Automatic schedule integration for highway projects

Abstract

The construction of a highway/expressway, which involves a complex combination of roads, bridges, and tunnels, is generally separated into several projects. Various contractors thus execute different projects and often apply differing scheduling practices. Since all projects involved in highway construction must be completed for the highway to be useful, the management of the various projects should preferably be integrated. To assist project controllers in schedule integration, this study proposes algorithms based on standardized codes and network modules. A computer system was also designed to help contractors use these modules for scheduling, and ultimately to let project controllers combine these schedules electronically. A questionnaire survey and industry feedback revealed the potential benefits of using the proposed algorithms for generating and integrating schedules, respectively. Contractors' computation capabilities must be improved before the proposed scheduling algorithms can be fully implemented. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.