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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Transportation megaproject procurement : benefits and challenges for PPPs and alternative delivery strategies, and the resulting implications for Crossrail

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

This thesis evaluates the applicability of public-private partnerships (PPPs) and alternative delivery strategies to transportation megaprojects. There has been tremendous expansion of innovative procurement and financing mechanisms in this area. However, there are still many hurdles to overcome before these options can penetrate the transportation market with any regularity. The thesis identifies the barriers and their origins, and suggests changes to policy and institutional frameworks that may be incorporated to encourage a broader range of delivery options. There is potentially much to be gained from increased private sector involvement in transportation megaproject delivery, but it requires significant investment of public sector time and money at the outset to be able to identify the most appropriate course of action. The public and private sectors often have diverging short-term versus long-term interests that must be reconciled if PPPs are to provide improved outcomes. The thesis introduces the various stages of megaproject development and the way public and private sector strengths may be packaged together throughout these stages to form alternative delivery strategies. It also provides an assessment of the many issues surrounding the business case, risk, management, and contracts. These issues are later revisited in an evaluation of several projects in the U.S. that have utilized "traditional" and alternative delivery strategies in the past. Included in this assessment are two larger case studies: Boston's Big Dig and Puerto Rico's Tren Urbano.

Degree

thesis:*
Department dc:contributor.department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Grantor dc:publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Year dc:date.issued
2009

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Kay, Michael A. (Michael Adam)
Advisor dc:contributor.advisor
  • Frederick P. Salvucci.

Subjects

dc:subject × 2

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Language dc:language.iso
eng

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Handle dc:identifier.uri
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/53328
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/53328

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
MIT
Base URL
dspace.mit.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Kay, Michael A. (Michael Adam). Transportation megaproject procurement : benefits and challenges for PPPs and alternative delivery strategies, and the resulting implications for Crossrail. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2009. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/53328