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  • 1.  I-95 Temporary Rebuild - Why Can't This Be the Norm?

    Posted 06-26-2023 10:58 AM

    After a 12-day closure due to a collapsed overpass and tanker fire, temporary lanes have been established, and traffic has resumed on I-95 in Philadelphia. It is astonishing what is possible in the face of adversity and begs the question, why can't this be the norm? What can we / should we take away from this experience, including the good, maybe not-so-good, and possible unintended consequences? What needs to change to make this type of experience the norm rather than the exception?



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    Mitch Winkler P.E., M.ASCE
    Houston, TX
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  • 2.  RE: I-95 Temporary Rebuild - Why Can't This Be the Norm?

    Posted 06-27-2023 10:35 AM

    I think this is a great question and definitely worth trying to learn what we can do to make efficiency the norm and not the exception. Just as the results seemed higher than standard, it may in part have to do with non-standard levels of effort and compensation. I have no data on this topic but I would not be surprised to learn that it was a job that was both well-paid and also required many people to work longer harder than they would normally. 

    I often work overtime to complete tasks on certain time frames. I welcome the additional money but also recognize that my additional hours contribute to burnout and over the long term are not realistic for me personally or for my team or clients if they continue to expect results this quickly. 



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    Christopher Seigel P.E., M.ASCE
    Civil Engineer
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    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: I-95 Temporary Rebuild - Why Can't This Be the Norm?

    Posted 07-05-2023 10:51 AM

    I disagree. Taking 12 days to install a temporary replacement is not enviable:  on April 29, 2007 there was a similar fuel truck accident under one of the approach bridges to the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, collapsing a portion of Interstate 580 onto a portion of I-880 and closing both. A contractor with a reputation for speed won the bid for fixing it, and had the new, permanent  span open exactly 8 days after the fire.  The contractor made a tidy sum of incentive money by beating the specified maximum completion time of two months, and had done similar speedy work in the Los Angeles area years before. Reminds one of the speed with which the "Seabees" built landing strips on Pacific Islands. That should be the new norm.



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    Russell Greenlaw P.E., M.ASCE
    Owner
    Livermore CA
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: I-95 Temporary Rebuild - Why Can't This Be the Norm?

    Posted 07-05-2023 10:51 AM

    Correction to my earlier post-  the bridge onto which the collapsed span landed was reopened in 8 days, the replacement of the collapsed span took 14 days longer - still an enviable result.



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    Russell Greenlaw P.E., M.ASCE
    Owner
    Livermore CA
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: I-95 Temporary Rebuild - Why Can't This Be the Norm?

    Posted 07-05-2023 10:52 AM

    Based on my limited reading on this topic so far -

    • It appears that the emergency repair has a projected cost of about 5 times to that of a regular repair implementation. 
    • The typical contractor procurement process was waived, which would have taken few months itself. 
    • Federal government agreed to stand behind the price behind. I am assuming that means - the typical funding process was also waived that generally takes several weeks to months for public agencies. 
    • I am not sure if there are any geopolitical factors involved but my understanding is that the dependency of commerce on this roadway can justify all these exceptions/exemptions.

    The same cannot be applied to all or majority of the public works projects. 

    But the focal point of your question remains valid i.e., achieving construction efficiency. I have seen construction technologies and management improve over the last several years through means such as Design-Build (DB), Progressive DB etc. for certain projects where such project delivery methods can be justified in public sector. I am also witnessing emerging trends such as prefab construction, 3D printing and alternate materials that appear to bring further efficiency. 

    However, much more need to be done and the entire engineering community (Designers, Contractors and Owners) need to step up their game in adapting and creating many more efficient construction trends in light of the recent labor and material shortages, ongoing inflation and upcoming work from the IIJA Act. 



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    Mano Pydieplly P.E., M.ASCE
    Program Manager
    AECOM
    Dfw Airport TX
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    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: I-95 Temporary Rebuild - Why Can't This Be the Norm?

    Posted 07-05-2023 10:53 AM
    Edited by Tirza Austin 07-05-2023 10:53 AM

    Hello MItchell.  I'm not sure what aspect of this event should or could become the norm.  By definition, response to any crisis is not normal, it's exceptional.  Are you thinking that deploying innovative construction techniques and materials should become the norm? Or that workflows should be streamlined to get projects done super-fast? 

    I could not see the workflows for tenders and bids being streamlined as a result. As Christopher Siegel points out, this project had money and resources thrown at it to reduce the economic damage and disruption of this event.  I am pretty sure that the benefits of reopening the highway would exceed the costs.  But this can't be the new norm.  Construction projects planned, tendered, constructed and delivered in normal circumstances focus on best use of taxpayer's dollars, not on crashing the project schedule to shortest time possible, ignore costs.  As for innovative techniques, during normal bid processes, contractors would estimate on time and materials basis to establish their bid price.  It may be that other techniques are innovative, but not yet cost-effective on a total project basis.  It would be up to the client to decide to pay more for a project bid offering a new technique - but this would also be driven by the commercial terms and conditions of the bid valuation and bid award.  A low-cost bidder with a competent resume of delivered projects would have grounds to protest an award to a more expensive offer if the bid criterion was lowest total cost.

    I guess the summary is that the wheels of government agencies turn slowly in absence of a crisis.



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    Konrad Mech P.Eng, M.ASCE
    Sales Director, Coasts, Ports and Inland Waterways
    Kongsberg Maritime AS
    Port Coquitlam BC
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    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: I-95 Temporary Rebuild - Why Can't This Be the Norm?

    Posted 07-05-2023 10:53 AM

    This is a temporary. The underpass is still closed. When they replace it will take longer.



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    Vito Rotondi, (Retired)
    Arch. S.E. P.E. Life M ASCE
    Westmont Illinois
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    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: I-95 Temporary Rebuild - Why Can't This Be the Norm?

    Posted 07-10-2023 06:38 PM

    exactly, the replacement is not even a bridge. Media hype gone wild they can't even recognize this.



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    Dimitris Koutoumbas A.M.ASCE
    Student
    Danbury CT
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    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: I-95 Temporary Rebuild - Why Can't This Be the Norm?

    Posted 07-17-2023 11:23 AM

    I agree with you, Mitch. To take exception to your question about "the norm" reflects a narrow view of the question. Suspending regulations and standard practices can be seen as an exemplar only for emergency projects, not the approach for normal construction projects. However, if that prompts a reevaluation of regulations to remove those that impede projects without sufficient benefit, then the normal has has been improved.

    The I95 emergency rebuild also illustrates that innovative thinking is needed. Construction of a "bridge" that isn't a bridge is innovative. An unrelated example: using sediment source management to reduce navigation channel deposition instead of dredging is innovative. Judicious innovation instead of doing something because, "That's the way we always do it" can be the norm. We have a responsibility to solve problems in a way that best serves our clients and society and sometimes that means something other than the usual recipe. Being open to the possibilities should be the norm rather than the exception. Are we always doing that? If not, what do we change about engineering education or practice to make it so?



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    William McAnally Ph.D., P.E., D.CE, D.NE, F.ASCE
    ENGINEER
    Columbus MS
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    Original Message


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