improving transparency of construction projects using ...docs.trb.org/prp/14-4694.pdf · nabeel...

Nabeel Khwaja, Cameron Schmeits 1

IMPROVING TRANSPARENCY OF CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS USING 1 VISUALIZATION TECHNOLOGY 2

3 Nabeel Khwaja, PE1 and Cameron Schmeits2 4

5 6

Word count: 5535+1750 (7 figures) = 7285 7 8 9 Paper# 14-469410

1 Assistant Director, Center for Transportation Research, The University of Texas at Austin, 1616 Guadalupe Street, Suite 4.202 Austin, TX 78701, (214) 683-0444, Fax: (214) 320-611, [email protected] Corresponding Author 2 Research Fellow, Center for Transportation Research, The University of Texas at Austin, 1616 Guadalupe Street, Suite 4.202 Austin, TX 78701, (214) 683-0444, Fax: (214) 320-611, [email protected]

TRB 2014 Annual Meeting Paper revised from original submittal.


ABSTRACT: 1 Reconstruction of major metropolitan highway projects is generally a complex engineering 2 process during which detailed engineering plans and specifications are prepared and the 3 construction operations are performed according to those plans and specifications. Most of these 4 complex projects take years to plan and design, and several more years to construct. One major 5 challenge associated with urban and metropolitan highway reconstruction is balancing the 6 mobility needs of the driving public and the construction needs of the contractor. This balance is 7 generally accomplished through the development of detailed traffic control plans (TCP). These 8 TCP are primarily engineering documents and the typical practice for sharing this information 9 between the engineer, the owner, and the contractor consists of printed 11”x17” sheets of paper. 10 On large projects, the TCP document can consist of several thousand sheets. Additionally, the 11 TCP depicts the sequence of construction and management of traffic, i.e., the spatial information 12 only. The timeline information, i.e., temporal data, regarding the construction sequences is 13 contained in a separate system for scheduling data. Since the turn of this century and through the 14 availability of powerful personal-computer-based three-dimensional (3D) modeling tools, 15 scheduling software, and their integration, it has become possible and cost-effective to use the 16 latest visual modeling techniques for developing and presenting this complex spatial and 17 temporal engineering information to project stakeholders in a user-friendly format. The paper 18 presents a case study of the successful use of this technology on the $2.6-billion Lyndon B. 19 Johnson Freeway (IH635) reconstruction project in Dallas, Texas. 20



TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS AND TRANSPARENCY 1 For a public sector entity, the term transparency has a wide range of connotations. The scope of 2 this paper focuses on presenting complex engineering information in an easily understood format 3 to various stakeholders affected by the engineering operations related to major highway 4 reconstruction projects in urban and metropolitan areas. According to the Construction Sector 5 Transparency Initiative, in order to achieve transparency, “the construction sector has to disclose 6 information that is understandable, relevant, accessible and useful to government, the private 7 sector and particularly the public” (1). The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) 8 discovered this while going through a multi-year experiment to reinvent its transportation 9 planning and project selection process. “KDOT learned valuable lessons…not the least of which 10 is that it’s easy to confuse publishing large quantities of technical information with transparency” 11 (2). 12

The adverse effects of highway construction projects on adjacent businesses and the 13 traveling public are well documented (3) and generally increase in proportion to their size and 14 scope. Due to limited right-of-way (ROW) availability in metropolitan areas, the reconstruction 15 of highway projects entails the construction of new infrastructures after demolishing and 16 removing the existing infrastructure. Therefore, these major metropolitan corridors present 17 significant constructability challenges (4). During this process of demolition, removal, and 18 construction, meeting the mobility needs of the traveling public and the access needs of the 19 adjacent businesses and other property owners is critical. Thus, planners must communicate 20 various types of engineering and construction information about project operations to the public 21 and stakeholders. This need for information can be classified into two general categories: 22

