Integration of Right of Way Project Schedules for Decision-Making Purposes

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious

Improving the ability of transportation agencies to deliver projects depends on streamlining real-property acquisition and management, since acquisition is often on the critical path. Research Project 0-6892 compared tools developed under NCHRP 20-84 with Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) processes, extending the work with risk-based what-if and sensitivity analyses. Due to an enterprise-level construction project scheduling initiative, the project was terminated after reviewing policies, interviewing TxDOT staff, and analyzing ROWIS date-stamp trends.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages2

Reading Time1 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Inefficiencies and critical path impact

Purpose of NCHRP 20-84 and Research Project 0-6892

What the Researchers Did

Policy review and comparison

Interviews and data analysis

What They Found

Framework for analyzing acquisition practices

ROWIS evaluation and typical durations

What This Means

Use of Excel templates and capabilities

For More Information

0-6892: Integration of Right of Way Project Schedules for Decision-Making Purposes Background Inefficiencies in the process to acquire and manage real property have a significant impact on the ability of transportation agencies to develop and deliver transportation projects effectively. Acquisition of real property is frequently on the critical path of transportation projects. The purpose of recently completed National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) 20-84 was to develop improved, integrated real property procedures and business practices during project delivery. Oneof the NCHRP 20-84 products was a prototype real property acquisition and relocation assistance schedule template for use in alternative analyses and decision making. The purpose of Research Project 0-6892 was to compare the project performance tools developed in NCHRP 20-84 against processes and schedules at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), expand the national research by including a risk-based approach for conducting what-if scenarios and sensitivity analyses, and adapt relevant strategies developed in NCHRP 20-84 to TxDOT business processes and practices. What the Researchers Did Six months into the research, TxDOT officials informed the researchers of a separate initiative at TxDOT to implement an enterprise-level system to manage construction projects more effectively. This capability will involve tracking a large number of date stamps, including critical date stamps related to the acquisition and delivery of real property interests. Because of the perception of potential overlap between Research Project 0-6892 and the new initiative, TxDOT decided to terminate Research Project 0-6892. Activities that were completed while the research project was active included the following: 􀁸 Review of current policy, manuals, and procedures; and identification of similarities and differences between the NCHRP 20-84 process and the process for acquisition of real property at TxDOT. 􀁸 Interviews with TxDOT officials to gather information about current real property acquisition and relocation assistance practices. 􀁸 Exploratory analysis of ROWIS data, with a focus on trends, frequency, and manner of use of date stamp data, as well as activity durations. Research Performed by: Texas A&M Transportation Institute Research Supervisor: Cesar Quiroga , TTI Researchers: Ioannis Tsapakis, TTI Edgar Kraus, TTI William Holik , TTI John Overman, TTI Don Kang, TTI Project Completed: 5-31-2016 What They Found The review of current policy, manuals, and procedures, as well as the identification of similarities and differences between the reference NCHRP 20-84 process and the process for acquisition of real property at TxDOT, provided a framework for the analysis of current practices for the acquisition of real property interests, including modernization initiatives at TxDOT. The review of documentation included an analysis of project schedule templates, including templates to manage the acquisition of real property interests, which were developed during the initial phases of the P6 implementation at TxDOT. To assist in this process, the researchers conducted meetings with TxDOT officials to gather information about real property acquisition and relocation assistance practices. The focus of the interviews was to identify: 􀁸 The reasons that districts only use P6 at a high level of activity aggregation. 􀁸 Tools and protocols that districts use to manage the acquisition of real property interests. The discussion focused on templates in Microsoft® Excel® format that districts have developed to assist in the management of the real property acquisition process. The spreadsheets contain a large number of fields that broaden the collection of relevant date information compared to what is currently possible with ROWIS. The evaluation of ROWIS data provided a foundation for the determination of typical durations in the acquis

FAQs

Why does real-property acquisition matter to transportation project delivery?

Real-property acquisition and management inefficiencies significantly affect transportation agencies’ capacity to develop and deliver projects effectively. Acquisition is frequently on the critical path.

What was the goal of Research Project 0-6892?

It compared NCHRP 20-84 performance tools with TxDOT processes, expanded national research with risk-based what-if and sensitivity analyses, and adapted relevant strategies to TxDOT business practices.

What approach did districts use to manage acquisition and relocation assistance?

Districts primarily used Microsoft Excel templates to track activities related to real-property acquisition and relocation assistance, leveraging end-user experience and providing broader date information than ROWIS.

Sep 11, 2026

Uploaded by Pentious