A decision tool for accelerated bridge construction

Abstract

Accelerated bridge construction is recognized as an important method for bridge owners to accelerate the delivery of highway bridge projects. While the potential advantages of accelerated bridge construction are recognized, it is difficult for transportation specialists to quantify the risks and benefits of using accelerated bridge construction compared with conventional construction for specific bridge replacement or rehabilitation projects. A tool set, based on the analytic hierarchy process, is prepared for transportation specialists and decision makers to determine whether accelerated bridge construction is more effective than traditional construction for a given bridge replacement or rehabilitation project. To accommodate this task, a comprehensive literature review was completed on a number of relevant domains, such as accelerated bridge construction techniques and decision-making approaches. The findings were summarized into a decision model hierarchy that was also incorporated into the decision-making software. The software was tested through evaluating a set of real-world construction projects.