Benefits of Building Information Modeling in Road Projects for Cost Overrun Factors Mitigation

Abstract

Road projects around the world are widely affected by the cost overrun phenomenon. BIM can greatly contribute to cost overrun mitigation; however, the BIM adoption in road projects is limited compared to building projects. Besides, studies focused on analyzing the impact of BIM on mitigating cost overruns in road projects are lacking. Therefore, this study presents a review of road projects with BIM implementation, in which the BIM benefits that can contribute to the cost overrun mitigation are analyzed. The research method is composed of the following stages: (1) a systematic review is performed; (2) relevant studies are chosen based on inclusion/exclusion criteria; (3) qualitative evidence is categorized; (4) qualitative evidence is analyzed with a set of experts; and (5) contributions are summarized. A total of 21 road projects were studied, in which a set of BIM implementation benefits were identified. Thus, a professional workshop analyzed the interactions between BIM benefits and the main cost overruns causative factors. The findings indicate that the BIM implementation in road projects contributes to mitigating cost overruns factors, such as inadequate project planning, design changes, failures in design, project scope changes, late decision-making by the owner, and others. The three BIM benefits that most influence the mitigation of cost overruns factors in road projects are: (1) better coordination and collaboration among stakeholders; (2) improvements in decision-making processes; and (3) obtaining accurate, integrated, and detailed information.