Earthmoving Productivity in Urban Bridge Construction

Earthmoving operations in urban bridge reconstruction projects are analyzed to identify significant factors that impact relatively low productivity. The research project was conducted in the urban interchange reconstruction of Interstate Highway 235 (I-235) in Des Moines, Iowa. By using observational studies and a statistical analysis method, the factors were identified, including match factor, number of passes, and loading cycle time per bucket. Number of truck, match factor, travel time, and hauling distance were identified as the unique factors for the off-site earthmoving project, while the start time and travel time were significant factors for the on-site project. This research also identified significant factors for the truck bunching and showed that the match factor from the urban earthmoving project does not linearly correlate with the productivity of each truck. Reducing the hauling distance for urban earthmoving projects was the principal method for improving productivity