Last time, I posted the following blog:

“How the DOT’s View Machine Control

I recently had the opportunity to speak at a committee meeting of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), near my home in Colorado. This committee is very focused on construction machine control, which they refer to as Automated Machine Guidance (AMG). Next month I will write about the positions the state Departments of Transportation are talking regarding AMG and its adoption by the contracting community.  The future support they will provide and what mandates they may impose on contractors are still under discussion, however it is already clear that the majority of DOT’s see significant benefits to the public and are in favor of AMG use on their transportation projects.  If this topic interests you, you can get a head start by reading the document that the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Technology Implementation Group (TIG) has published.  (Sorry about all the acronyms but we are dealing with government agencies and it comes with the turf.)  The publication is titled “Advancing Safer, Faster, More Accurate, and Less Expensive Roadway Construction”. To access this publication use the following link: http://tig.transportation.org/sites/aashtotig/docs/tigamgbrochurefinal.pdf

-Paul”

Now some specifics from the above mentioned publication:

“AMG improves worker safety and saves agencies and contractors time and money – enhancing their ability to deliver highways “better, faster, and cheaper.”

What is AMG?

Automated Machine Guidance (AMG) links sophisticated software with construction equipment to direct the operation of machinery with a high level of precision, improving the speed and accuracy of highway construction processes. Because it eliminates much of the guesswork, skilled manual control, and labor involved in traditional methods, AMG improves worker safety and saves agencies and contractors time and money – enhancing their ability to deliver highways “better, faster, and cheaper.” now gaining in popularity for grading operations, AMG offers the opportunity to move soil and other materials with fewer workers. This enhances safety and cost efficiency overall. It also significantly improves the accuracy of measurements, which delivers a myriad of benefits.

The accuracy of planning and construction is enhanced by AMG, improving  workflow and resulting in less changes, busts, reengineering and rework.

AMG and the Transportation Agency

AMG involves the synthesis of critical construction data into models that enhance road building, repair and maintenance processes. The models create an accurate picture of the terrain and conditions, “informing” software that guides equipment. Machine operators then ensure that each piece of equipment is performing the designated action properly. Along the way, a report of each action is captured by the software, assisting in the tracking of work performed and creating a valuable archive for future maintenance and repair operations – a boon in the case of emergency repairs. When used in the grading process, labor-intensive basic construction activities like staking are minimized, putting fewer workers in harm’s way in roadway work zones. AMG-related modeling helps better communicate intent between agency teams, and between agency and contractor. The accuracy of planning and construction is enhanced by AMG, improving workflow and resulting in less changes, busts, reengineering and rework. Related GPS tools also allow contractors to schedule work more flexibly since their success is less affected than traditional tools by time-of-day and weather. Downstream field inspections and QA/QC tasks are accomplished more efficiently and effectively. And the precision of AMG measurement and related modeling aids communication and credibility in the environmental process, smoothing permit relationships.

AMG’s accuracy enhances profitability, requiring less labor and time to produce high quality results, even with less experienced equipment operators.

AMG and the Contractor

Automated Machine Guidance

Enhances competitiveness, since it gives contractors an edge in both performance and cost. AMG’s accuracy enhances profitability, requiring less labor and time to produce high quality results, even with less experienced equipment operators. The process provides more precise measurements of work performed, ensuring that the contractor gets paid for all work done. AMG also aids the accuracy of the estimating process and, when used before bids are let, can speed electronic analysis for the bid process. AMG provides greater flexibility in scheduling because it promotes more detailed knowledge of a project. in short, the additional information provided to contractors when AMG technology is deployed enhances the quality of pre-planning, analysis, pricing, project management, implementation, and overall outcome. And tech-savvy young workers are attracted to jobs involving AMG technology, addressing recruiting needs created by the retirement of experienced personnel.

AMG and the Customer

Highway users reap the ultimate benefits of AMG because applications like machine guided grading produce better ride quality by promoting a consistent sub grade. Plus, a combination of 3-d files and GPS tools streamline time consuming construction processes traditionally performed on the road, creating fewer traffic interruptions. When agencies and contractors save time and money, the taxpayer’s hard earned investment in roadway infrastructure goes further.

Automated Machine Guidance

The team’s goal is to offer “best practice” guidelines that include AMG benefits and challenges.

AMG and the Future

Process improvements driven by the use of AMG technology, from automated recordkeeping to coordination between design and construction personnel, create long-term cost efficiencies for agencies, contractors, and their customers. The technology also holds great promise for new applications like curb placement, pavement, and trenching that will expand the return on investment in AMG tools, training, technical staff and data management.”

This is a very positive report on machine control used on transportation projects run by public agencies.  However, there is some disagreement between the various agencies.  Some are very active in coordinating with contractors using machine control; even providing 3D models of the project while a small minority discourages its use.  Although there is a consensus that safety and ride quality improve when machine control is used; not all DOT’s are sure how to best support its use.  The issues they are investigating include:

How should contract specifications be modified?

What is the impact on liability if they provide data models to the contractor?

Other legal and labor issues

Should they provide models pre-bid or post bid?

Who are the best personnel within the DOT’s to support the contractor?

What are the best practices?

What barriers need to be overcome?

What is the financial impact to the public when machine control is used on their projects?

Current AASHTO TIG statistics indicate that 25% of DOT’s actively support the use of machine control on their projects. 53% allow its but aren’t sure how to support it. 3% do not encourage use of machine control.

To help clarify these issues and provide some guidelines going forward, the National Cooperative Highway Research Program issued a $350,000 contract to Iowa State University to perform a research study and make recommendations.  The study should be completed in the next 18 months.  In the meantime committees within the TRB and AASHTO TIG continue to study the issues and figure out how to get involved and better support the use of machine control on their projects.  Even without further support from the DOT’s, usage of machine control will continue to grow due to the cost saving realized by contractors.  It will be interesting to see how DOT’s will better support you in the future. Their endorsement will be a game changer!