1. Construction operations that affect mobility and/or access, i.e., closure of various 23 lanes, ramps, and cross streets. In addition, depending on the severity of the closure it might be 24 necessary to provide information regarding the alternate routes (commonly referred to as 25 detours). In simple terms, this category answers the “what” and “when” type of questions the 26 public has. 27

2. The rationale for the various closures, as some closures can last for weeks, months, and 28 in rare cases, years—the “why” type of questions. 29

Most state departments of transportation (DOTs) have developed standard practices for 30 effectively disseminating information regarding daily closures and any resulting detours through 31 a wide range of print and electronic media. However, the current tools for effectively responding 32 to the second category of information are lacking. This lack arises because the second category 33 of information requires the ability to understand complex engineering and technical issues 34 involved in the construction processes and the associated safety needs. While DOTs desire a way 35 to effectively respond to questions pertaining to the second category, the process used for 36 developing and communication engineering plans has not lent itself to presenting this 37 information effectively until recently. In order to provide this information, data from multiple 38 systems has to be obtained. At the very least it consists of 39

1. Project schedule information from the scheduling system. 40 2. Construction phasing, traffic control plan (TCP), profile data and technical expertise to 41

understand the plan and profile information from the engineering plans. 42 3. Information regarding geometric design and structural details. 43 On major transportation infrastructure and reconstruction projects, the involvement of 44

stakeholders cannot be overstated. The stakeholders generally consist of, but are not limited to, 45 the following: 46



Traveling public (drivers/passengers) 1 Property owners 2 Designer/contractor (various subcontractors) 3 Local entities (cities, counties, etc.) 4 Emergency responders (fire, police, local hospitals) 5 Major employers 6 Citizens living or working around the construction zone 7 Major traffic generators (local malls, sporting arenas, etc.) 8 Small and large businesses that depend on the availability of lanes and ramps 9 Local news media 10

TRAFFIC CONTROL PLANNING AND TRAFFIC CONTROL PLANS 11 Detailed TCP are a major portion of the engineering plans developed and used for urban and 12 metropolitan reconstruction projects. TCP significance and complexity has increased over the 13 last two decades because an increasing number of reconstruction projects are being constructed 14 in very tight ROW conditions. Limited ROW imposes challenges on construction projects by 15 limiting the staging area for construction equipment, and material storage/handling. Furthermore, 16 ensuring safe handling of the traffic during a multi-year construction project through the work 17 zone in an urban/metropolitan setting involves multiple phases and steps for constructing pieces 18 of the project. The TCP (alternatively referred to as management of traffic plans or MOT) is 19 generally communicated to the project stakeholders using 11”x17” printouts. TCPs in their 20 simplest form depict the spatial nature of the work zone to show various construction locations 21 inside the construction project; locations for material storage and handling; location for ingress 22 and egress of the construction equipment; and the location, number, and width of the travel lanes, 23 safety shoulders, etc., as well as any applicable restrictions on them. 24

Figure 1 is just one TCP sheet from a set of several thousand currently being used on the 25 LBJ Express Project in Dallas, Texas. It shows the number of travel lanes as well as work zones 26 of two different types—permanent pavement along the service roads (in yellow and red cross-27 hatch) and temporary pavement on the cross-street bridge (in teal). Additionally, it depicts lane 28 and shoulder widths on the mainlanes, cross-street bridges, and the service roads. However, TCP 29 does not depict any elevation information. Neither does it specify the exact dates of when these 30 conditions will be implemented at this location. Such temporal information is contained in a 31 schedule typically created using the critical path method (CPM) of scheduling. The CPM 32 schedule is typically created with specialized scheduling software. TxDOT currently specifies 33 Oracle Primavera products P3 and P6 for use on its highway construction projects. 34

