Balancing Workforce Needs and Infrastructure Demands

Transportation systems will undergo a significant transformation over the next 10 – 15 years as electric vehicles and connected and automated vehicles become increasingly common. In response, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) must identify pragmatic strategies to balance a shrinking workforce, supply shortages, and increased materials prices against growing project demands. KYTC’s 50 percent decline in staff over the past 40 years has coincided with industry partners negotiating their own unique workforce changes and issues related to materials supply and costs. These issues can often result in price adjustments via change orders after projects have been awarded. KYTC must understand the implications of workforce availability as well as materials constraints and pricing to mitigate potential issues. KTC researchers will investigate and evaluate approaches used by other state transportation agencies (STAs) to establish appropriate personnel levels and manage supply chain issues, develop analytical strategies KYTC can use to evaluate how staffing requirements and issues related to materials supply and pricing influence project delivery, and identify best practices and insights for proactively addressing future issues.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $325000
• Contract Numbers:

  SPR23-640

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

  200 Mero Street
  Frankfort, KY  United States  40622
• Performing Organizations:

  University of Kentucky, Lexington

  Kentucky Transportation Center College of Engineering, 176 Raymond Building
  Lexington, KY  United States  40506-0281
• Principal Investigators:

  Waddle, Steve

  Gibson, Bryan

• Start Date: 20220701
• Expected Completion Date: 20230630
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Autonomous vehicles; Best practices; Connected vehicles; Electric vehicles; Infrastructure; Personnel management; Project delivery; State departments of transportation; Supply chain management; Workforce
• Geographic Terms: Kentucky
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Economics; Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01860991
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University of Kentucky, Lexington
• Contract Numbers: SPR23-640
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Oct 12 2022 12:57PM