Download - DFW Connector Design-Build Success Story
DFW Connector Design-Build Success StoryPresented to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation OfficialsSam E. Swan, P.E.August 2, 2011
• Developer: NorthGate
Constructors• $1.02 billion design-build project • Contract executed October 6, 2009• Work began Feb. 17, 2010• 42 percent of contract earned
($396 million of $931 million in
construction as of May 2011)• 37 percent of schedule completed
(622 out of 1,702 days as of May
2011)• Estimated completion: 2014
Project Overview
City ofGrapevine
City ofCoppell
Town ofSouthlake
City ofColleyville
SH
121
FM
2499
SH
26 SH
114
SH
121SH
360
SH
114 635
City ofIrving
DFW International Airport
Project Overview
Tarrant CountyDallas CountyCity of GrapevineCity of CoppellCity of ColleyvilleCity of IrvingCity of EulessTown of Flower MoundTown of Southlake D/FW International AirportDARTThe TRTC & NCTCOGFHWAFAAUSACEGrapevine Mills MallBass Pro ShopGaylord TexanBaylor Hospital
Project Overview
2011 Work - Current
• 16 bridges under construction simultaneously– Major direct connectors: Eastbound 114/121 to 121
north, northbound 121 to westbound 114, eastbound 114 to southbound 121
• First new permanent pavement opened in temporary configuration, late 2010
• Utility relocations ongoing• North Entrance at DFW Airport
– Keeping traffic moving into third-busiest airport in the world
Innovations Used
• Design Task Forces– Weekly meetings– Best technical solutions– Designer/contractor/owner-TxDOT/stakeholder
participation– Coordination between design and construction
• Phasing of the Project– Started during the procurement– Focused on:
• Maintaining existing capacity
• Creating large efficient work areas
• Minimizing full freeway closures
• Minimizing ROW and Utility conflicts
• Creating work areas unaffected by traffic
• Creating temporary configurations better than existing
– Organized by block: • Break the mega-project into manageable pieces.
Innovations Used
Block Phasing
• 3-D Design– Better visualization– Identify and eliminate conflicts– Tied to our P6 schedule with Synchro– Able to download directly into our GPS
controlled equipment
Innovations Used
• Construction– GPS grade control equipment– Conduits for water and lime into the median– Electronic tracking of equipment, trucks and
materials
Innovations Used
Innovations Used
• ProjectOne– Microstation and
InRoads files organized by discipline
– Effectively find and view files and project-specific training videos
Innovations Used
• Microstation/ InRoads– Integrates tools
specifically designed for quantity takeoffs, work plans, strip maps, and more
Innovations Used
• InRoads corridor modeler
• 3D view of model components
Innovations Used
• Trimble Business Center– Directly
imports model data and converts to machine control files
Innovations Used
• Trimble Business Center– Used to visualize data,
assist and help "QC" (quality control) the model
– Models loaded into "rovers" and installed on equipment
– Excavators– Dozers– Blades
Innovations Used
Quantity Takeoffs
Innovations Used
3-D Quantity Takeoffs
Innovations Used
• Truck and Material Tracking
Innovations Used
• Trakit GPS– Mobile devices placed in trucks
• Ability to see the location of the trucks in real time• Ability for managers to track cycle times and look
for bottle necks
Innovations Used
• Material Tracking– Integrated suppliers
• Integrated electronic tickets
– Weight reconciliation• NorthGate owned and operated truck scale• Material trucks weighed once they leave the quarry
and again when they arrive at NorthGate
– FiveCubits - Kiosk Overview.ppsx
Innovations Used
• Unattended Weighing Systems
Innovations Used
• Wireless Paving– Leica
GeoSystems• First used by
Kiewit in 2003
• Eliminates wire or string line
• Improves access and safety
Innovations Used
• TxDOT Field Technology– IPads/Tablets
• Verify paperwork, inspections, quantities in the field• Timely• Shorter review times• Eventual GPS link to design documents• Onsite verification of field work as designed
Innovations Used
• Track Mounted Crushing Equipment– Mobile Crushers
• All crushed materials to be used as base material for concrete paving
• Reduced trucking cost
Innovations Used
• Concrete Batch Plant
• Public Information– Mobile App (in development, first for TxDOT)– E-alerts, weekly/monthly project updates– Business owners’ task force– Business access coordination– Project website stats (May 2011)
• 241,492 total visits• (high of 41,081 visits in January 2011)• 693 average daily visits• (high of 1,325 average visits, January 2011)
Innovations Used
Stakeholders affected by the DFW Connector:
Benefits of a PI Team on a design-build project:
• Tarrant and Dallas County• Cities: Grapevine; Southlake, Irving,
Coppell, Colleyville, Euless, Flower Mound
• D/FW International Airport• DART• The T• RTC & NCTCOG• FHWA• FAA• USACE• Grapevine Mills Mall• Bass Pro Shop• Gaylord Texan Hotel• Baylor Hospital• 300,000 daily commuters• Business community
• Onsite-integrated team – Owner led with close interaction from
TxDOT
– Attend weekly meetings
– Obtain up-to-date schedule/design information
• Sharing information– Share quickly changing information with
stakeholders in a timely manner
– Assists with their planning
– Know what’s coming
• Community partnering– Maintain a presence within the
community
• Timely mitigation of issues
Public Information
• Documented public feedback since December 2009 through April 2011: (percentage of complaints vs. commendations)
• Complaints: 61%• Commendations: 39%• Percentages flipped in last few months as
construction has intensified
Public Opinion
DFW Connector ProjectTxDOT-NorthGate Partnering
• Partnering between NorthGate and TxDOT started before construction
• Open door policy
• Open and transparent communication
• Weekly discipline task force meetings between NorthGate and TxDOT
Working Together
• Independent facilitator with quarterly meetings
• Proactive vs. reactive approach
• Participation from all project personnel– TxDOT and NorthGate
• Identify issues needing escalation
Task Force Partnering
• Quarterly activities:– Project survey to assess the success of agreed
upon goal areas– Review and revision of individual task force
action plans– Analysis of “rocks in the road”
• Identify issues needing escalation
Task Force Partnering (con’t.)
• Issues identified and handled quickly before they become larger issues
• Issues follow a standard project escalation method
• Weekly task force leaders meeting to identify potential areas of concern
Issue Resolution
• Senior project management– NorthGate – TxDOT– FHWA
• Issue identification and partnering from a senior level
Executive Partnering
Project Quantities - Fun Facts
• 2.1 million cubic yards of embankment (dirt)– Would fill the Dallas Cowboys stadium 20 feet
deep
• 1.6 million square yards of concrete paving– 170 times the area of the American Airlines
center
• 130,000 linear feet drainage– 400 times the length of a football field
Additional Project Quantities
• 600,000 square yards of concrete removed• 550,000 square yards of asphalt removed • 47 bridges• 380,000 tons of asphalt• 740,000 square feet of Mechanically Stabilized
Earth (MSE) walls• 2.9 million cubic yards of excavation
Visit our website:www.dfwconnector.com