Guide to Managing Community Impacts During Construction

As the nation’s highway system is updated to meet future needs, state departments of transportation (DOTs) are managing the construction of increasingly complex transportation projects. As the size and complexity of these projects have increased, so has the need for identifying and addressing the impacts of project construction on communities, including disruptions to mobility, accessibility, community institutions, and quality of life. Many community impacts and their associated mitigation measures are defined in project planning and design. However, the extent of the impact on a community is often not realized until the project is under construction. For example, business access or deliveries may be unexpectedly cut off, access to principal community destinations like parks or religious institutions may be affected, and noise or light pollution from the construction zone may disturb community residents. Often the impacts may not arise until well after construction is complete. For example, some communities experience changes to land use or housing and business rental affordability that can have lasting effects on the culture and composition of a community.  State DOTs often implement community impact strategies to mitigate the impacts of construction and build community support for the project. Examples of mitigation include providing construction-related career development; local and small business participation in construction; providing access to local businesses and other community destinations such as places of worship, hospitals, and parks in construction zones; and incorporating community-focused project features. Developing and implementing strategies for providing community benefits during construction require skills and expertise that are not typical of the construction workforce. Research is needed to support state DOTs in managing construction-related community impacts.  The objective of this research is to develop a guide on avoiding and mitigating community impacts from transportation project construction applicable to a variety of project contexts, sizes, and types. 

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5709
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $350,000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 25-73

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Project Managers:

  Weeks, Jennifer

• Start Date: 20250218
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Communities; Construction projects; Economic impacts; Environmental impacts; Social impacts; State departments of transportation
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Construction; Economics; Highways; Society;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01919343
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 25-73
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: May 22 2024 11:40AM