Final Case Study

Wheeler, Hernandez, Sandoval, De Hoyos, Trevio, Aguilar, Cuellar 1

Capstone II Group II Final Case Study

Critical Path Analysis for U.S. 83 La Joya Relief Route
Ashley Wheeler
Griselda S. Hernandez
John Sandoval
Idalia Y. De Hoyos
Maria Trevio
Nelson Aguilar
Rolando Cuellar
South Texas College

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Table of Contents

Abstract

.. 3

Introduction

.. 4

Scope Logistics

.. 7

Objective/Purpose

.. 8

Process

.. 8

Advantages

.. 9

Disadvantages

.. 10

Setbacks for Project

.. 11

Our Plan for Completion/Conclusion ... 13

References

.. 14

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Abstract:
The Rio Grande Valley is going through many changes that are capturing attention of many

businesses and entrepreneurs. Peitas, TX is one of the cities in the Rio Grande Valley going
through many changes that are helping in its development process. The changes include; opening of
new businesses, new residential subdivisions developing, and ultimately the expansion of the
expressway. As a leader, it is important to understand the work that it takes to complete projects
such as these. TX DOT is currently working on starting construction for a bypass that will be going
through Peitas, over La Joya, and in Phase II it will end in Starr County. The coordination of the
group project is for Phase I, or the U.S. 83 La Joya Relief Route. In order to understand the work it
takes to achieve projects as these, a critical path analysis is required to further explain its complex
operations. In this paper we do a Critical Path Analysis for the U.S. 83 La Joya Relief Route as
well as, give input as to how we would lead this project to meet deadlines.

Key Words: U.S. 83 La Joya Relief Route, Critical Path Analysis, Network Rails Leven Viaduct,
Penitas

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Introduction:
Critical Path Analysis is the optimization of the sequence of a plan or the most efficient and

cost effective route to a final product. Critical Path Method was created in 1956 by the DuPont
Company to solve project scheduling problems that the company was facing. The US Navy later
expounded on their method by developing PERT (program evaluation and review technique). A
similar type of Job Path Analysis has been employed on construction projects for thousands of
years, Critical Path Method can be traced back to ancient civilizations (Kielmas, 2015). The
Critical Path Analysis method was created to track project activities, keep jobs on schedule, to aid
in the estimation of deadlines, forecast production bottlenecks, indicate project feasibility, provide
a basis for inter project communication, while offering a greater and more efficient form of control
to the project managers (Yung Wong, 1964). Our case study follows Network Rails Critical Path
Analysis concerning the Leven Viaduct in Cumbria. Network rails first task was to decide if the
viaduct did indeed require a repair or if rerouting rail traffic would be a long term viable solution.
Despite a hefty price tag Network Rail determined that a repair was necessary and begun the
planning process. Project objectives were, a repair that would stay maintenance free for 25 years
and prevent unwanted line closures. Following these main objectives they created further success
factors: to have repairs fall within the prescribed budget, maintain an accident free job site, to
obtain positive relationships within the surrounding communities and to maintain efficient resource
procurement. Construction projects require many independent steps, which must follow a
prescribed process.
A Critical Path Analysis diagram provides a graphical overlay of a given project. By
looking at a graphical depiction of a project, the viewer can see the relationships between tasks,
identify the commencement of an activity if not delayed, and follow the steps accordingly with

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knowledge of who is involved. The sequence of tasks is very important and should be completed
before beginning the construction phase. This allows for the coordination of many separate tasks
within a single given time period. The Critical path are those objectives that are most important in
the completion of the project, and their omission or incompletion will hold up the remainder of the
project. We will follow the critical path analysis of the La Joya US 83 Relief Route which is
currently underway.
Great ideas only do so great until a strategic plan can be implemented and carried out to
become a success. The most important part of a project revolves around the critical path analysis.
The comparison between the Network Rail Leven Viaduct repair and the U.S. 83 La Joya Relief
Route are based on the objective and its processes. Before the project can begin, the objective is
vital for what is trying to be accomplished. Other areas such as operations planning and decision
making can also be seen in the critical path analysis.
There is much involved in the operations planning, the project involved internal roles and
external roles in which everyone contributed in order to complete the objective. Remaining key
was Network Rails ability to complete the project without negative publicity and decrease the
amount of money spent. Similarly, the U.S. 83 La Joya Relief Route also began with the objectives
of increasing mobility, safety, and roadway connectivity. With proposed funding, the project is
expected to cost $83.5 million spread throughout engineering, construction, and ROW/compensable
utilities. Similar to the case study, the new expressway is expected to sustain a long-term no major
maintenance period while decreasing the number of accidents from the cities of Penitas, Texas
through Sullivan City, Texas. Other important factors involved the survey, approved design, site,
and materials needed. With the project, there were many critical success factors taken into
consideration which include: the delivery of the project within a given budget and time constraint,