A simple data-dump of the complex information discussed above regarding various lane 35 closures necessitated by construction operations would be neither sufficient nor effective at 36 providing transparency. In order to overcome this challenge of communicating three-dimensional 37 (3D) spatial information along with its temporal component, the project owners have in the past 38 used scaled physical models of the construction project. However, these models do not overcome 39 the challenge of depicting the intermediate steps that are needed, nor do they provide any 40 information regarding the timeline associated with those intermediate steps. It is now possible to 41 overcome these through the use of new 3D and four-dimensional (4D) visual modeling tools that 42 allow the integration of schedule data with the TCP information in 3D visual format using the 43 latest CAD tools. 44



1 FIGURE 1 A 2D Traffic Control Plan (Management of Traffic) sheet for LBJ Express 2 project containing significant amount of engineering information. 3

APPLICATION OF 3D AND 4D TECHNOLOGY TO TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS 4 3D and 4D modeling is a relatively new technology that has proven its benefits and applications 5 in a very short amount of time in the building construction arena. Building research has seen 6 such advancement that the most recent building research is not only using 3D and 4D, but is 7 moving towards building information modeling (BIM), which consists of “3D components with 8 additional parameters or attributes and links among the models, components, and information” 9 (5). 10

The transportation sector is lagging behind the building sector in the area of applying 3D 11 and 4D technology. According to Kim et al. (6), “it is clear that there is a lack of 4D CAD 12 application in the area of civil engineering.” 13

However, as mentioned earlier, most large transportation projects need a more effective, 14 visual method for keeping stakeholders informed, due to their size and the potential impacts on 15 hundreds of thousands of daily users and other stakeholders. This is even more of an issue for 16 state transportation agencies because, as public entities, they are always striving to be as 17 transparent to the general public and elected officials as possible. According to Liapi (7), even 18 though visualization has been slower to develop in the transportation arena than in the 19 construction industry, the methods that have been extensively used in urban planning and 20



building visualization are being adopted by transportation because the methods effectively 1 communicate project information. Two areas of transportation construction where applying 3D 2 and 4D modeling has proved beneficial are 3

visualization 4 communication 5

Visualization 6 As a visualization tool, 3D and 4D models help synthesize information. Liapi (7) used 7 photorealistic representations to communicate changing lane configurations to the traveling 8 public, creating 3D animations of the driver’s paths. 9

Communication 10 One of the most valuable benefits of 3D and 4D visualization is the ability to improve 11 communication. “The effective communication of project planning and scheduling information 12 for visual evaluation is the main advantage of 4D models,” noted Liapi (7). Also, according to 13 Kim et al. (6), 4D models are “quite helpful for the smooth execution of the project, especially in 14 the area of communication management.” 15

O’Brien et al. (8) found that the 3D and 4D CAD models of the Woodall Deck project 16 were very useful in communicating the nature of the project and specific topics during meetings 17 involving TxDOT project team members. One of the topics was beam placement options; while 18 watching 4D animations, the project team was able to “avoid misunderstandings and thus save 19 time” (8). 20

METHODOLOGY 21 As seen in Figure 2, the visualization models are created by combining data from the 2D PDF 22 plans with the 2D electronic CAD files and the TIN surface file to create a 3D object-oriented 23 model. The 3D objects are extracted and imported into integration software along with the CPM 24 schedule obtained from the contractor. The integration software allows for manual linking of 25 construction tasks from the schedule to the 3D objects to create a 4D model. Currently several 26 off-the-shelf integration software are available from the major CAD software vendors. The 27 process for integrating the 3D objects with the schedule to create a 4D model requires 28 understanding of the work scope, knowledge of the construction schedule, and filtering the 29 relevant activities from the complete CPM schedule to match the level-of-detail needed in the 4D 30 model (9). 31



