Kim, Tae-hyung; Lee, Hyun Woo; Hong, Seok-woo. (2016). Value Engineering for Roadway Expansion Project over Deep Thick Soft Soils. Journal Of Construction Engineering And Management, 142(2).
Abstract
A roadway expansion that takes place on soft ground is susceptible to differential settlement because of the high consolidation of soft soils. Therefore, steps must be taken to lessen the risk of such settlement; yet, this often only results in costly drainage solutions. In that, applying a systematic value engineering (VE) process can be beneficial to develop cost-effective design alternatives. However, VE studies specifically targeting for this problem are absent from the field. Thus, the goal of this study is to supplement this knowledge gap by applying a systematic VE process to an expansion project on soft ground to demonstrate the benefits of performing VE. A case study was performed on an expansion project over a soft soil layer approximately 50m thick. Through the VE process, the original design was reviewed, problems were discussed, and three alternatives were proposed. Then value analysis techniques were applied to evaluate these alternatives in terms of cost saving, function improvement, and value improvement with respect to the original design. The VE process and design alternatives as applied in this study are expected to serve as a guideline for engineers and decision-makers in roadway expansion projects on soft ground. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.
Keywords
Construction Industry; Costing; Project Management; Road Building; Soil; Value Engineering; Engineers; Decision-makers; Value Improvement; Function Improvement; Knowledge Gap; Cost-effective Design; Deep Thick Soft Soils; Soft Ground; Roadway Expansion Project; Systematic Value Engineering Process; Value Engineering (ve); Job Plan; Roadway Expansion; Deep Soft Ground; Differential Settlement; Cost Saving; Project Planning And Design