An assessment of the effectiveness of design-build project delivery on the Minnesota Department of Transportation's ROC-52 project

Abstract

<p>Over the past decade and a half, highway and transportation officials have begun to use a new contracting approach to deliver major projects to the public. The use of design-build delivery represents a departure from the traditional low bid system that has been used on highway projects. Design-build brings significant changes in roles, processes, and philosophies during all phases of a project. The design-build system has been recognized on numerous projects for offering certain advantages over the traditional system. The Minnesota Department of Transportation has undertaken its first major "best value" design-build project, reconstruction of a segment of U.S. Trunk Highway 52 (the "ROC-52" project) through the city of Rochester, Minnesota. To evaluate the effectiveness of design-build utilization on this project, an interview-based case study method of research has been used. This thesis is a qualitative analysis of the ROC-52 best-value design-build project, with consideration of a set of crucial project performance characteristics. Ultimately this document will assess the effect of design-build on the success of the project, as well as provide conclusions and recommendations for future design-build endeavors.</p>