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an accident free construction phase while also maintaining good relations with the community,
bringing more businesses to the respective affected areas, growth in Texas, and local business
expansion.
This project also requires the coordination of people and proper communication in the
processes involved. The internal and external roles involved in the project were those which
included the project manager, project planners, project engineers, construction management,
civil/design engineers, and design/building contractors. Everyone plays a vibrant role in the project
(Womack, 2015). John Womack, the expansion consultant for the City of Peitas, Texas, provided a
clear path through the analysis of the project, although the activities were not completed on time
which has delayed the project. Even though the planning portion of this project began in 2012,
ground breaking was expected to occur 6 months ago with the final completion date expected to be
in 2017. Unforeseen circumstances have hampered this projects initiation into the construction
phase. Like many projects, problems arise which require better decision making and operation
planning. Many setbacks were due to underground lines such as water drainage, gas wells, etc.
Others included private, commercial, and agricultural properties which may have been in conflict to
the construction plans. Of four potential routes, none were chosen as problems did not allow for
state approval. The approved route will start in Penitas, Texas during phase I of the project and pass
over the northern section of La Joya eventually reconnecting with US 83 on the far west side of La
Joya where the project extends to into phase II. Phase II will continue south of US 83 and past
Sullivan City, eventually reconnecting with US 83 once again in Starr County.
Construction has not been started for the project, although the U.S. 83 La Joya Relief Route
is expected to improve economic development, create a better quality of life and mobility for all
commuters, relief congestion, and ensure efficient trade corridors. Construction planning was

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coordinated through those involved and the project manager will make the final decision to carry on
with the project. The Network Rail Leven Viaduct repair focused on a key objective, and through
sound decision making and operations planning, they completed the project well within their
estimated time window through a well-executed critical path analysis.
Scope Logistics:
The city of La Joya is asking that a four lane controlled access expressway be made in order
to help with the congestion of the highway. As with any project of this magnitude there must be
many planning sessions in order to get the ball rolling. According to the schematic two meetings
have already taken place and much to the dismay of many of the city's residents, the plan for the
four lane highway will be set in motion. The set date for this project was on April 2015, although
construction has not yet begun, the finishing day will be in the summer of 2017 (Pharr District
Texas Department of Transportation, 2015). Before any construction could be started, the city of La
Joya along with TXDOT and its stakeholders, sat down for a meeting to discuss the environmental
impacts that a project of this caliber will have on the surrounding area. They came up with three
alternatives(HCRMA, 2015). The first and second alternatives were not chosen because of the
predicted negative environmental impact; also, portions of the routes were scheduled to cross a
wildlife habitat that is protected under the MBTA (Migratory Bird Treaty Act)(HCRMA, 2015)).
They discussed that alternative number three was more environmentally conscious because this
option had less of an impact on the wildlife refuge as well as the surrounding communities
(HCRMA, 2015). From the first public meeting in November of 2012 till the December 2013
meeting the committee remained hopeful, eventually receiving clearance to begin building the route
(Pharr District Texas Department of Transportation, 2015).. After obtaining the environmental
clearance from the Federal Highway Administration the committee began requesting the acquisition

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of right of way (ROW) (Pharr District Texas Department of Transportation, 2015). Since there
has been much controversy over the building of this expressway, it is only natural that the citys
residents also have a sour taste concerning this project because of ROW disparities.
Objective/ Purpose:
The objective and end goal of the US 83 Relief Route is to create a more direct path for
traffic flow; especially 18-wheelers. Currently there is a big area of congestion that has dramatically
increased in the past few years, due to the 18 wheeler traffic that is in the area hauling loads. There
is currently a lack of mobility because of the congestion, which has also lead to an increase in
accidents. In addition to these issues, there is poor corridor connectivity (Pharr District Texas
Department of Transportation, 2015).
Process:
The planning of this project is crucial for its success and to meet its purpose and objective it
must go through a systematic process that in addition to planning includes project development,
final design and construction. The final design for this project was based on the planning and
project development of local, state and federal government and what was best suited for the project
was a 4 lane divided rural highway consisting of two roadways separated by a depressed median.
Each roadway would consist of two 12 foot wide travel lanes, 4 foot wide inside lane and a 10 foot
wide outside shoulder (schematics from Pharr TXDot). This final design was the product of the
collaboration between the City of Penitas, the city of La Joya, and the local and state Department of
transportation. In addition to the planning done, the project development implemented and final
design agreed on it is during the final design phase that the details associated with the project that
are important are announced and questions from the residents of all surrounding cities are
addressed. Often it is the details of the project that are most recognizable to the public. After the

