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Draft Final Report June 2010

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • Highways for LIFE Demonstration Projects
  • Report mnope and Organization
• Project Overview and Lessons Learned
  • Project Overview
  • HfL Performance Goals
  • Economic Analysis
  • Lessons Learned
  • Conclusions
• Project Details
  • Background
  • Project Description
• Data Acquisition and Analysis
  • Safety
  • Construction Congestion
  • Quality
  • User Satisfaction
• Technology Transfer
• Economic Analysis
  • Construction Time
  • Construction Costs
  • Traffic Impacts During TH 36 Full Roadway Closure
  • Cost Summary
• Appendix

Foreword

The purpose of the Highways for LIFE (HfL) pilot program is to accelerate the use of innovations that improve highway safety and quality while reducing congestion caused by construction. LIFE is an acronym for Longer–lasting highway infrastructure using Innovations to accomplish the Fast construction of Efficient and safe highways and bridges.

Specifically, HfL focuses on speeding up the widespread adoption of proven innovations in the highway community. "Innovations" is an inclusive term used by HfL to encompass technologies, materials, tools, equipment, procedures, specifications, methodologies, processes, and practices used to finance, design, or construct highways. HfL is based on the recognition that innovations are available that, if widely and rapidly implemented, would result in significant benefits to road users and highway agencies.

Although innovations themselves are important, HfL is as much about changing the highway community's culture from one that considers innovation something that only adds to the workload, delays projects, raises costs, or increases risk to one that sees it as an opportunity to provide better highway transportation service. HfL is also an effort to change the way highway community decisionmakers and participants perceive their jobs and the service they provide.

The HfL pilot program, described in Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU) Section 1502, includes funding for demonstration construction projects. By providing incentives for projects, HfL promotes improvements in safety, construction–related congestion, and quality that can be achieved through the use of performance goals and innovations. This report documents one such HfL demonstration project.

Additional information on the HfL program is at www.fhwa.dot.gov/hfl.

Notice

This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The U.S. Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.

The U.S. Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade and manufacturers' names appear in this report only because they are considered essential to the object of the document.

Form DOT F 1700.7 (8–72) Reproduction of completed page authorized

Acknowledgments

The project team would like to acknowledge the invaluable insights and guidance of Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Highways for LIFE Team Leader Byron Lord and Program Coordinators Mary Huie and Kathleen Bergeron, who served as the technical panel on this demonstration project. Their vast knowledge and experience with the various aspects of construction, technology deployment, and technology transfer helped immensely in developing both the approach and the technical matter for this document. The team also is indebted to Phil Forst, area engineer for the FHWA Minnesota Division, and Steve Kordosky, Jay Hietpas, and Tom Ravn of the Minnesota Department of Transportation for their unstinting support in conducting and documenting this demonstration project. Finally, the team also appreciates the technical support for this report provided by Progressive Contractors, Inc.

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