Project Development
Developing successful highway projects requires sophisticated, multi-year efforts to ensure transportation agency employees, staff from the consultant industry, and other stakeholders orchestrate their work in a coordinated manner. From the initial project concept through project letting, transportation agencies address many challenges such as creating an appropriate and efficient design, obtaining the necessary environmental clearances, acquiring right-of-way, and working with utility companies to relocate their existing facilities. KTC’s Project Development group specializes in helping state transportation agencies improve project development workflows and preconstruction project management. The group regularly participates in presenting a comprehensive training course that teaches KYTC and consultant project managers how to manage the activities required to deliver a project on time and within budget.

Project Manager’s Boot camp
KTC helped create Project Manager’s Boot Camp training to give KYTC’s Project Managers (PMs) the strategies needed to deliver projects on schedule and within budget. This 8-day training challenges PMs to take ownership of the whole project and describes the expectations for KYTC’s PMs, gives an overview of the project development process, and teaches project management competencies. Since the first course, 170 professionals have attended PM Boot Camp. The training has been so successful that KTC now conducts a 2-day version – Boot Camp Xpress – to consultants throughout the state, a requirement for Consultant PMs working with the Cabinet. Approximately 340 consultants have attended Xpress. Both courses are offered annually and the curriculum is developed with assistance from Special Projects and Initiatives and Policy, Finance, and Economics.
Research in Progress
- Implementing Safe Systems Approach in Project Development (collaboration with Policy, Finance and Economics)
- Guidebook for Project Management (collaboration with Policy, Finance and Economics)
- Impact of the New Context Classifications (collaboration with Special Projects and Initiatives)
- Innovative Methods to Strengthen Internal KYTC Communications (collaboration with Policy, Finance and Economics)
- Best Practices for MOT on Interstate Pavement Rehabilitation Projects (collaboration with Construction Engineering)
- Using Knowledge of Human Factors to Strengthen Highway Design
- AASHTOWare Estimation Implementation
completed projects
- Roundabout Intersection Design Guidance Update
- Identification and Preservation of Core Competencies (Collaboration with Policy, Finance, and Economics)
- Training Curricula for KYTC Department of Highways (Collaboration with Policy, Finance and Economics)
- Review of Initial Project Estimates for Design, ROW, Utilities (Collaboration with Policy, Finance and Economics)
- Performance-Based Practical Design
- Project Management Research Support
- Critical Path for Project Development
- Design-Build Guidance Manual (Collaboration with Special Projects and Initiatives and Construction Engineering)
- 2+1 Roadway Design Guidance Update
- Best Practices for Project Scoping
- ADA Technical Infeasibility
- Right of Way Process Review (collaboration with Policy, Finance, and Economics)
Critical Path
Project Templates
Click on the button below to visit KTC’s page on the Critical Path Method for Project Development. Here you’ll be able to access templates for three project types: Rural Federal Bridge Replacement CE1, Urban Federal Bridge Replacement with Railroads, and EA-FONSI Rural Road Widening (with Railroad Involvement).
Project Development Faculty & Staff
Jeff Jasper
Jill Asher
Research Engineer
Keith Caudill
Research Engineer
Travis Thompson
Research Engineer