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construction begins it doesnt end there as the process continues with maintaining the roadways, in
many cases because of natural causes or external factors for example a car accident affecting the
installed guard rails, the process is ongoing and may never have an end.
The US 83 Relief Route remains a collaboration between the City of Penitas, La Joya, the
Pharr District -Texas Department of Transportation, Hidalgo and Starr County Governmental
Agencies, and the Texas State Department of Transportation. In order to begin construction of the
roadway after engineers had the project logistics figured out, a series of question and answer type
public meetings were held in La Joya for residents of La Joya and Penitas; along with the logistical
details of potential relocation of residential and commercial buildings.
Advantages:
There are some advantages of implementing a critical path analysis to this project including
the prevention of injuries and accidents also, safety measures will be taken in order to comply with
the path analysis. In addition, by providing a critical path analysis the community will have better
knowledge of the changes that are being made and the budget that is needed to expand the highway.
The advantages of the U.S. 83 La Joya Relief Route will benefit many, for example, traffic flow and
increase in commercial potential and marketing.
Another advantage that comes from building this bypass is that residents will have easier
access to their city. It is very difficult for people in Peitas to drive though the city because of the
congestion that traffic creates. Diana Torres, lives on Nugget St in Peitas, TX. Her property will
not be directly affected by the relief route but her house is only one street away from the street that
will be affected. She says that she and her husband have not made any plans of moving because of
the changes coming. In fact, she was used to the noise from the expressway because she used to live
in an area closer to the expressway. If anything Im glad that they are making this bypass because

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we will have easier access to get to and from my house. On fridays and saturdays, it is so difficult to
get into Peitas because of all the traffic (Torres, 2015).
Disadvantages:
Although the critical path analysis is a crucial part in the completion of the project, there are
however some unforeseen disadvantageous project obstacles that must be addressed. John
Womack, the expansion consultant for Penitas, Tx emphasized that there are indeed some
disadvantages to the project and that the benefits must outweigh the negative effects on the matter.
In the Network Rail case study their major disadvantages were budget and time constraints. The
project manager created spreadsheets that identified the budgeted cost each step of the way to
alleviate this problem. For the U.S 83 La Joya Relief Route there are a diverse number of issues
regarding the project starting with gas wells that will require capping or relocation; one factor that
project managers for the U.S 83 La Joya Relief Route had to determine was how were they going to
work around the gas wells. South Texas is known for their rich gas wells and the U.S 83 La Joya
Relief Route project run directly over approximately 20 acres of land containing gas wells. Luckily
for them, the project managers have spoken to land owners, purchased the land, and strategically
designed the relief route to bypass these gas wells completely. In addition, the U.S 83 La Joya
Relief Route project will also affect several homes along the new highways thoroughfare which
will be condemned and destroyed as per the project ROW process. Condemnation occurs when a
local, state or federal government seizes private property and compensates the owner, the power of
the government to do this is called eminent domain, which means the government takes private
property for public use. During this process the property owners are only entitled to compensation
for their land and their approval of the sale is not required. On another note the U.S 83 La Joya
Relief Route will not only affect the geography of the area but also the business side. Since the

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relief route will be diverting over 40,000 cars off the main highway, those businesses on the stretch
of the U.S 83 Highway could potentially lose business and a reliable stream of customers. Finally
the construction time from start to finish and the unexpected and intangible aspects of the project
will be the key factors that will ultimately dictate the outcome of the project. Despite the
disadvantages involved in this project, Critical Path Analysis has provided a way to plan around
them and has kept the La Joya US 83 Relief Route in contention for construction.
Setbacks for this project:
Many years have passed in the planning of this project, but the construction has not yet
started. Consequently, residents are skeptical of the bypass ever being built. Torres and her family
are just waiting for the bypass to be built to see if they are really going to be affected. We will wait
to see if we like our area but we have been waiting for many years and nothing has happened.
(Torres, 2015) There are some well known setbacks in throughout the process. The most important
setback is the purchasing of the land that the bypass will be going through. Farmers and landowners
don't want to sell these properties because most of these lands have gas wells going through them.
Some gas wells are still active and this is why the owners have not wanted to settle. Unfortunately,
for them, the state is going to have to go through a condemnation process that will force them to sell
whether they want to or not. Condemnation will include an arbitrator that will make appraisals on
their land depending on the value of the land around that same area. After they come to an
agreement, the residents will be given a final notice and the construction will start.
According to a meeting held by HCRMA on July 5, 2011, in December of 2010 a PassThrough Toll Program would be available for this road. On May 26, 2011 the program was
approved and this would be the way the road was designed to be. After speaking to John Womack,
we discovered that there was another meeting where the decision for the Pass-Through Toll

