Significant factors affecting Right-of-Way acquisition time in highway projects

Right-of-Way (R/W) acquisition for highway projects is a complicated process that involves many parties. It is critical for project participants to know the main factors that determine the R/W acquisition schedule. This paper reports on a research project that studies the impact of inherent factors on R/W acquisition durations. The research uses ANOVA and correlation techniques to analyze the impact of 15 inherent factors on 14 different durations in R/W acquisition. Data from 13 projects in Texas with 172 parcels were collected. Among the 15 factors, Transitional Area, Acquisition Method, Ownership Type, Title Issue, Mapping/Survey Issue, and Exchange were found to have significant impact on at least 4 durations, including the Total Duration. Using results from the post-hoc tests, this paper presents quantitatively how R/W Acquisition Total Duration is different among levels of each of the significant factors. This research is believed to place an important steppingstone in improving R/W acquisition and project development for highway projects through the better understanding of the critical factors and better forecast for R/W acquisition durations.