1 FIGURE 2 Process flowchart for creating a 4D model. 2 3

Due to the size and complexity of the case study project, the developer created a robust 4 3D “fly-through” model of the completed project that was used primarily as a public relations 5 tool to virtually show what the new facility would look like. This is in contrast to the 3D and 4D 6 visualizations described in this paper. The visualizations in this paper were planned, designed, 7 and utilized in more targeted, specific ways to respond quickly to issues that “popped up” during 8 construction. This was accomplished by strategically dividing the modeling up; both by physical 9 segments and by the proposed schedule. For example, the contractor scheduled to open the east 10 end of the reconstructed project to traffic before other areas. Therefore, that segment was 11 modeled first. Also, the new construction was modeled for whole areas, but existing 12 infrastructure was only added where necessary, such as a hike and bike trail that will remain 13 during and after construction. This strategy allowed for visualizations showing a variety of 14 content that addressed a variety of issues to be created in a short amount of time. Had, the short 15 lead times for the visualizations not been there, other solutions would have had to been used that 16 might not have been as clear and understanding to the public. 17

CASE STUDY – LBJ EXPRESS 18

Introduction 19 The LBJ Expressway is a corridor of I-635 between I-35E and U.S. 75 in North Dallas. It is 20 currently the second-most congested roadway segment in Texas (10). As the project map in 21 Figure 3 depicts, the LBJ Express Project will rebuild this corridor. In 1969 the LBJ Expressway 22 was built to accommodate 180,000 vehicles per day (VPD). In the project area today, average 23 daily traffic counts exceed 270,000 VPD. The corridor remains congested during most of the day 24 and early evening hours. Furthermore, any incident that impacts a lane or shoulders causes 25 additional delays. In order to relieve this congestion the LBJ Express Project will 26

Construct three new express managed lanes in each direction (guaranteed 50 mph) 27 Rebuild four general purpose (GP) lanes in each direction (same number as previous) 28 Provide additional shoulders 29 Provide a continuous frontage road system (two or three lanes wide) 30

The project also includes the construction of elevated managed lanes along I-35 East from Loop 31 12 to I-635 to provide corridor-level connectivity. 32



The LBJ Express Project is being delivered through a public-private partnership. TxDOT 1 has signed a 52-year concession agreement on the project ROW with a private developer, LBJ 2 Infrastructure Group (LBJIG), to build, finance, operate, and maintain the roadway. Initial 3 construction will cost $2.6 billion: $490 million in TxDOT/public funds; $664 million in equity 4 from LBJIG; $615 million in private activity bonds; and $850 million as a Federal 5 Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan. Operations and maintenance 6 costs are estimated at $500 million (2008 dollars). Design and construction is being completed 7 by LBJIG’s design-build (DB) contractor Trinity Infrastructure (TI). Construction started in early 8 2011 and is scheduled to be completed by early 2016. 9

10 FIGURE 3 Map of the I-635 and I-35E project locations in Dallas, Texas. 11



Challenges 1 A project with the size and scope of the LBJ Express Project poses significant challenges in 2 communicating complex engineering (spatial and temporal) information to the stakeholders for 3 information and feedback. On a fast-paced construction project, little time is available to process 4 information and provide feedback due to the heavy direct and indirect costs on a daily basis. The 5 project is currently averaging almost $2 million of work every day. Any tool or technology that 6 can cut down on the time required to process and present complex information is valuable. 7

Cross-Street Bridge Rebuilding 8 Demolishing and constructing cross-street bridges is a complex process since it involves working 9 over the freeway main lanes. Those complexities require the demolition and construction to be 10 done in steps—generally one-quarter of the bridge is demolished or constructed at a time. The 11 specific construction activities of bridge demolition, beam hanging, and deck pouring all affect 12 the safety of the main lane traffic underneath the cross-street bridges. Due to safety issues, the 13 aforementioned construction activities are NOT performed over live traffic. In order to perform 14 these activities, several lanes are closed at a time and traffic is funneled through a very narrow 15 corridor in one direction for several continuous hours. As part of these closures, ramps are closed 16 and cross-street traffic is detoured through alternative routes. 17

