就像它不断扩大的电动公交车队一样，犹他州运输管理局在奥格登（Ogden）建造5.3英里公交线路的项目继续转移齿轮。
The $120.5-million project has been in a state of flux since its March groundbreaking, as a severe materials and labor shortage constantly shifts delivery times and work orders. The Ogden/Weber State University Bus Rapid Transit line will link the Utah city’s downtown light-rail station with McKay-Dee Hospital via Weber State University. The route brings multiple stakeholders to the project, including the Federal Transit Administration and the city of Ogden as well as the hospital and the university.
WSU的大部分项目中的大部分部分，其一英里的公交车道和两个为28,000名学生提供服务的车站都在整个夏季完成。项目经理Maverick Gibbons在总承包商Stacy和Witbeck Inc.项目经理Maverick Gibbons说，校园部分的紧迫期限，物质需求和丘陵地点提出了独特的挑战。该地区的不同海拔需要大量的混凝土挡土墙，小路和楼梯。
吉本斯说：“这可能比我整个职业生涯中建造的楼梯还要多。”
Crews worked six or seven days a week on campus throughout the summer to finish the landscaping and concrete placement and build two bus stations, multiple plazas and a duck pond. The heaviest work on this part of the project needed to be completed for fall 2021 classes. “We had three months to essentially demolish all [the outside areas] of central campus and then build it back,” Gibbons says.
随着项目的进行，其范围和成本不断增长，将开放日期推迟了一年。18luck.cub
图像由犹他州运输当局提供
在路上
Stacy和Witbeck于2019年底加入了该项目，当时UTA计划进行1.01亿美元的努力。但是该项目最终扩大了三分之一，需要更多的资金并将其开放日期推迟一年。
“The more people got interested, the more they wanted,” Gibbons says.
除了大学外，项目团队还有其他四个主要利益相关者需要考虑。大部分路线涵盖了犹他州运输部或奥格登市拥有的道路。新车站之一位于麦凯 - 迪医院的入口处，建筑活动可能会严重影响其运营。吉本斯说，这座50英尺长的公交车站为该项目增添了艺术才能，金属檐篷和预制混凝土柱设计旨在模仿山地悬崖。
公交线将包括McKay-Dee医院的一个新车站，需要进行一些拆除工作和仔细的计划，以免破坏医院的运营。
图像由犹他州运输当局提供
建筑也开始在项目acq之前uired all of the most desirable rights-of-way, says Andrea Pullos, UTA project manager of capital construction.
普洛斯说：“我们正在努力确保承包商可以继续以逻辑和高效的方式工作。”“几个月来，它看起来像是触摸，但是我们现在在那里。使用现有的占地面积和现有建筑物始终是一个挑战。”
Quarterly meetings offer contractors additional financial awards for jobs well done, such as the extensive demolition to make way for new stations and bus lanes.
图像由犹他州运输当局提供
为了鼓励UTA购买最佳物业，吉本斯说，该建筑团队的建设团队可以通过额外的效率节省100,000美元，并使所有人的进度保持最新状态。
他说：“我们实际上向所有者付款以提前获得财产。”“这确实使通行权收购集团参与其中。他们觉得自己正在赢得奖项。我们每周开放会议，“我们在这里有这家财产，这是另外5,000至10,000美元的节省。”该策略节省了约50,000美元。
激励措施也有其他方式：Stacy和Witbeck获得了100,000美元的利润率，并将其与另外100,000美元的匹配UTA货币相结合。利益相关者使用这些资金持有季度午餐，并通过经济激励措施将成绩单交付给承包商。
吉本斯说：“根据您获得的分数，您可以拿回钱。”“我们称之为我们的绩效评论。这不仅是客户，而且是城市，州，大学和医院，告诉我们他们喜欢什么以及我们可以做得更好。这是一种不同的合作方式 - 更加亲密，而且非常坦率。”
The project itself remains on track for an August 2023 opening and is about a third completed, Gibbons says. Flexibility is key to overcoming challenges with traffic, materials and labor. “We’ve touched every piece of this route, but there’s nothing 100% complete.”
购买该项目所需的7,000立方英尺的混凝土仍然是一个挑战。许多安置必须提前一周订购，并且候补名单很常见。
图像由犹他州运输当局提供
具体的想法
For Paul Franzen, work on the bus line project has been a juggling act.
ACME Construction总裁有助于采购和放置该项目的7,000立方英尺混凝土，这一任务因持续的物质短缺而复杂。Acme大约是该项目混凝土部分的一半，并且继续困难地找到足够的人力和混凝土。
“Before COVID, we could call the day before or even the day of the job and say we need concrete at a certain time—no problem,” Franzen says. “Now we have to order concrete a week in advance, and there’s a waiting list.”
弗朗森（Franzen）补充说，通常情况下，机组人员每天可以放置四个混凝土，但是由于材料短缺，他的船员最终每天每天都会承受一个负载或每天的负载。
他回忆说：“有一次我们在华盛顿大道上做具体的人行道。”“我们已经安排了第二天的沥青。一切都排成一列。然后，我们在设置表单后遇到了最后一刻的工程更改。我们无法获得我们需要调整的混凝土，最终为时间表增加了额外的日子。”
Organization is key, says Franzen, who also points to the hard work of concrete supplier Jack B. Parson Ready Mix. Sometimes if the available concrete runs short, the team will shift a delivery to another location to keep the work going.
Construction began before the project team had acquired all of the most desirable rights-of-way, prompting the team to develop creative incentives to get the best properties and most efficient corridors.
图像由犹他州运输当局提供
But shifting deliveries can cause additional issues. WSU selected a Parson proprietary mix for its portion of the project, a concrete that is more durable and resistant to cracking due to the area’s freeze-thaw cycle. “If we order that mix and then end up going somewhere else that doesn’t require it, that adds another variable,” Franzen says.
Gibbons说，使用美国制造的混凝土是联邦政府管理局部分资助的项目的另一个重中之重。“犹他州有三个水泥供应商。一个关闭，一人着火了几个月，所以我们下降到了我们的水泥津贴的三分之一。”
Despite the challenges, Gibbons credits the project’s continued momentum to strong partnerships among the stakeholders, owner and contractor as well as the 26 subcontractors involved. “You would think with five stakeholders, and four of them not the client, they’re going to want stuff for free. You would think that would be super challenging,” Gibbons says. “But everybody worked together well. If it wasn’t for all the COVID-related issues, this would be a pretty smooth project.”
