INDOT Construction Inspection Priorities

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors would like to thank the members of the Study Advisory Committee (SAC) for their support and insightful feedback during the course of this project: The authors are also grateful of the following individuals for their help during the site visits and the data collection phases: The Joint Transportation Research Program serves as a vehicle for INDOT collaboration with higher education institutions and industry in Indiana to facilitate innovation that results in continuous improvement in the planning, design, construction , operation, management and economic efficiency of the Indiana transportation infrastructure. NOTICE The contents of this report reflect the views of the authors, who are responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views and policies of the Indiana Department of Transportation or the Federal Highway Administration. The report does not constitute a standard, specification or regulation. In the last decade, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has experienced an increase in their construction projects (e.g., INDOT's construction spending was $789 million in 2006 and increased to $1,081.4 million in 2010); while the level of its in‐house inspection staff and resources has either remained the same or declined. There are different strategies to deal with the need for construction inspection resources and they may include strategies such as outsourcing the inspection of construction activities and using quality control and quality assurance certification programs to reduce the need for in‐process inspection. One strategy that could reduce the inspection workload is prioritizing construction activities for inspection. However, reducing the number of inspections also has risks, such as functional failures and reduced design life, if defects are not identified before the work is covered. Thus, available inspection resources should be allocated to the activities with significant risk consequences due to reduced inspection. The objective of this study was to: (1) evaluate the current inspection practices of INDOT and (2) develop a risk‐based inspection protocol to facilitate efficient allocation of available inspection resources to minimize the risks associated with reduced inspection. First, the current inspection practices implemented by INDOT, other State Departments of Transportation, and consulting firms were identified and compared. The comparison between the inspection practices revealed that there is consistency between INDOT's and consultants' and other State Departments of Transportation's inspection practices. To develop a risk‐based inspection protocol, first, the risk consequences associated with reduced inspection were identified for …