Maryland. State Highway Administration. Research Division

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Over the past decade, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway

Administration (MDOT SHA) has implemented Alternative Project Delivery (APD) methods

in a number of transportation projects. While these innovative practices have produced

significant schedule and cost improvements, the potential benefits have not been fully achieved.

This research identified the barriers and solutions to improve the APD implementation process

at MDOT SHA. The study was based on structured interviews and empirical analysis of cost and

time performance of DB projects that have been executed over the past 15 years. Among the

results include the high correlation between efficient communication and higher project

success and satisfaction. Additionally, the data analysis showed that many issues in APD

projects stem from a lack of knowledge and a poor mindset regarding the transition from the

traditional delivery method of Design Bid Build (DBB) to an APD method. However, the data

suggests that overall project satisfaction with APD projects versus DBB projects is higher at 3.8

out of 5 vs. 3.4 out of 5, respectively. While there was a higher satisfaction for APD projects,

there was also a much larger variance in the APD satisfaction compared to DBB which

suggests that there is room for improvement with APD methods.

US Transportation Collection

SP509B4G