Figure 4 depicts one such detour situation in a two-dimensional (2D) sketch that was used 18 for stakeholder meetings. Most of these detours started on Friday night at 8:00 p.m. and lasted 19 until noon the following day. In order to communicate these detours, stakeholder input meetings 20 were scheduled on Tuesdays of the week during which the detour conditions were to be 21 implemented. It was evident during the meetings that this method of communication was not 22 sufficient for such a complex project to address all concerns. Most of the meeting time was spent 23 verbally communicating the changes shown in the 2D drawings. As a result, less time was 24 available to discuss alternatives and discuss the merits of the presented concept. 25

26



1 FIGURE 4 A sketch used by the contractor to depict lane configurations during bridge 2 beam-placement work. 3

Public Education – Bypass Lanes 4 The LBJ Expressway had four GP lanes and one high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane before 5 construction began. In order to accommodate construction, the HOV lane was closed very early 6 in the project timeline. The four GP lanes were to remain open for the duration of the project. 7 After evaluating several different factors (local traffic, local businesses, construction safety, etc.), 8 approximately halfway through the construction timeline, TxDOT and TI decided to close one 9 GP lane for approximately three miles of the corridor (thus leaving three lanes open). One 10 benefit gained from this decision was the expedited construction of the bypass lanes. 11

This lane configuration (reduced number of GP lanes and additional bypass lane) is new 12 to drivers of these corridors, and communicating it required the use of modern 3D drive-through 13 animations. 14

Construction Progress Updating 15 The LBJ Express Project is the most expensive highway transportation project under 16 construction in Texas. Also, it is located in the fourth-largest metropolitan planning area of the 17



United States (11). The project covers seventeen miles of a corridor that is home to a large 1 number of businesses, office buildings, and residential and recreational areas. The size and 2 location makes the project very important to elected public officials and local policy-makers. The 3 traveling public needs updated information about the construction project to make travel 4 decisions. The businesses need it to plan delivery routes, employee travel time, meeting location 5 choices, future lease decisions, etc. The business community wants to be assured of adequate 6 access to their businesses during the five years of construction. Keeping all of these parties as 7 informed as possible about the project is a major challenge. 8

Implementation 9

3D Drive-Through Animations 10 3D drive-through animations were employed on the LBJ Express Project from September 2011 11 to February 2012 to assist LBJIG’s Public Relations Office (PRO) and TxDOT’s Public 12 Information Office (PIO) in depicting and communicating detour conditions for cross-street 13 bridge rebuilding. 3D animations were developed to depict the detour conditions associated with 14 the cross-street bridges, GP lanes, and the ramps that were being impacted. In total, twelve 15 separate animations were made for nine weekends of construction work. Although similar efforts 16 have been made in the past for an individual cross street or a single intersection, these virtual-17 driver-perspective animations for an entire corridor are the first of their kind—even for a project 18 where 3D animations became the standard supplemental method of communication with the 19 stakeholders. The videos showed the gradual reduction of open traffic lanes (4 to 3, 3 to 2, and 2 20 to 1), the traffic shift around construction (demolition, beam hanging, etc.), and then the 21 reopening of all lanes of traffic. Snapshots of several of the videos can be seen in Figure 5. Once 22 completed, the videos were uploaded to YouTube. After being uploaded to YouTube, the links to 23 the videos were sent out with the PRO’s media advisory and eAlerts. LBJIG also included links 24 to the videos on their website, Twitter feed, and Facebook wall. From there, different media 25 outlets used them as needed/wanted. 26



1 FIGURE 5 Timeline highlighting the 3D drive-through videos developed for cross-street 2 bridge demolition and construction work. 3

Bypass Lanes 4 The Midway Road bypass lane animation was created and uploaded to YouTube in June 2013. 5 As seen in Figure 6, the video shows a helicopter view of how a driver would proceed through 6 the bypass lane. The animation starts on the frontage road, enters the bypass lane, crosses over 7 the cross street, merges back onto the frontage road, and then shows a split in the road to either 8 merge onto the highway or continue on the frontage road to the next cross street. Theoretically, a 9 driver could stay on the frontage road and the bypass lanes (most cross streets have them) and 10 thus avoid lights and avoid getting on the highway. In this way, it is almost like an extra lane on 11 the highway. Not modeled in the animation is a temporary connection that will be placed 12 between an exit ramp and the bypass lane. After being uploaded to YouTube, it was posted on 13 LBJIG’s website, Facebook wall, and Twitter feed. 14



