May-June 2007, Vol. 73, No. 3
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VDOTer in Profile
Best Practices
Expanding ‘Parallel Plane Construction’
Lynchburg District completed the Madison Heights Bypass with great success.
One reason was the consistent use of the concept of 'parallel plans.'
Planning and constructing the Route 29 Bypass was a long process for citizens of south-central Virginia. The project, intended to move traffic quickly and safely from Amherst County to Lynchburg and reduce traffic in congested Madison Heights, was first envisioned in the late 1960s; in 1998 the first shovel was turned. 
Construction on Madison Heights Bypass
Construction began literally with a ground-up approach, and it started with a concept called “parallel plans."
Parallel plans can best be described as all stakeholders working together as a project team from design through construction. At regular intervals, designers, engineers, project managers (and sometimes property owners, local officials and average citizens) get together to take a critical look at progress, concerns and lessons learned—then determine the best course for moving ahead. This provides the entire team a more comprehensive perspective on the entire project.
Today, this concept is a part of the VDOT Business Plan. As a component of reshaping the business, VDOT is making an effort to engage all the key partners of projects. This effort includes expanding the formal partnering process “to include local governments at all levels” for project development.
“We knew that we had to be careful building each of our structural layers,” says Don French, P.E., Lynchburg District materials engineer. “We wanted to make sure everyone understood that one step of road preparation led to and had a serious effect upon the next. We made it clear to contractors that citizens would see the bypass as a whole, not as nine separate projects, and that individual contractor efforts would go a long way toward ensuring the final product was a good one.”
This concept was presented to employees and contractors by Dale H. Grigg Jr., P.E., then assistant district administrator for construction and now acting district administrator.
“This concept was born out of the principle of parallel plane construction,” explains Grigg. “In simplest terms, the success of each successive layer of roadway construction depends upon the quality of the prior layer. We expanded the concept to the interrelationship of the construction team, recognizing that each member’s plans should parallel those of the other team members to ensure success at the end of the day.”
Parallel Plans + Parallel Page + Parallel Planes = Unparalleled Performance
The district partnered with contractors on every job, and with good reason. “Partnering allows all stakeholders to share a common goal before the first shovel of dirt is turned. Then, along the way, everyone should know where everyone else stands on getting the job done and done correctly. If someone has a problem, the expertise of all involved is available to provide suggestions or lend a hand,” continues Grigg.
Development and construction came down to a simple formula: Parallel Plans + Parallel Page + Parallel Planes = Unparalled Performance. An application of the formula was seen in the work of the prime contractors who used two different systems for construction of the continuously reinforced concrete pavement on the bypass, a technique infrequently used on road projects in this portion of the commonwealth.
“We had each contractor construct a test pad exactly as the pavement would be built,” says French. “This helped all parties work out the bugs before the operation began. Each pad was built on a planned truck weigh station. The southern project had problems with mix temperature and paving; however, due to the test pad, the problems never hit the mainline.”
From top to bottom, the Madison Heights Bypass was a success, says Grigg. “This is what can be achieved when everyone involved understands the goal and works cooperatively toward achieving it.”
And that was the plan.
–by Paula K. Jones (adapted from her article in Roads & Bridges magazine)
