Effective cost management requires reliable cost estimates at every stage of project development. The primary purpose of this research is to develop systematic modeling procedures and an automatic computing program for infrastructure estimating in the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The computing system toggles between project input information and segregated district unit prices for highway work item quantity estimates associated with earthwork and landscape, subgrade treatments and base, surface courses and pavement, structures, miscellaneous construction, and lighting, signing, markings and signals. This quantity-based approach was chosen because of the conventional approach lacking of quantity information until primary design is complete.
This research was funded by the Texas Department of Transportation. The authors would like to thank for the TxDOT project monitoring committee and other members in the districts. The historical project data was provided by the Texas Transportation Planning and Programming office.