Abstract
State highway administrations (SHAs) often have difficulty completing highway construction projects on time and on budget. Obstacles to successful project completion arise in both planning and active construction. To tackle its costs and schedule problems, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) in 2002 launched a program called the Dashboard to support its goal of completing all highway construction projects on time and on budget. The agency used existing technology to develop a new web-based performance measurement tool that is designed to report the status of construction projects in all stages of development throughout the state in real time. The tool uses a simple stoplight format to display project status. This new tool is also available to the public through the Dashboard website, launched in March 2003. This study reviews the experience of one SHA in introducing web-based performance measures to its construction program. The study surveys the Dashboard's development, its performance assessment tools, the new forms of accountability it provides, and the experience of VDOT stakeholders in using the Dashboard to achieve the goals of overcoming delay and cost overruns.
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