Sometimes quality is in the eye of the beholder: highway users and other stakeholders share their views on what makes a successful road project

Public Roads, May-June, 2004 by Kathleen A. Bergeron

Val Riva (ACPA): "The defining measure of quality in highway or road construction is whether we met the long-term performance expectations with minimal maintenance and rehabilitation requirements. Our goal is to construct pavements to the standards set forth by the specifying agency ... or better. We measure material quality, as-constructed variability, thickness, smoothness, and other criteria to assure that expectations have been met. Meeting these expectations means that we've placed a pavement that returns the best value to our ultimate customers ... the traveling public."

From Parable to Drivable

Like beauty, quality is in the eye of the beholder. The more involvement in defining, evaluating, and verifying the quality of a highway project, the more likely it is to be something universally recognized not as a wall, snake, spear, or even an elephant, but as a highway that serves the needs of all road users.

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At the close of one of the listening sessions, FHWA Administrator Mary E. Peters remembered a discussion she once had with a project manager for a major construction contractor in Phoenix who was concerned with being able to deliver pavement materials to a job site in a timely manner. His choice for someone to talk to and compare notes with was an employee at a national pizza delivery chain. If the drivers could deliver pizzas within 30 minutes, he should be able to learn something from the restaurant chain about how to schedule drivers and plan routes. "Like that contractor," said Peters, "we've got to recognize that sometimes our best input comes from someone with a totally different perspective than ours."

Kathleen A. Bergeron is a marketing specialist in FHWA's Office of Infrastructure. She has 27 years of experience in all aspects of marketing, including market research, public relations, and advertising. Her experience includes working for major consumer products corporations, a market research company, consulting engineering firms, and State and Federal transportation agencies.