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Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations

 
REPORT
This report is an archived publication and may contain dated technical, contact, and link information
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Publication Number:  FHWA-HRT-16-031    Date:  February 2018
Publication Number: FHWA-HRT-16-031
Date: February 2018

 

Automation in Highway Construction Part II: Design Guidance and Guide Specification Manual

PDF Version (3.28 MB)

PDF files can be viewed with the Acrobat® Reader®

Related Documents: Automation in Highway Construction Part I: Implementation Challenges at State Transportation Departments and Success Stories, (FHWA-HRT-16-030)
Techbrief: Automation in Highway Construction, (FHWA-HRT-16-032)

FOREWORD

The Federal Highway Administration conducted research to document gaps for implementing automation in highway construction and to develop guidance for State transportation departments to assist them in implementing and using automation to improve project delivery. There are two volumes of the final report. Part I presents a description of the key automation technology areas and the associated benefits, challenges, and solutions.(1)

While 3D design practices are common in State transportation departments, automation technology requires added detail in 3D design models to output data in a portable and durable format and also requires additional organization and description of the data. This report provides the accuracies needed for both survey control and topographic survey. It describes how construction specifications can incorporate practices to manage the use of automation technology in a manner to adapt to project characteristics and evolving technologies. It also describes how consistency in 3D data and survey methods provides for automated inspection tasks, especially acceptance and measurement processes, can enhance transparency, make inspectors available to observe construction, and enhance project safety. State transportation departments interested in developing 3D digital design for use in automation in highway construction would benefit from reading this volume.

Cheryl Allen Richter, P.E., Ph.D.
Director, Office of Infrastructure
Research and Development

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for the use of the information contained in this document.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trademarks or manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the objective of the document.

Quality Assurance Statement

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high-quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

 

Technical Report Documentation Page

1. Report No.

FHWA-HRT-16-031

2. Government Accession No.

N/A

3 Recipient's Catalog No.

N/A

4. Title and Subtitle

Automation in Highway Construction Part II: Design Guidance and Guide Specification Manual

5. Report Date

February 2018

6. Performing Organization Code

N/A

7. Author(s)

Francesca Maier and Dr. Jagannath Mallela of Parsons Brinckerhoff; Helga N. Torres, J. Mauricio Ruiz, and Dr. George K. Chang of The Transtec Group, Inc.

8. Performing Organization Report No.

N/A

9. Performing Organization Name and Address

Parsons Brinckerhoff
100 S. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21201

The Transtec Group, Inc.
6111 Balcones Drive
Austin, TX 78731

10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)

N/A

11. Contract or Grant No.

DTFH61-13-C-00026

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address

Federal Highway Administration
Office of Infrastructure Research and Technology
6300 Georgetown Pike
McLean, VA 22101-2296

13. Type of Report and Period Covered

Draft Final Report; 2014–2016

14. Sponsoring Agency Code

N/A

15. Supplementary Notes

The Contracting Officer’s Representative is Richard Duval, HRDI-20.

16. Abstract

Automation in highway construction includes an increasing number of technologies that collect, store, analyze, and process information to make, support, or execute an appropriate action or decision that results in enhanced construction outcomes. The goal of automation in highway construction is to increase speed, efficiency, and/or safety during the construction process. This goal is in conjunction with components, processes, and software that assist in a more efficient construction system.

 

The primary objectives of this project were to (1) address gaps identified for implementing automation in highway construction and (2) develop guidance for State transportation departments to assist them in implementing automation to improve accelerated project delivery.

 

There are two volumes of the final report for each of the two objectives. Part I presents a description of the key automation technology areas and the associated benefits, challenges, and solutions.(1) Part II (this volume) presents an overview of enabling technologies and policies for automation in highway construction as well as implementation strategies. This volume also includes design procedures and practical guidelines to properly generate three-dimensional models for uses in construction and other phases of highway project delivery.

17. Key Words

Automation in highway construction, Intelligent construction, Automation, Guidelines, Guide specifications

18. Distribution Statement

No restrictions. This document is available to the public through the National Technical Information
Service, Springfield, VA 22161.
http://www.ntis.gov

19. Security Classification
(of this report)

Unclassified

20. Security Classification
(of this page)

Unclassified

21. No. of Pages

130

22. Price

 

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

 

 

 

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