion Rapid Bridge Replacement Project is being delivered as a public-private partnership, using a design/build/finance/maintain structure with milestone and availability payments over 25 years.

As the program manager, we have developed 26 workflows to help over 150 users manage 30,000 plus submissions. These include more than 19,000 design submissions and 10,000 submissions required for the substantial completion of each bridge.

By assigning due dates to responsible parties, PennDOT was able to use this flexible system to track, filter and report on the status of commitments, deferred work items and the resolution of issues. We also used over 1,500 of these processes to ensure all issues identified in as-built documentation were closed out before providing substantial completion and final acceptance.

Informed and optimal solutions — the Bridging Kentucky Program

With US$700 million budgeted for the Bridging Kentucky Program, KYTC expects to complete more than 1,000 bridge replacements or rehabilitations across the Commonwealth in six years using design/bid/build and design/build delivery models. We are adopting a process-oriented approach for each bridge tailored to KYTC’s requirements, leveraging existing bridge data and engineer and inspectors’ expertise to help KYTC develop informed and optimal solutions. One year into this process, more than 400 bridges are programmed for replacement or rehabilitation by the end of 2019 — a significantly higher number than previously delivered on average.

Making less go further

Bridge bundling is one effective way in which public agencies and governments can stretch their infrastructure budgets further and accelerate delivery of much-needed repairs. An organized, disciplined approach is needed, however, to ensure all of the efficiencies available are secured. The work in Pennsylvania and Kentucky is showing what is possible and ensuring stronger and safer infrastructure for years to come.