Comments

6 responses to “Give VDOT Credit Where Credit Is Due”

1. 

   Anonymous

   September 21, 2007

   Does that mean they got things done sooner and cheaper, or that they created more realistic schedules and budgets?

   Log in to Reply
2. 

   Larry Gross

   September 21, 2007

   just a quibble.

   As far as I know… VDOT actually constructs very few roads but rather they act as the Prime Contractor that manages such projects.

   a good metric… to help validate VDOT’s performance would be to compare on-time and on-budget with other states.

   Now someone could say .. that maybe that data might not be readily available.

   My response would be that VDOT probably knows how to obtain that data and they should be more than willing to show the public exactly where they rank…

   because.. making the current claim is as anon asked… are we getting new construction cheaper and faster than we used to?

   I doubt it…. but stand to be corrected….

   until then.. we’re listening to the “spin” machine in my view.

   Log in to Reply
3. 

   Groveton

   September 21, 2007

   I agree that VDOT has improved.

   However, I also understand anon 9:19 and Larry Gross’ points.

   Paris Hiton has recently improved her behavior.

   That does not necessarily make her well-behaved.

   Log in to Reply
4. 

   Jim Wamsley

   September 21, 2007

   “9:19 AM, Anonymous said…
   Does that mean they got things done sooner and cheaper, or that they created more realistic schedules and budgets?”

   Some of each and a little of both.

   When you have a low ball budget, you start more projects then you can finish on schedule with the budgeted dollars so you wait for the next budget cycle to get more dollars to finish the project. When a project runs beyond schedule its costs increase.

   The other thing that happens is VDOT changes the deadline for a project that is not going to be finished “on deadline and on budget.” That is the easy way to insure that 90% of the projects are on deadline and on budget.

   Log in to Reply
5. 

   Larry Gross

   September 21, 2007

   Wamsley makes an excellent point.

   When the 6yr plan is a “wish list” what exactly does “on time and on budget” really mean?

   Does a high number “on time/on budget” mean that the 6yr plan has become more of a real plan and less of a bogus wish list?

   But really.. how could you tell?

   If not mistaken..if you go take a look at the 6yr plan… some of the projects STILL do not show an anticipate start or end date..

   and if you don’t have a start and and end date.. what does that mean about the projected costs?

   well.. it means those numbers are.. pretty suspect in my opinion and hard for me to understand how one would judge those kinds of projects as being “on time and on budget”.

   Further.. what does it mean for a project .. in the six year plan that has a column that says “cost to complete”?

   Obviously, it means that .. that project will NOT be completed within the current 6yr plan window but when you also don’t have a related column that says “anticipated completion date” what does THAT mean?

   VDOT.. HAS improved.. but .. they still have a ways to go…

   Four or five years ago, JLARC had a LOT of fiscal recommendations and not all of them have been implemented.

   And again… since much of VDOT does is really project management… and not actual construction… this is really about managing projects, resources and money using.. GAPP – Generally Accepted Accounting Processes – which is not an exotic endeavor.

   Log in to Reply
6. 

   Anonymous

   September 22, 2007

   JW: nice response. That was my thinking exactly.

   RH

   Log in to Reply