1 FIGURE 6 Snapshot of the westbound bypass lane (shown in darker pavement color) over 2 Midway Road taken from the 3D drive-through video. 3

4D Construction Animation 4 In addition to the nine, 3D drive-through animations, a 4D animation that virtually depicts the 5 construction process of the project has been employed on the LBJ Express Project as well. This 6 4D animation is being used to update the project stakeholders on the progress of work and the 7 upcoming construction tasks. 8

Figure 7 shows a small segment of the entire project around the White Rock Creek Hike 9 and Bike Trail. The screen captures from the 4D model show the construction of a new GP 10 bridge, a bypass bridge, the frontage road, and the cross-street roadway. The actual video of the 11 construction process incorporates the durations of the activities from the CPM schedule. 12

This video was created to present to the hike-and-bike community. The video clearly 13 shows the community all the work that needed to happen around the trail, and why it was not 14 safe for them be walking and riding around the area. 15



1 Figure 7 Sequential 2D images taken from a 4D video animation showing the construction 2 operations around the White Rock Creek Hike and Bike Trail. 3 4



Benefits 1

3D Drive-Through Animations 2 Despite the modeling challenges and risks enumerated above, the animations proved very useful 3 and beneficial in overcoming various communication challenges listed earlier. First, during the 4 stakeholder review meetings, less time was needed to communicate the TCP information since 5 the drive-through animations made it much easier to understand and allowed for a better 6 discussion of the mitigation measures. Stakeholders felt better informed and provided 7 constructive input. Also, the videos showed the elevation of various traffic control devices, 8 which is more realistic and easier to understand than the TCP sheet in Figure 1. Various print 9 media outlets (including Dallas Morning News blogs) hyperlinked the videos in their reports. 10 Also, the local CBS News used key animations in their 6:00 p.m. broadcast. According to 11 YouTube’s statistics, the twelve movies uploaded on YouTube received approximately 6000 12 unique views. This number is conservative as it does not count the number of people that saw the 13 video on the local television. 14

Educating the Media 15 One unanticipated benefit from the use of 3D animation videos was that the local broadcast 16 media started using them for not only broadcast purposes, but to also educate themselves so as to 17 more clearly and accurately inform the public (12). 18

Educating the Public 19 The Midway Bypass Lane video clearly depicted what one of the bypass lanes actually looks 20 like. The video received approximately 500 views on YouTube. It was also embedded in the 21 transportation blog of the Dallas Morning News. The video release was timed to coincide with 22 the closing of one of the GP lanes in that same area, to help ease commuter frustration. The 23 public was still frustrated with the additional lane closure, but at least they did not have the 24 added frustration of not understanding what a bypass lane was, and thus what the additional lane 25 closure accomplished. 26

4D Animations 27 Several key benefits have been identified so far from the use of 4D modeling on the project. 28 29 Updating Project Stakeholders The first and foremost benefit of 4D visualization is more 30 effective communication of both the project schedule information and the spatial location of the 31 work tasks. 4D animations show the progress of construction work to date and the remaining 32 future work. This visual communication of schedules is useful for busy elected officials and 33 senior administrators of TxDOT. 34 35 Public Information Meetings Having a 4D animation of the project and/or specific segments 36 allows for clear and updated communication of schedule information. This transparency helps 37 alleviate many issues that arise when complex information cannot be easily communicated and 38 resolves any discrepancies in how the information is received—two aspects of communication 39 that can reflect poorly on the credibility of the communicator when they are not addressed. Use 40 of these 4D animations should allow TxDOT to communicate project schedule and status 41 information more transparently for stakeholder consumption. The public will also benefit from 42 understanding the complexities involved and steps required while constructing a large-scale 43



project; these visual tools convey information in a way that can be understood easily without the 1 viewer having to learn CPM scheduling or read engineering plans. 2

