Transportation Project Process

This overview is an educational guide for those unfamiliar with highway construction, illustrating key complexities of the process. It summarizes the major actions required by a state department of transportation (DOT) and its contractors to plan, design, bid, and construct a roadway project; many additional, smaller tasks occur within each category.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) design process transforms highway concepts into construction plans through a structured, multi-stage, facility development process. It involves analyzing, surveying, and creating designs based on performance-based principles, public input, and safety evaluations. Key elements include traditional design-bid-build or alternative design-build methods, using 3D modeling for efficiency.

Key Stages of the WisDOT Design Process

Project Identification & Scoping: Projects are identified based on needs, analyzed using performance-based principles, and included in the Six-Year Highway Improvement Program.

Public Involvement: Regional staff hold public meetings to define project goals and gather input.

Preliminary Design & Review: A Design Study Report (DSR) is developed along with preliminary plans, which are circulated for review and refined to incorporate comments.

Final Design & 3D Modeling: Detailed designs are finalized, often using 3D design models, which are provided to contractors to improve accuracy in bidding and construction.

Design-Build Option: For some projects, WisDOT uses a collaborative design-build program where contractors and designers work together to streamline delivery.

Finalizing Plans: The process ensures compliance with design standards, safety criteria, and environmental evaluations.

Construction Bid Letting - General Process Overview

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation's (WisDOT) process for bidding on highway construction projects is outlined in the State of Wisconsin, Department of Transportation, Standard Specifications for Highway and Structure Construction.

  • All bidders of prospective highway construction projects are "prequalified" by the department to ensure that the bidder has "competency and responsibility to perform the work."
  • Bid letting advertisements are posted approximately five weeks prior to the bid letting.
  • Plan holder and eligible bidder listings are posted every Friday, with additional postings on the Monday and Wednesday before the letting.
  • Bidders submit a sealed bid for a prospective highway construction project to the department.
  • All highway construction projects have a bid opening on the second Tuesday of each month at 11:00 a.m. Upon opening and reading the prospective bids, the department posts apparent bids beginning approximately 12:00 p.m. the day after the letting has ended.
  • WisDOT proceeds through a process of awarding and executing the highway construction contract. The award process involves comparison and analysis of the bids in order to look for irregularities and to ensure the eligibility of the bidder.
  • Upon completion of this process the contract is awarded to the "lowest responsible bidder."
  • The highway construction contract is then executed by the Governor upon receipt of the contract, the contract bond and all other department-required forms.
  • After each highway bid letting, WisDOT makes awards and publishes the all bids received report for each awarded contract.

Transportation Project Process

Why do roadway projects often seem slow and expensive? Much of the time and cost occurs before visible paving begins, frequently due to the need to install, relocate, or upgrade underground utilities. Typical utility work includes storm and sanitary sewers, potable water mains, gas lines, electric distribution, and communications infrastructure (cable TV, internet, and phone). Coordinating these systems, acquiring right-of-way, completing environmental reviews, and obtaining permits can substantially extend schedules and constrain when above-ground construction can proceed. Understanding these phases may reduce frustration when you encounter orange barrels, lane restrictions, and temporary traffic controls.

Projects are generally initiated for one or more reasons: preserving a state of good repair, addressing safety deficiencies, responding to emergencies, implementing legislative directives, or acting on community input. The design phase typically follows these staged tasks:

  • Determine Conceptual Scope (about 1-2 months)
  • Authorize design and construction funding and assign project ID(s)
  • Identify improvement strategy for roadway and/or structures
  • Develop agreements with municipalities for local design responsibilities
  • Determine Preliminary Scope (timeline varies)
  • Define project purpose and need
  • Complete safety analysis and public involvement plan
  • Begin environmental review, risk assessments, conceptual design, and business/public meetings
  • Determine Final Project Scope (3 months to 2+ years for typical projects; 2-5 years or major projects)
  • Hold public involvement meetings and draft environmental documentation
  • Identify impacts to utilities, right-of-way, and railroads
  • Define roadway and structure improvements; finalize preliminary reports (pavement, soils, traffic mitigation)
  • Perform 30% design review and refine scope
  • Implement Project Scope (6 months to 2 years typical; up to 4 years for major projects)
  • Conduct iterative plan reviews (60% and final), public involvement, and detour/staging planning
  • Complete environmental permits and coordination
  • Acquire right-of-way and document final plats
  • Manage private utility relocations and obtain utility/railroad agreements
  • Produce final plans, specifications, and estimates
  • Letting and Award (typically 3-5 months)
  • Complete biddability and final plan/spec/estimate reviews
  • Advertise for bids, evaluate proposals, and award contracts
  • Conduct pre-construction public outreach and coordination

Typical overall development timelines (approximate and project-dependent):

  • Normal projects: minimum ~13 months; maximum ~4 years, 4 months
  • Major/mega projects: minimum ~4 years, 7 months; maximum ~9 years, 7 months

Design-Build Program

About design-build

WisDOT's Design-Build Program is a collaborative contracting process that brings the engineering and construction industries together at the outset of a highway improvement project. Traditionally in Wisconsin, these processes have always been separated, where a designer plans the project and a construction company will then execute on those plans.

Starting in 2019, the State of Wisconsin allowed WisDOT to structure a design-build option into the highway construction programs. The Design-Build Program is managed under the department's Alternative Contracting Section. WisDOT's first design-build project was awarded in 2022.

While not a solution for every scenario, design-build is able to create efficiency by eliminating administrative burden and enhancing the synergy, creativity and communication that ultimately brings a project into reality.

What is design-build?

  • Contractors will work with WisDOT to provide design and construction services, creating a streamlined process that enhances communication, planning and execution.
  • Design-build differs from WisDOT's traditional design-bid-build procurement, which divides projects into design and construction phases that are managed separately.
  • Design-build is used successfully in many states to deliver transportation projects.

How does design-build work?

  • Designers and builders come together early in the project, teaming up to create a proposal for the work.
  • Like with any other WisDOT project, the department will continue to define terms and conditions as well as the goals, requirements and standards.
  • In a design-build project, the design and construction staffs will begin working together in the beginning instead of consecutively. Both disciplines bring skillsets and knowledge that help shape the overall approach with goals of:
  • Accelerating delivery
  • Decreasing administrative burden
  • Creating synergy, efficiency, and innovation

Where does design-build work best?

  • Design-build is generally used for projects that are complex, involve multiple construction trades, or have a tight construction schedule.
  • Any project could be considered for design-build if it provides enough opportunity for innovation.
  • It's important to note that, like all engineering and planning solutions, design-build is not one-size-fits-all.
  • WisDOT staff will continue to evaluate future program needs to maximize this opportunity.
  • Unlike with the design-bid-build system, a design-build project requires all funding to be encumbered in advance, while the nature of design-bid-build can spread those resource needs over a longer time span while juggling other projects.

Coordination

  • WisDOT and WDNR MOU for environmental coordination on design-build projects.