The Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority (PRHTA) recognized the potential benefits of implementing e-Ticketing in construction projects and sought to explore its advantages. PRHTA, led an implementation team comprising the Associated General Contractors of America-Puerto Rico Chapter (AGC-PR), Puerto Rico Local Technical Assistance Program (Puerto Rico LTAP-T2 Center), and Federal Highway Administration-Puerto Rico and USVI Division (FHWA-PRUSVI). The goal was to understand the benefits and feasibility of e-Ticketing, and partner with HaulHub Technologies to utilize their DOT e-Ticketing™ solution.
PRHTA collaborated with HaulHub to implement the DOT e-Ticketing™ solution on a pavement rehabilitation project in the South Area of Puerto Rico. The solution involved securely linking the ticketing data from the asphalt plant to a custom built PRHTA e-Ticketing portal, ensuring accurate capture and recording of all necessary data. The system provided real-time visibility to all parties involved, including the supplier Super Asphalt Pavement Corporation, contractor Desarrolladora JA, Inc., and PRHTA, through mobile apps and a web portals. PRHTA inspectors at the plant used the mobile app to input plant inspection temperatures and comments before the trucks departed. The system facilitated seamless communication and data sharing among all participants.
Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority mission has always been to develop and promote an integrated transportation system that, together with the road infrastructure and the provision of services, facilitates the economic development of Puerto Rico in harmony with the environment.
“E-Ticketing is a cost-effective tool to safely expedite, collect, and share relevant construction materials data to improve our contract administration processes. For PRHTA, it is a valuable technology that complements the e-Construction innovation and other initiatives aimed at automating processes that will ultimately improve project delivery.”
Dr. Edwin González-Montalvo
PRHTA Executive Director
The Puerto Rico Highways and Transportation Authority (PRHTA) sought to explore the benefits and implementation of e-Ticketing in construction projects with guidance from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) sixth round of the Every Day Counts (EDC-6) initiative, who selected electronic ticketing (e-Ticketing) for rapid deployment among highway agencies to enhance work zone safety, improve quality, and realize cost savings through digitalization.
To facilitate this, PRHTA formed an implementation team consisting of Eng. Ana L. Torres-Santana, PRHTA Deputy Executive Director, Dr. Edwin González-Montalvo, PRHTA Executive Director, and representatives from the Associated General Contractors of America-Puerto Rico Chapter (AGC-PR), Puerto Rico Local Technical Assistance Program (Puerto Rico LTAP-T2 Center), and Federal Highway Administration-Puerto Rico and USVI Division (FHWA-PRUSVI).
As part of the development phase of the EDC Program, the FHWA-PRUSVI sponsored a two-days peer exchange in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The meeting featured two FHWA representatives; technical staff from two Departments of Transportation who shared insights from past successful implementations of e-Ticketing with HaulHub Technologies: Delaware (DelDOT) and Pennsylvania (PennDOT).
From this peer exchange, PRHTA selected the DOT e-Ticketing™ solution offered by HaulHub Technologies to address the challenges of manual ticketing processes in construction projects. The collaboration aimed to leverage technology to automate processes, improve data collection, and enhance project delivery in Puerto Rico.
Swift implementation planning led to the selection of the Pavement Rehabilitation and Reconstruction initiative on the Luis A. Ferré Expressway (PR-52), located in the South Area of Puerto Rico as a pilot project. This endeavor involved seamlessly connecting ticketing data from multiple stakeholders, including the materials supplier Super Asphalt Pavement Corporation, the contractor Desarrolladora JA, Inc., and PRHTA personnel.
Throughout the integration process, thorough verification was conducted to ensure that all data points previously captured on paper tickets were present and accurately transferred to the e-Tickets. This meticulous validation process guarantees that all essential information is precisely captured and recorded on the new digital platform.
Upon generating the e-Ticket, it becomes immediately accessible to all stakeholders within the supply chain. This seamless real-time visibility is achieved through the utilization of mobile apps and web platforms, which are employed by the supplier, contractor, and PRHTA teams. These platforms contain identical information, empowering all parties to interact with the data and maintain their respective notes.
At this site, internet connectivity posed no problems due to the presence of Wi-Fi at the plant and reliable cell reception at the job site. Nevertheless, HaulHub’s solution includes an offline capability to address any potential cell service issues that may arise on a jobsite.
The introduction of e-Ticketing in PRHTA’s projects has yielded significant benefits, empowering all stakeholders with electronic materials data that enhances safety, streamlines inspections, and improves contract administration processing. Encouraged by the positive outcomes, PRHTA is committed to further deploying this innovation in future projects. The ongoing pilot project will expand to incorporate ready-mix material, and the next steps in the implementation plan involve the development of an e-Ticketing construction specification to be included in upcoming projects. PRHTA’s dedication to embracing technology-driven solutions ensures continued progress and efficiency in their construction endeavors.
