4
The Pressure Is on to Deliver Infrastructure Projects
on Time and on Budget
American infrastructure is in dire need of improvement
and innovation. It's estimated that there's a $386 billion
backlog for highway and bridge projects alone. Local, state,
and federal agencies have begun to embrace digitalization
and new funding opportunities to address this backlog.
Experts predict that the COVID-19 crisis will accelerate
these disruptive trends even more, transforming the
construction ecosystem rapidly and permanently.
FHWA promotes 3D models and digital
as-builts to improve project delivery
Project owners are increasingly focused on improving
productivity to hasten the delivery of infrastructure
projects. And they're looking to technology to address
the problem. For example, the FHWA now encourages
the use of 3D modeling due to its cost-effectiveness
and ability to accelerate the completion of highway
projects. Engineered 3D modeling and specifically
the use of BIM (building information modeling) helps
contractors reduce errors, save time and cost, and
increase coordination and cooperation among the
many stakeholders involved in civil projects. In fact,
many transportation agencies are now requiring the
signing and sealing of 3D models instead of 2D plans.
The FHWA's EDC initiative further raises the stakes on
productivity by suggesting bi-annual improvements
in the way projects are managed and constructed at
the state level. Among the innovations under EDC-
6 for 2021-22 are e-ticketing and digital as-builts.
E-ticketing, a paperless process for materials ticketing,
streamlines the production, transmittal, and sharing of
materials data. It also provides a contactless means of
exchanging information, which has become even more
relevant in light of COVID-19.
Digital as-builts serve the same purpose as traditional
as-builts, providing an accurate representation of what
was actually built when construction is complete. But
when you're able to produce as-builts digitally, you extract
even more value from them. Producing a digital as-built
requires a model-based design approach, which closes
siloes between stakeholders throughout the construction
lifecycle and yields benefits such as earlier identification
of design challenges and reduced rework. The digital
as-built also provides an accurate model of existing
conditions. These benefits ultimately result in greater cost
control and more efficient project delivery, which are in
the best interests of contractors and owners alike.
When compared side-by-side against traditional methodology, using digital
as-builts as part of a BIM workflow can reduce the number of drawings
required for a project by up to 90%, and reduce the portion of the project
budget dedicated to change orders by 11.5%.
