Khali Persad

Quantity-Based Approach to Preliminary Cost Estimates for Highway Projects

The preliminary cost estimate heavily influences the fate of a transportation project, yet it can be up to an order of magnitude off the final bid amount. Poor prediction of costs in state departments of transportation can lead to less-than-optimal project selection at the front end and delays later when funding is not adequate to cover planned projects. A demonstration is made of the potential to separate quantity uncertainty from price uncertainty. If item quantities can be predicted early, then readily available unit prices can be applied to create a semidetailed preliminary estimate. Compared with the typical practice of applying a gross cost per lane mile, the proposed approach provides a more detailed basis for tracking the effects of changes during project development. This methodology is being tested for implementation by the Texas Department of Transportation.

Experience with pass-through tolling agreements in Texas

The experience of Texas with pass-through tolling is summarized in this paper. Between August 2005 and October 2007, 13 agreements were authorized by the Texas Transportation Commission, in partnerships with 10 counties, two cities, and one private developer. Total commitment of state funds through 2029 is approximately

Toll Collection Technology and Best Practices

1.32 billion. Conceptually, pass-through tolling is similar to shadow tolling as practiced in Europe, but with some differences in Texas. From analysis of the project agreements and interviews with technical staff, it was found that improvements are desirable in four areas: selection of projects, choice of financing mechanism, estimation of project benefits, and training for staff in project financing.