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Program was disregarded. Since that area is a high traffic area for vehicles in Mexico, this would
bring too much difficulty to collect the toll fees.
Another setback they have come across is the financial aspect of this project. Since the state
is funding this project, they disperse the money however they see it necessary. For example, if they
have the money already available for this project, but there is a disaster in another part of the same
county they will use that money to fix it. This type of setback sometimes are necessary, but it has
been happening for too long. So, it would be a good idea to fund this project and start as soon as the
money is available. A plan of action is necessary so that no more setbacks will get in the way of the
completion The current organization working on this project uses the laissez faire theory of
leadership, which has been proven to be ineffective. As a result, it has delayed progression through
the process to complete this project. From our point of view, it seems as the leadership theory
applied has no real role planning that assigns each individual's goals with responsibilities and
deadlines, therefore, creating unclear guidelines and tasks of this project.
The project community relations department has not met the expectations to perform
goodwill within the community. The community has voiced opposition and have organized to
express their discontentment with the project. This has lead to extended delays as well as increased
litigation costs. The public relations aspect of this project has suffered from poor leadership,
inconsistent planning and lack of funding. The La Joya Relief route has transitioned from a public
project to a private toll road and currently back to a public project. The length of time that has
passed since the initial 2002 planning phase has left supporters frustrated while simultaneously
emboldening opposition. A focused community outreach program is needed to reaffirm support,
educate the public of the benefits of the project, while creating a strong public call to action.
Without continued public support this project will never see completion.

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Our Plan for Completion/Conclusion:

Our plan for completion was determined based on our educational experience in the courses
taken from our Bachelors Degree plan such as Issues in Organizational Leadership, Data Driven
Decision Making, and Organizational Change. Since the project for the US 83 La Joya Relief Route
is still undergoing process involvement, construction has not begun. We feel that the lack of
communication and inability to meet deadlines has led to delays, which is not represented in the
timeline. If the condemnation process would begin sooner, this would allow other areas to begin.
Other factors which may have contributed to the delay include: making sure there are no deviations
from the process that holds the project from continuing, making sure the project manager can have
everyone coordinate to meet roles distributed, and making sure that there is proper role coverage
and role distribution to avoid gaps in the CPA.
The normative decision model of leadership that we would apply to this project to make
decisions is a consultation decision making model. We would collect information from public
meetings by issuing public surveys to those directly affected by the relief route to gather
information. In addition, we would analyze the information as a resource and consider it as a
decision making factor, however, still having the overall authority for the final decision making.
In conclusion, our group proposes a Path-Goal Theory in order to ensure a timely CPA. The
use of a Path-Goal Theory would enable members to mainstream a clear direction to meeting the
expectations of the project and will remove any barriers that are preventing each member from
achieving the end result.

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References

HCRMA. (n.d.). Retrieved October 03, 2015, from hcrma.net: http://www.hcrma.net/

HCRMA. (2015, October 3). La Joya Relief Route. Retrieved from Hidalgo County Regional
Mobility Authority: http://hcrma.net/ljrr.html
Kielmas, Maria. "History of the Critical Path Method." Small Business.Chron.com. Demand Media,
n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2015. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/history-critical-path-method55917.html
Flexibility in Highway Design. (n.d.). Retrieved October 6, 2015, from
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/publications/flexibility/ch01.cfm
Pharr District Texas Department of Transportation. (2015, September 15). US 83 Relief Route.
Retrieved from Texdot.gov: http://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/phr/projects/us59relief/111512_presentation.pdf
Torres, D. (2015, October 03). Penitas Resident. (I. Y. Hoyos, Interviewer)
Womack, J. (2015, September 16). Expansion Consultant. (I. De Hoyos & N. Aguilar, Interviewers)
Wong, Y. (1964). Critical Path Analysis for New Product Planning. Journal Of Marketing, 28(4),
53-59. Web. 18 Sept. 2015. https://ezproxy.southtexascollege.edu/login?
url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=6741282&site=edslive&scope=site