BACKGROUND
State departments of transportation (DOTs) are currently facing the critical challenge of an increased demand for highway system rehabilitation and construction work with reduced funding and staff. NCHRP Synthesis 450: Forecasting Highway Construction Staffing Requirements found that DOTs are managing larger roadway systems with fewer in-house staff than they were 10 years ago. Experienced staff have developed skills to make effective decisions and address specific risks during the performance of their duties, however, those skills are lost when they retire and/or are replaced by less seasoned staff. NCHRP Synthesis 450 found that staff constraints and the lack of needed skills are affecting virtually all DOT functions, with major impacts on construction inspection capabilities. This situation has motivated DOTs to seek out effective strategies to accomplish construction inspection operations and optimize resource allocation. There is an immediate need to incorporate risk-based approaches into current practices for construction inspection with an emphasis on increasing the value of inspection and optimizing inspection frequency.
OBJECTIVES
The objectives of this research were to (1) develop an AASHTO guidebook for risk-based construction inspection and (2) plan and conduct a workshop to introduce the proposed guidebook to an audience of DOT staff and other stakeholders. The guidebook are presented in a format suitable for adoption by AASHTO.
