A decision support system for selecting the optimal contracting strategy in highway work zone projects

Highway work zone projects are challenging for state highway agencies and contractors as they are often located in urban areas and impact local traffic, business community, and neighborhood leading to a multi-party involvement. There is a dynamic relationship between the involved parties and the performance of any highway work zone project is governed by this dynamic relationship. This paper presents a decision support system to assist state Departments of Transportation in selecting suitable contracting strategies for highway work zone projects by considering, at a macro level, the interrelationships between the stakeholders as well as the critical factors impacting the project. The proposed methodology supplements the current project decision-making process with regard to important project performance variables such as cost, schedule, quality, safety, and public satisfaction.