Estimating Models for Engineering Costs on the State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP) Portfolio of Projects

ELHAMI NASR, PHD

Dr. Nasr is a Subject Matter Expert in Construction and Project Management. He built his career of over three decades with dual careers in academia and industry. He is a Professor of Construction Engineering Management at California State University, Long Beach. Previously, he served as Vice Provost, Interim Provost, and Vice President of Academic Affairs at Florida Polytechnic University. He also worked in industry (Caltrans) and in various national and international consulting roles, where he initiated, developed, and delivered hundreds of specialized and customized companywide project management training programs for large-scale professional organizations, in both private and government sectors.

TARIQ SHEHAB, PHD

Dr. Shehab is an expert in developing cost estimating applications and the field of artificial intelligence. He has more than 25 years of experience in developing intelligent cost estimating applications, during which he developed systems for highway projects, utility pipe networks, and school buildings. His contributions also included the determination of key factors that attribute to the maintenance costs of major infrastructure facilities. He is the author and co-author of numerous articles published in many ASCE journals and other equally prestigious periodicals.

NIGEL BLAMPIED, PHD

Nigel Blampied’s research and teaching focuses on project management in public transportation agencies. He teaches in the Master of Transportation Management program at San José State University and is a Research Associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute. His doctoral dissertation at the University of California, Berkeley, discussed parametric cost estimating at the early conceptual phase of projects, the subject, in part, of this report, and used data from the SHOPP, as does this report.

VINIT KANANI

Vinit Kanani earned his master’s degree in artificial intelligence from San José State University, where he excelled academically and developed a solid foundation in machine learning and data science. He is currently working as a Data Discovery ETL engineer for Sikka Software, where his responsibilities include designing and implementing data pipelines, ensuring data quality, and applying machine learning techniques to extract valuable insights from complex datasets. His professional interests are centered on machine learning and artificial intelligence, and he is passionate about using these technologies to solve real-world problems.