What are the 7 key issues that plague large infrastructure projects?

What are the 7 keys issues that still plague large infrastructure projects?

1. Inadequate Site Investigation:

Limited Scope: Sometimes, site investigations are not thorough enough, often due to budget constraints, time limitations, or oversight. This can lead to an incomplete understanding of subsurface conditions, including soil types, groundwater levels, and hidden underground structures.

Sampling Issues: Even when site investigations are performed, the sampling methods used (such as boreholes or test pits) may not be sufficient to detect all the variations across a large site. Soil and rock properties can change drastically over short distances, and sparse sampling might miss critical details.

2. Incomplete or Outdated Data:

Lack of Historical Records: Historical data on previous land use, construction, or environmental changes may be missing, incomplete, or inaccurate. This can result in surprises like discovering buried debris, contaminated soil, or old foundations.

Rapid Urban Development: As cities grow, rapid urban development may change the conditions of a site faster than records or data can be updated, resulting in discrepancies between available data and actual conditions.

3. Natural Variability:

Geological Variability: The natural variability of soil and rock formations, groundwater levels, and other subsurface conditions can be highly unpredictable. Even with extensive site investigations, it's challenging to account for all variations, especially in complex geological settings.

Weather and Climate: Weather events like heavy rainfall or flooding can alter site conditions rapidly. Climate change is also increasing the frequency and intensity of such events, making site conditions less predictable.

4. Human Factors:

Errors in Design or Planning: Errors or omissions during the design and planning phases can lead to incorrect assumptions about site conditions. Inadequate communication between different project stakeholders (such as geotechnical engineers, architects, and contractors) can also lead to misunderstandings about site conditions.

Changes During Construction: Modifications to the project scope or design during construction can lead to unforeseen conditions being encountered. For example, changing the foundation design may require excavation in areas that were not previously investigated.

5. Limitations of Current Technology:

Subsurface Detection Limits: Even with advanced technologies like Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) or LiDAR, there are still limitations in detecting all subsurface conditions accurately. Obstacles like high groundwater tables, dense urban environments, or the presence of certain materials can hinder the effectiveness of these technologies.

Data Interpretation Challenges: Even when data is available, interpreting complex geological data accurately can be challenging and requires expert knowledge. Misinterpretations can lead to incorrect conclusions about the site conditions.

6. Regulatory and Contractual Constraints:

Limited Time for Site Investigation: Regulatory or contractual pressures to complete projects quickly may lead to rushed site investigations or a lack of time to fully assess potential risks.

Risk-Sharing Issues: In some contract types (like fixed-price contracts), contractors might assume they have accounted for all risks, but unforeseen conditions can result in significant cost overruns and disputes.

7. Communication and Data Silos:

Fragmented Data Storage: Information related to site conditions may be stored across multiple databases or formats, leading to a fragmented understanding of site conditions. Lack of integration between stakeholders' data can lead to oversights.

Addressing the Problem

To mitigate these challenges, improving site investigations, using better risk and interface platforms with influential stakeholders and fostering better communication and data sharing between stakeholders are critical.

Contact us to see how we can help you work through some of these issues to favour a better project outcome.

info@nexusprojects.net
Rob Miraglia: +61 414 348 101
Jonathan Hesselberg: +61 415 779 661