Improving Productivity and Safety of Highway Construction Projects Using Near Real-Time Simulation

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Highway infrastructures in North America are approaching, or have surpassed, their service life. As a result, an intensive amount of reconstruction work is expected on existing highways. Therefore, selecting the best construction method and the optimum number of equipment and crews is necessary. Furthermore, the complex geometry and limited space in urban highway reconstruction projects may lead to spatiotemporal clashes and safety issues between the workspaces of the different heavy equipment used in these projects. This proposal aims to investigate and develop new methods and techniques for improving the productivity and safety of highway construction projects using real-time simulation combined with other technologies, such as 4D highway models, location tracking technologies, and multiagent systems. The proposed research program is expected to have an impact on the construction industry by improving productivity and safety of construction projects and reducing the effect of delays caused by unforeseen problems on construction sites. The results of the research will have impact on construction management in general, and highway construction projects in particular, by providing tools for selecting the optimal construction method and the Pareto set of solutions coupled with their probabilities of occurrence. Furthermore, the research outcomes will allow leveraging the huge amount of data that can be collected from sensors and location tracking devices attached to construction equipment to create added-value knowledge about the construction processes. Companies in Quebec (e.g. Hydro-Quebec) and elsewhere in Canada have started to embrace Automated Machine Control/Guidance systems in their projects, and they will be in high need of university graduates with deep knowledge on how to exploit the data that can be gathered from these systems in innovative ways. The impact of this research program is also applicable in other areas including the mining and landfill industries where heavy equipment is widely used. Moreover, the development of HQP in this research program will be substantial, since the majority of funds will be used to support research students.