Instructors, District Engineers, and participants combine to make Project Planning Workshops Successful
Accurate project estimates ensure that road managers request enough money to complete a road repair project. A thoroughly prepared
estimate provides the information necessary to convince elected officials that the project is necessary and well planned.
Gus Lerandeau of All States Asphalt and Maurice Nelson of Pike Industries recognized that some road managers had requested too little money for their projects. They suggested that the UNH Tē Center conduct Project Planning work-shops. With Gus and Maurice as instructors, and with valuable assistance from NHDOT District
Engineers and Assistant District Engineers, the UNH Tē Center has conducted seven workshops. A total of 102
participants have benefited, as well as contributed to very successful workshops.
Each workshop focuses on about a half mile of road in need of reconstruction. Workshops begin in a meeting room with a description of the day's activities. The host road manager describes the road and its history. Participants receive a set of forms to record field measurements of
reconstruction work items. Then everyone gathers their measuring tapes and their orange vests, and boards a bus to the road.
At the site, the group stations the road, stops frequently to discuss problems and their causes, and determines the best solutions. They record quantities for drainage and roadway repair work items on the provided forms.
After the field inspection, the group returns to the meeting room. They organize and add up the quantities for each work item. After
breaking for lunch, they prepare a cost estimate for each work item. They add costs for incidental but required items, such as work zone traffic control, testing, and drainage easements. The total of all items is the project estimate.
The UNH Tē Center will conduct more reconstruction project planning workshops this spring. It will also conduct workshops for crack sealing project
planning.
Return to Winter 99
Return to UNH T2 Center, 33 College Road,
Durham NH 03824 603-862-2826 Fax 603-862-2364