The White Rock Creek Hike and Bike Trail 4D animation (9) effectively communicated 3 the timeline of construction work around the trail. When this 4D animation was published on 4 YouTube, the GP bridge was finished, but the bypass bridge had not begun construction. 5 Therefore, before this video, the hike-and-bike community was under the impression all the 6 bridge construction over and around the trail was complete. However, as the 4D animation 7 makes clear, that was not the case, since the construction of another bridge above the trail was 8 pending. This video has approximately 900 views; according to TxDOT’s Media Relations 9 officer, it received approximately 400 views in one day. 10

11 Schedule Review The 3D, visual presentation of the construction schedule helps integrate a 12 significant number of the 19,000 activities into a visual format. This tool has already identified 13 deficiencies in the large and complex schedule that are not easily identifiable. For example, after 14 only a simple review of the 4D animation, it was discovered that schedule information for one-15 half of a cross-street bridge was missing from the 19,000-activity schedule. 16

Lessons Learned 17

Information Delivery from Developer 18 In a DB project, the development of the detailed engineering plans is done concurrently with the 19 construction operations, with minor lag between plan development and the construction 20 operations. This creates a challenge for a third party to acquire the most updated detailed 21 engineering plan information in an easily usable form to be able to create 3D drive-through 22 animations. Any delay in obtaining the required information results in valuable loss of time. 23 Another challenge is the format used for submitting information. On this project, PDF is the 24 common format for plan information submission. The key lesson learned is that for quick 25 development of 3D animations the information needs to be submitted in both PDF and native 26 CAD format. This can be rectified if the owner develops the DB contract documents with stricter 27 specifications on deadlines for submitting detailed TCP. 28

Weekly Deadlines 29 TI and LBJIG’s schedule had cross-street bridge work taking place most every weekend in the 30 fall of 2011 and winter of 2012. As seen in Figure 5, sometimes multiple bridges would be 31 worked on during the same weekend. The challenge of creating a different animation every week 32 was also compounded by the nature of the project. The videos were part of a larger media alert 33 that was delivered by the PRO every Wednesday at a fixed time. That meant there was a very 34 firm deadline to have the videos completed. If the YouTube links to the videos were not part of 35 the media alert, the potential impact of the videos decreased substantially. Also, the construction 36 work simulated in the videos was scheduled to be completed that weekend. These strict deadlines 37 created an all-or-nothing situation. There was no partial benefit if the video was not uploaded 38 and hyperlinked in the media advisories. 39

Level of Detail 40 Since the primary stakeholder in generating the videos was the traveling public, several details 41 had to be modeled to make the 3D drive-through videos as close to actual travel conditions as 42 possible. “The public expects relatively realistic views” (13). This meant animating as much 43



detail as possible by including lane markings, construction barricades and lane-closure devices, 1 construction equipment, temporary pavement, signs, vehicles, landmark buildings, etc. Also, 2 sometimes applying a different shade to a certain part of the roadway helped distinguish between 3 different types of lanes (specifically bypass lanes). Creating these details adds complexity versus 4 communicating between engineers where lines and shapes can stand in for construction 5 equipment and roadway elements. 6

Design-Build Delivery 7 The DB delivery model for this project dictates that not all of the needed information for a 8 complete 4D model is available in the early part of the project. Bridges, TCP, and several other 9 elements are still being designed when the 4D model is being made. In order to try to fill these 10 voids, some of the animation elements have to be created with information from simple sketches 11 or even verbal data. As this missing information becomes available in additional plan sheets and 12 revised schedules, the animations will be updated. 13

