Until recently, the delivery mechanism for large infrastructure projects was based on method type specifications. This type of delivery mechanism was not conducive to innovation in design and construction. In addition, this method had a tendency to be adversarial. In 1999 the Ontario Ministry of Transportation awarded the Highway 407 ETR Concession a 99-year lease to operate, maintain and expand Highway 407. Highway 407 consists of 69 km of 6-lane divided highway which extends in an east/west direction north of Toronto, Ontario. The current expansion of Highway 407 includes extensions to the east (14.7 km to Markham) and west (24.7 km to Hamilton). Highway 407 ETR entered into a partnership contract with SLF Joint Venture for the design and construction of the east and west extensions of the facility. This format led to successful partnering and team building which was fundamental to the overall success of the project. The extremely compressed time schedule for construction put substantial pressure to establish close links between the designers, contractors and quality control/assurance teams. Partnering was created to minimise conflicts that inevitably arise on any large construction project. One example of the partnering concept was in the optimisation of the pavement designs for the Highway 407 project. Initial alternatives developed by the pavement designer were presented in an open forum that allowed for input from the owner and contractor. These informal 'value engineering' sessions permitted discussion of alternative construction methods that included input from both the owner and designer and facilitated the inclusion of innovative design, construction and material usage. This methodology also permitted the team to address the owner's stringent deliverable requirements while minimising this impact on the overall cost of the pavements. (Author/publisher)
Abstract