Civil Integrated Management: Empirical study of digital practices in highway project delivery and asset management

Principal technologies and practices contributing to the workflow of highway infrastructure projects are undergoing significant changes due to Civil Integrated Management (CIM). CIM encapsulates key digital technologies that provide managers with opportunities to use accurate data and information throughout the life cycle of a transportation asset. Despite the potential of CIM tools, the extent to which State Transportation Agencies (STAs) across the U.S. make use of CIM and the factors enhancing the utilization of CIM have not been studied sufficiently. This paper presents the principal findings of a national survey of forty-two STAs on CIM usage. Results show that while thirty-two STAs use the CIM tool of 3D design for terrain modeling, only sixteen reported using it for structures and advanced visualization. The research also analyzed the influence of key agency policies such as contract specifications, project delivery methods, and STA budget on the use of CIM. While the budget does not have a statistically significant effect on increased CIM usage, results indicate contract specifications and various procedural guidelines for CIM do affect CIM usage. STAs also appear to use CIM more when they have alternative delivery methods available, with a statistically significant positive impact being shown by the Public-Private Partnerships model. This study provides both a benchmark of current practices as well as suggestions that may expedite beneficial implementation and future research in this area. •CIM technologies and practices formalize digital workflow and enable a data-centric project delivery and asset management.•National survey of U.S. highway agencies indicated segregated CIM usage and need to evaluate impact of agency approaches.•Inferential statistics used to assess impact of agency budget, contract specifications, and project delivery methods.•Public-Private Partnerships and contract specifications for CIM display significant positive impact on agency-wide usage.