technology, various utility and stakeholder requirements, and
changes with other work programs within the Town that may
influence the implementation of the undergrounding program
in the future.
The program is proposed to contain eight phases with most
phases containing two separate sub-phases in an effort
to accelerate the implementation schedule. Each phase is
anticipated to have a construction duration that spans 18
to 24 months. A new phase will begin construction in the
summer of each year between 2017 and 2024. This allows
for adjacent phases to overlap in their duration which in
turn accelerates the implementation schedule. In general,
the work will begin at the extreme north and south ends of
the Town and progress towards the center. The plan provides
recommendations related to the timing of major infrastructure
projects performed by the Town and outside entities.
Kimley-Horn assessed the potential traffic impacts from
construction for each phase of the project. The TMP sets
forth overall guiding principles (general guidelines) for use by
the Town and affected contractors during the implementation
of the undergrounding program.
The TMP may evolve over time, but its current role is to
assist in the development of the design of construction
phasing plans, traffic control plans, and project specification
documents, and to facilitate discussions between the
Town, designers, utility owners, contractors, and other key
stakeholders related to traffic impacts. It is a tool to better
coordinate construction traffic impacts as specific permits are
applied for by the construction community. Graphical TMP
maps for each phase of the undergrounding program, along
with general traffic control guidelines for the program, were
developed and are contained in this master plan.
Traffic Management Plan Development Risk Assessment
A Transportation Management Plan (TMP) was developed to
coordinate traffic impacts related to both the undergrounding
program and other known significant infrastructure projects
to minimize impacts to the residents and businesses. Based
on the phasing plan and the sequencing of these projects, Risks are involved with any project, and a project of this
magnitude is no exception. These risks can impact the project
schedule and/or the project budget. By identifying these
risks ahead of time, steps can be taken to mitigate them. An
assessment of known risks to budget and schedule, both in
2 | CHAPTER ONE
terms of the design phase and construction phase, was made in
order to identify these risks and take steps to mitigate them.
Opinion of Schedule
Based on the Phasing and Sequencing Plan, an opinion
of schedule was developed to better understand how each
individual phase of the program would interact with each other
during the implementation process. Schedule considerations
were developed through discussions with the Town, area
contractors with expertise in undergrounding, and the
utility owners.
Design activity durations were based on discussions with the
Town and utility owners related to the process. The schedule
for the first phase has been highly compressed to meet a goal
of beginning construction in the summer of 2017. It is not
expected that this pace can be maintained by the utility owners
into the future as design and construction of multiple phases
will be occurring simultaneously. Therefore, the schedule
contains earlier starts for design and easement acquisition
activities for subsequent phases closer to the beginning of the
program so longer design/easement acquisition durations can
be achieved later in the program. This increases the probability
design and easement acquisition can be completed on schedule
on a reliable basis throughout the remainder of the program.
Construction activity durations are based on reasonable
production rates from area contractors with undergrounding
expertise. Combining these production rates with mass
quantities for the project that were developed as a part of
the opinion of cost development yielded significant activity
durations that were then incorporated into the overall
schedule. Appropriate schedule contingencies were also applied
to account for normal weather impacts, potential geological
challenges (rock), and unforeseen conditions.
The program schedule began in May 2016 with the
development of this master plan and the detailed design of
Phase 1 North and Phase 1 South. Construction activities
are expected to begin in the summer of 2017 with Phase 1
North and Phase 1 South. Construction durations for each
phase range from 18 to 24 months depending on the quantity
of work to be performed and complexity of each Phase. To
accelerate the schedule, each phase consists of two project areas
that will be under construction simultaneously. Additionally,
the construction schedule for each phase overlaps the previous
adjacent phase construction schedule by six months to one
year. The overlap of the construction activities in each phase is
subject to “Heavy” underground construction being complete
in the previous phase prior to allowing “Heavy” underground
TOWN OF PALM BEACH