Impact assessment and prioritization of critical delay factors for a road project

Abstract

Indian road sector has witnessed significant changes from the year 2014. The new government administrators and the ministry of road transport and highways have brought in various policy reforms, foreign investments and special drive to push the road construction activities. The ministry had initially planned to build roads at a pace of 40 km/day but only achieved construction of 32 km/day. In addition, a number of projects are pending which have been collectively taken up under the newly launched Bhartmala pariyojana scheme. There exist some constraints/factors within various stages of planning and execution, which is responsible for delays. The main focus of this study was to carry out an assessment of the impact of delay factors and prioritize them for a road project. A questionnaire survey followed by informal interviews was carried out to identify and assess the impact of various delays occurring in road projects in India. Data were collected amongst senior project stakeholders from government departments, consultants, contractors, and academicians. The response data were statistically analyzed and the results were used on a sample road project. A 4D virtual model of the entire stretch was made. A list of delays apt for the project was identified and their impacts on planned schedule and cost were found. The data were run on a monte carlo simulation platform for various outcomes on project planned time and cost. The simulation results revealed critical delay factors responsible for major delays in the road project. The critical delay factors are to be properly targeted, handled, and managed to ensure success in project completion. The findings of this study will greatly benefit stakeholders in road construction to identify and control the critical delay factors.