Scientists have designed a new 4D simulation modelling method that may help complete massive construction projects on time and within the budget.
Scheduling reconstruction work demands a high level of coordination between different work flows.
"Any delay in the work on one segment might impact the work on another, which ultimately results in delaying the whole project and augmenting the cost," said Amin Hammad from Concordia University in Canada.
"The simulation methods we have developed help contractors analyse the schedule and eliminate the risks," said Hammad.
Reconstructing heavily used highways like the Turcot - the biggest road construction project in the history of Quebec, with an estimated budget of about USD 4 billion - is an extremely complex process because of the need to maintain traffic flow.
Demolishing the existing interchange and then replacing it is not an option. Instead, a plan is required to gradually shift the traffic from the existing segments to the newly built ones.
"This parallel coordination of construction and demolition activities with traffic flow is essential to the success of these projects," said Hammad.
"That is why our new modelling method uses a 4D approach - taking into account the three normal space axes, plus time, to coordinate the traffic phasing with the demolition and construction of the old and new segments, respectively," he said.
This method is the first to integrate stochastic simulation techniques - algorithms to predict randomness - with 3D modelling of highways to generate 4D representations that can be used to detect and plan for scheduling clashes, and define the feasible sequences in which the segments of the highway bridges can be constructed or demolished.
"This study allows decision makers to better schedule construction and demolition activities to avoid any conflicts that may delay the project and increase the cost," said Hammad.
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