Large Construction Schedule 14 The schedule for construction of the LBJ Express Project consists of approximately 19,000 15 activities. Such a large schedule makes linking the specific activities to the correct 3D objects 16 time consuming and cumbersome. The developer creates the schedule primarily to coordinate 17 and plan construction, not necessarily to facilitate the building of a virtual 4D animation. One of 18 the lessons learned is that if 4D animations are to be generated, then a coding structure needs to 19 be embedded within the schedule to identify activities that need to be shown in the 4D 20 animations. This step will help filter out activities that are not needed for 4D modeling. 21

CONCLUSION AND RECCOMENDATIONS 22 This paper detailed the benefits and lessons-learned from 3D and 4D animations. With some 23 planning and investment, state transportation agencies can overcome various communication-24 related issues to improve transparency of communication issues at the project level by using the 25 3D and 4D modeling that has recently become effective for deployment at the project-office 26 level. Furthermore, this type of modeling should now be considered in planning for most major 27 projects since its tangible benefits are outweighing costs substantially, and stakeholders are 28 coming to expect these benefits on large projects. 29

This paper has been able to look at some of the expenses of doing strategic targeted 30 visualizations to help improve transparency. Determining the savings from these visualizations in 31 a quantitative manner would go a long way toward providing concrete evidence that 32 visualization is a valuable tool. However, cost savings in PR and PIO situations is hard and even 33 sometime impossible to determine. Also, these visualizations addressed a variety of different 34 issues, making it even harder to determine cost savings on this project. Further research of this 35 topic could look to provide more detailed benefits from the public’s perspective, perhaps from 36 interviews at public meetings, open houses, etc. 37

ACKNOWLEDGMENT 38 The authors would like to thank the Texas Department of Transportation’s Dallas District for 39 funding our work. 40



REFERENCES 1 2 1. Hawkins, J. and McKittrick, B. (2012) “Construction Sector Transparency Initiative: 3

making construction more accountable” Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. 4 Civil Engineering, 165(2), 82-88 5

2. Lorenz, J. and Douglas, L. (2013) “Less Money, Better Policy: Possible” TRB 92nd 6 Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers DVD 7

3. Khwaja, N. and Nelson, Jay,. (2004), “Innovative Strategies on Dallas High Five 8 Project”, Transportation Research Record 1900, Transportation Research Board, 9 Washington, D.C., 107-113 10

4. Goodrum, P.M., Hancher, D.E., and Yasin, M. (2003). “A review of constructability 11 barriers and issues in highway construction.” Construction Research Congress – Wind of 12 Change: Integration and Innovation, ASCE, Honolulu, Hawaii 13

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8. O’Brien, W. J., Gau, P., Schmeits, C., Goyat, J., and Khwaja, N. (2012) “Benefits of 22 Three-and Four-Dimensional Computer-Aided Design Model Applications for Review of 23 Constructability” Transportation Research Record 2268, Transportation Research Board, 24 Washington, D.C., 18-25. 25

9. LBJ Express Project, White Rock Hike and Bike Trail 4D Animation, Dec 12, 2012. 26 <http://youtu.be/ABeAo7WP0mY. Accessed Nov. 14, 2013 27

10. Texas Department of Transportation (2010) “100 Most Congested Roadway Segments in 28 Texas.” Texas Transportation Institute < http://apps.dot.state.tx.us/apps/rider56/list.htm> 29 Accessed Aug. 1, 2012 30

11. Estimates of Population Change for Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Rankings: July 1, 31 2010 to July 1, 2011” United States Census Bureau 32 <http://www.census.gov/popest/data/metro/totals/2011/index.html> Accessed Aug. 1, 33 2012 34

12. DeLapp, Heather (2012), Interview conducted on July 1, 2012. Public Affairs Manager, 35 LBJ Express Project, LBJ Infrastructure Group, Dallas, Texas 36

13. Landphair, H.C. and Larsen, T.R. (1993) Evaluation and Development of Visualization 37 Technology in Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C. 38


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