Keeping Construction Going during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Davies, T.; Metzler, S. E.

The Trinity River Authority (TRA) Construction Services group oversees $550 million in active construction projects. These projects are needed for a variety of critical reasons that include increase treatment capacity, improve energy efficiency, replace aging infrastructure, and increase pipeline capacity. None of these projects can be delayed by any significant length of time, as they are all needed to be in service to prevent future failures and minimize down time to TRA customers. Failure of service is not an option, 100% service and 100% of the time is essential. TRA, like the rest of the world, had to learn of the threats that the COVID-19 pandemic presented to TRA staff and the potential impacts the threats posed to completing construction projects. TRA had to react to the threats based on information that was available early on in March 2020 and prepare plans for staff and construction contractors based on the best available information. Plans are only as good as the people who execute them, and fortunately TRA staff along with the support of the engineering consulting and construction contractor communities worked together to adhere to the plans that TRA developed for our projects. The response plans were put in place early in the pandemic and updated frequently as more information was made available. Key takeaways from this experience are TRA continued to move forward with all construction projects using a modified routine for additional safety requirements;communicate frequently, with everyone on the project team both internal to the organization and with external contractors and consultants;be prepared to evolve work plans with changing national and local guidelines;and above all, do not panic, do not shutdown, do not hide in the office or at home;instead, get out in front of the unknowns and create a safe environment with a clear set of guidelines for staff to follow. Getting through a major event whether it is extreme flooding or a global pandemic requires leading from the front and relying on input from the team. Dealing with adversity is in every way possible, a team effort, and it takes constant feedback from the team in the field as well independent research of the latest recommendations for safety for the leader to make the best decision in the moment. © 2021 ASCE.