Integration Award

New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department

This award recognizes the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department's Right of Way Bureau's integration efforts on the US 70 Hondo Valley project.

The New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department's Right of Way Bureau was tasked with acquiring at least 90 percent of the required right of way (150 parcels, 104 owners) for the US 70 Hondo Valley project in five months. In addition to an extremely aggressive acquisition schedule, this project was also the first Design Build project in New Mexico.

Faced with these challenges, the Right of Way Bureau undertook a systematic integration effort to ensure right of way delivery. The Bureau partnered with representatives from the Consultant and Internal Design staffs, Environmental and Archeological staffs, Survey and Mapping staffs and Legal Counsel to form a multidisciplinary team. The team's purpose was to develop strategies to move the process forward systematically. They met on a weekly basis to discuss all "issues relative to right of way" to ensure that the goal of acquiring 90 percent of the required right of way within five months was met.

The team integration effort resulted in several Right of Way Bureau process modifications and handbook revisions. Some of the team innovations included:

• A process in which the Bureau's feasibility specialist complied all required right of way information (parcel ownership information and current comparable sales data for the area) into a comprehensive spreadsheet,

• Revisions to Authorizations to enter and Administrative Settlement guidance,

• Procedures for appraisal and appraisal review staff joint inspection of project areas and comparable sales to minimize inconsistencies, and

• A modified working process with the Design, Survey and Mapping staff to ensure early identification of critical parcels.

Through the efforts of the multidisciplinary team, the Right of Way Bureau not only met their goal but also exceeded it. They acquired 98 of the 104 ownership interests in a three-month period working with plans that were developed at 30 percent. The efforts of the team not only led to impressive savings of money and time but also resulted in a condemnation rate of only 5 percent.

Contributors:

New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department, Right of Way Bureau | Lester Cisneros

Integration Honorable Mention Award

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

Charles Hudson, Real Estate Title and Acquisition Manager Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LDOTD), won the Honorable Mention Excellence in Right of Way Integration Award for assembling a team from various LDOTD offices to review plans and maps and identify possible problems and solutions. One of the greatest impediments to clearing right of way by Plans Specifications and Estimates and authorization and contract letting dates is late design changes caused by deficiencies or omissions in construction plans and/or right of way maps.

In order to identify as many problems as possible early in the map design process, the joint review process takes a proactive approach to address issues that lead to slow downs in real estate activities. The joint review process has resulted in a dramatic reduction in the number of revisions or design changes during the acquisition process.

Contributors:

Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development | Charles Hudson