The Influence of Project Bundling on Maintenance of Traffic (MOT) Costs Across Highway Project Types

Maintenance of traffic (MOT) is the process of providing transportation management and traffic control at highway work zones. MOT work is an essential part of any construction project and can constitute a significant fraction of overall project cost. It is hypothesized that MOT costs can be reduced significantly through project bundling (consolidation of several separate projects into a single contract). There seems to exist a lack of documented evidence regarding the impact of bundling on MOT costs. In addressing the issue, this paper develops statistical MOT cost models that take into account the effects of bundling and other influential factors. The paper considered six (6) construction work categories that involve thirty-six (36) different project types. Several significant variables were identified including the project cost, bundle size, geographical proximity, functional class, traffic volume, and letting season. The impacts of these factors on MOT cost were found to vary significantly across the different project types. The study results can provide highway agency construction managers with knowledge on which specific attributes of a project could lead to significantly reduced MOT cost if the project were bundled, and those for which bundling would likely have no such benefits.