AGC Participates in FHWA Every Day Counts Initiative

Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez has started an initiative called "Every Day Counts" within the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to identify ways to shorten the amount of time it typically takes to deliver highway construction projects from conception to completion, which now takes 13 years on average. AGC has been asked to have members participate on one of the panels created to develop recommendations. The Accelerated Project Delivery task force is looking at impediments to project completion following the official "record of decision" point, which happens at the conclusion of the environmental review, public comment and planning stage. Bob Lanham (Williams Brothers Construction), Scott Williams (Hamilton Construction) and Brian Kaub (Granite Construction) represent AGC on the task force and participated in the initial meetings on January 14-15. The group identified a variety of issues that impact design and construction and will formulate recommendations for improvement. A separate task force will look at steps in the environmental/planning phase that can be taken to reduce time for project approval. Highway and Transportation Division Chair Don Weaver (Weaver-Bailey Constructors) represented AGC at a meeting on January 26 of an FHWA Accelerating Technology Deployment team. The team, also part of the Every Day Counts initiative, identified a list of promising technologies that have the potential for improving highway project delivery or functioning. The group looked at a list of 14 technologies and rated the top five to receive emphasis from FHWA to expedite deployment. The five highly rated technologies are: green paving technologies, accelerated bridge construction, adaptive traffic signal control technology, roadway departure prevention and asset management tools.