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ODOT leads nation in delivering projects on budget
01/04/2012


A national study of how well state departments of transportation perform in delivering projects on time and on budget by the Transportation Research Board has labeled Oregon a top performer for its successful efforts in bringing projects to completion within budget.  As the Statesman Journal reports, ODOT ranked best in the nation for bringing projects in on budget, with projects coming in an average of $130,000 below the original bid award.  For comparison, the national average was to bring projects in over budget by $137,000.
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The study gave ODOT kudos for its cost control and oversight procedures, which require getting permission from higher levels in the agency—including in some cases the Oregon Transportation Commission—before allowing cost overruns.
 
ODOT’s Construction and Materials Engineer, Jeff Gower, credits the processes ODOT has developed to make sure projects stay on budget.  “Over the years we have developed strong management practices to track progress and expenditures on our projects.  We have multiple layers that have to approve any significant cost overruns, which tends to reduce the likelihood that projects will go over their budgets.”