Construction in roadways and on bridges account for nearly 25 percent of all congestion. Coupled with the fact that 40,000 people are injured in work zone-related crashes each year, it is clear why one of the newest initiatives from the Federal Highway Administration looks at ways to combat both of these problems.

The idea behind the FHWA’s Accelerated Construction Technology Transfer (ACTT) is to reduce construction time on highway projects while enhancing safety. The objectives are straightforward. Less construction time means fewer delays. Enhanced safety means fewer injuries and deaths among construction workers and travelers.

The FHWA hopes to transform the way projects are designed and built by integrating ACTT into every step of the programming, design, and construction process. The goal is to make fast tracking a standard practice on all projects. They estimate that implementing innovative ACTT techniques could shave as much as 30 percent off of a construction schedule.

ACTT workshops held to date have produced the following ideas to reduce construction time and improve safety.

Innovative Contracting: Use alternate delivery systems, consultant and contractor procurement methods, and contract clauses such as lane rentals, incentive/disincentives, and claims avoidance to manage projects for timely completion.

Right of way, Utilities, and Railroads: Decrease design and construction time by reducing utility conflicts, minimizing right of way impacts, and partnering with railroad companies to speed their review and approval process.

Geometric Design: Think out of the box when looking at your design options. Identify the option that can both achieve your project goals and reduce the impacts of construction delays. New interchanges and reconstruction on a different alignment are project types that can benefit from this.

Bridges, Noise and Retaining Walls: Reduce construction time by using prefabrication, preassembly, reduced skew angles, self-consolidating concrete, advance material procurement, standardized design elements, and a variety of other techniques. Months, even a year or more on large projects, can be saved using these practices.

Construction: Explore options to speed the delivery of materials to the site. Use on-site asphalt and concrete plants and procure long-lead time materials early. Expedite change orders and shop drawing approvals. For scheduling, mandate the use of critical path method (CPM). Perform night and double-shift work. Consider full lane closures during night shifts. Use a pre-mainline contract so that work that does not impact traffic is finished ahead of time.

Traffic Engineering and ITS: Enhance safety and keep traffic moving by using variable and advance warning message signs, closed circuit TV, incident response plans, web sites, and a public relations plan. Mandate the use of one traffic control coordinator for the entire construction corridor, regardless of the number of contracts let.

The challenges to complete projects in a timely manner have intensified in recent years. Traffic has increased tremendously, causing high levels of congestion. Large and extended construction projects, needed to improve roads and bridges that are 40 years old, only exacerbate traffic back-ups and create economic and environmental impacts. The ACTT initiative undertaken by the FHWA is one way to reduce the impacts of construction and satisfy impatient motorists who demand high quality roads but want them built as quickly as possible.

What is an ACTT Workshop?

The FHWA and AASHTO’s Technology Implementation Group have assembled a 195-member resource group from across the country to share ideas and expertise on ways to accelerate construction and reduce traffic impacts. Attendees consist of state department of transportation personnel, experts from other state highway agencies, construction industries, the academic world, and FHWA. In addition to design and construction, these experts examine innovative financing and contracting, right of way, utilities, and traffic control issues.

ACTT workshops are initiated after the FHWA reviews a proposal that is submitted by the local state DOT. Once the proposal is accepted, details are worked out in a pre-workshop meeting, at which time the expertise needed for a particular project is identified. The workshops draw approximately 100 participants. The team meets with the host agency, visits the site, and participates in 2 days of discussions on ways to build a project as quickly as possible and minimize impacts to the public.

At the end of the workshop, the ACTT team provides the host agency with a list of recommendations that they can consider as they initiate and progress their project. As of December 2004, 14 states have completed ACTT workshops, five have scheduled them, and 12 (including New York) are considering them.

An ACTT Case Study

The Connecticut DOT used Accelerated Construction Technology on the Church Street Bridge over the New Haven Interlocking and Rail Yard. Minimizing disruptions to both traffic and train service was a priority. ACTT experts recommended that the bridge be pieced together alongside active rail lines instead of above them. Then, it could be lifted into place in a single night operation over a weekend. ConnDOT used these recommendations which they estimate shaved one year off of the contract time.

Putting Accelerated Construction into Perspective

• Work zones account for nearly 24 percent of non-recurring congestion, or 482 million vehicle-hours of delay.


• In 2002, work zone fatalities reached a high of 1,181 (over 3 per day)


• More than 40,000 people are injured in work zone-related crashes each year, many from end-of-queue crashes.

Putting Congestion into Perspective

From 1980 to 2000, highway use increased tremendously, as demonstrated by these figures compiled by the FHWA.

• Vehicle miles of travel increased by 80 percent.


• Licensed drivers increased by 31 percent.


• Lane miles increased by only 3.8 percent.

Rush ‘hour’ increased from 2.5 hours to 4.5 hours