Are You Sure You're Getting Your Money's Worth? VE it!

This week we're talking briefly about an engineering concept that may not be widely known but is incredibly important, especially when it involves large, high-profile public works projects.

Value Engineering
Jim Marcinkowski, PE, Senior Design Engineer, with OHM’s Transportation group is a sought-after member for value engineering teams. Value engineering is an independent analysis of a proposed project, using a systematic approach to validate the effectiveness and cost of the proposed project plan.

Bottom line? When you're a project owner and the public is footing the bill, you want to make sure that you're getting the most value for the millions you're spending.

Here's a look at one of Jim's more iconic value engineering projects: the ramp rehabilitation at St. George Staten Island Ferry Terminals in New York.

The greater Ferry terminal area is a concentration of multimodal elements including bus, rail and automobile traffic. While the Ferry terminal itself had recently been reconstructed, the elevated bus terminal and adjacent ramps were in poor condition. Passengers disembarking from the ferry had to walk through a dark, dingy area, where water seeped through the dilapidated joints of the bus terminal deck above, to rain lead-infused drips onto their heads. Additionally, traffic surrounding the terminal area was congested, creating lots of delay for circulating buses and automobiles.

The City had planned a ramp repair project to be delivered as design/build that would keep the facility open throughout construction. At $175 million, this was the largest ARRA project in the US and the City wanted to be sure it was spending The People's dollars wisely. Enter, the value engineering team.

The value engineering study reviewed the conceptual design for the rehabilitation of ramp structures at the terminal and examined the methodologies to achieve the best value for all stakeholders. As a member of the VE team, OHM’s Marcinkowski analyzed all project documentation. Using his expertise in construction staging and maintenance of traffic he provided significant recommendations to maximize traffic flow to the ferry terminal and surrounding neighborhood, including a $4 million cost saving idea.