Browsing by Subject "Highway planning--Texas"

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Advance planning in highway project development processes : key variable identification & categorization
(2006-12) Thole, Michael, 1983-; Gibson, G. Edward (George Edward), 1958-; Caldas, Carlos H.
In order to preserve public and environmental interests during the Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) right-of-way acquisition process, a succession of planning activities and legal constraints exists. Many of these restrictions set precedence in the sequence of activities that TxDOT must follow when undertaking its project development process (PDP). This research study investigates a potential method to promote early identification of design elements and related requirements necessary for the authorization of right-of way release. As part of this study, a detailed literature review and multiple interviews with TxDOT district and division employees help identify current planning practices, tools, and techniques utilized by TxDOT. Using this data, the research team goes on to synthesize a list of key planning variables that effect right-of-way development.
Elements for comprehensive highway cost estimation : construction costs of key roadway infrastructure, right-of-way for the Trans-Texas Corridor, and condemnation comparisons across states
(2005-05-21) Hakimi, Shadi, 1979-; Kockelman, Kara
The major contributors to the total cost and duration of highway projects are utility relocation, right-of-way (ROW) acquisition, and construction. This paper discusses the volatility of the cost of the two latter phases and suggests alternative cost estimation tools and methods based on Texas databases. It describes three related but distinct studies. The first study discussed relies on regression models to estimate the construction costs of key roadway infrastructure. The second applies county-level appraisals and other databases to estimate the cost of ROW acquisition for the Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) project. The third investigates the legal aspects of ROW acquisition and compares relevant statutes across the U.S. states, relative to their condemnation rates. Based on these comparisons, this paper offers recommendations that are expected to lower condemnation rates as well as the cost and duration of the ROW acquisition process. The work addresses significant gaps in the existing literature and should prove valuable to construction professionals/managers, transportation planners, developers, appraisers, and those involved in highway project cost estimation, as well as ROW acquisition