INNOVATION
e-Construction: Mobility Outbreak for MDOT SHA

With the advent of e-Construction, tablets let inspectors take notes electronically on project sites and communicate rapidly with MDOT SHA staff and contractors.

For the Office of Construction (OOC), converting a process that had long been paper-based into a digital format meant working out some tricky problems: finding an innovative solution to meet the needs of MDOT SHA Construction inspection staff on job sites and customizing that solution so it is user-friendly, for both veteran staffers who always used pen and paper, and millennials who were born into this digital era using mobile devices.

Fortunately, say OOC Director Stephen Bucy and e-Construction Program Manager John Hampton, we've had an incredible partnership with the Office of Information Technology (OIT) team led by Director Laurie Goudy and Deputy Director Karen Keller. The OIT team was dedicated to understanding customer needs to design and develop e-Construction, which now improves processes for statewide inspection staff, and the needs of our partners in other offices and industry. The result was the birth of an electronic Maryland Construction Management System (eMCMS), which is working well.

"It's made us more efficient as an organization," observes John Hampton. "It's saving time, generating safety by social distancing during COVID-19 and improving the outcome at every stage of the project lifecycle."

e-Construction applies an array of digital tools to operating the built environment. It links eMCMS to previously utilized AASHTOWare and Bid Express eBidding tools, a digital file repository utilizing Microsoft (MS) OneDrive, and the collaborative tool MS Teams. A Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) State-Based Innovation Councils (STIC) grant provided tablets and therefore mobility to Construction inspection staff, who can now access these tools from anywhere at any given time. The iPads increased collaboration with other stakeholders by letting them spend less time traveling to jobsites or field offices. It has made it easy to share data remotely with contractor leadership and MDOT SHA staff in other offices.

Contractors benefit through this application, rapidly improving the approval workflow for paying monthly estimates on projects. Our next major step (Phase II) of e-Construction development will tackle a contractor/MDOT SHA frustration: change orders. The team will start tracking status through an automated e-Approval workflow, further reducing delays in what is currently a tedious, back-and-forth paper-based process.

"Our statewide implementation has gone out to more than 750 staff members in all seven districts, OOC and several other offices, such as Office of Materials & Technology (OMT), Office of Structures (OOS), Office of Traffic & Safety (OOTS), Office of Environmental Design (OED) and our industry partners," says Stephen Bucy. "All in all, e-Construction brings us together, saving time and money, and – this is critical – delivering a better outcome through the use of technology and innovation for Maryland's transportation industry."

MODERNIZATION
Working on the People's Roads During a Health Emergency

Lighter traffic during the COVID-19 emergency permitted more rapid construction, including installation of signs like these in Montgomery County.

During the COVID-19 emergency, MDOT SHA crews, under State and federal adjuration to wear masks and keep social distance, worked as essential employees and plowed ahead with projects, often benefiting from reduced traffic that permitted faster construction. During a time of crisis, there was strong cooperation.

"The real story," said Office of Construction Director Stephen A. Bucy, "is that our folks and partners – construction contractors, consultant inspectors, and more – deserve praise for their flexibility, which kept MDOT SHA construction moving forward with all the chaos around us. The open flow of communication and partnering from the MTBMA, MAA, MRMCA, ACEC, and others has been amazing."

A roundup of construction in districts 1 and 2 is below. Next month, a story will highlight work in the remaining districts.

District 1
Assistant District Engineer-C (ADE-C) Brett Dean reports that with traffic volumes much lower than normal in early spring, MDOT SHA could extend construction hours around Ocean City. "We were able to pave US 50 on Fridays and Saturdays. Normally, seasonable weather and beach traffic wouldn't have allowed construction," he says. Cooperating with our local contractor, work in and around Ocean City was expected to conclude well before the vacation season and well ahead of schedule.

District 2
ADE-C Bobby Tucker noted that a bridge painting contract was granted extended working hours, including weekends. The schedule was pushed ahead two to three weeks.

Area Engineer Terry Lehman said that one project really stands out. A bridge painting contract was completed seven months early, with most of the work done in just four months. The extra time meant that 11 bridges were cleaned and painted in a remarkably brief time. In addition, the contractor was able to move on to his next project, in District 1, ahead of schedule. "MDOT SHA continues to see the benefit as a result of the hard work in our district," says Lehman.

CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE
Delivering Hospital Beds in a Crisis

During the COVID-19 crisis, District 4 FMTs transported medical equipment and beds all the way from Baltimore County to a hospital in St. Mary's County in southern Maryland.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, MDOT SHA District 4 maintenance team members went beyond their essential highway operations duties to keep Marylanders healthy and safe. On May 15, a team from three District 4 maintenance shops brought 65 badly needed hospital beds and hospital equipment all the way from a temporary Under Armour warehouse in Edgemere, Baltimore County to MedStar St. Mary's Hospital in Leonardtown.

This caravan is part of an ongoing statewide effort to ensure that Maryland has the hospital facilities and equipment throughout the state to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. State agencies, including Maryland Department of Health, Maryland Emergency Management Agency, Maryland Army National Guard and MDOT, worked together to support emergency medical services and move essential equipment into place.

Six facility maintenance technicians (FMTs) from the Churchville, Golden Ring and Hereford shops joined a six-truck caravan to deliver the equipment: Mike Hunger, Golden Ring; Rudy Jones, Golden Ring; Garret Nemec, Hereford; Doug Openshaw, Hereford; Justin Cullum, Churchville; and Joe Spencer, Churchville.

"Our managers provided the support that the team needed for the day. They made sure the delivery team had the right equipment for the move and checked in with us to make sure everyone arrived safely and the delivery was going smoothly," said Nick Vogel, facilities maintenance supervisor at Churchville, who was the District 4 coordinator for the effort.

"Our team did an awesome job that day," said Assistant District Engineer - Maintenance Terry "Wil" Clark. "We'll be glad to step up and help out whenever we can."

PHOTO OF THE MONTH

MDOT SHA recently opened the $124 million interchange at I-270 and Watkins Mill Road in Montgomery County. It includes a new bridge over I-270 and ramps connecting Watkins Mill Road with the interstate.