Welcome to the NASHTU Website

The National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions (NASHTU) is dedicated to ensuring that federal transportation dollars are spent on cost-effective, safe projects that serve the public interest. NASHTU is comprised of 38 unions and associations representing hundreds of thousands of state and locally employed transportation engineers, construction managers and inspectors, technical workers and related public servants from throughout the United States.

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23rd Annual NASHTU Conference – Register Today!

The 23rd Annual NASHTU Conference will be held June 5 through 7, 2023 at the Hilton Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington D.C. To register for the 2023 NASHTU Conference, click here.

The NASHTU Conference provides an important opportunity for transportation unions to come together and strategize about how best to serve our members and deliver safe, cost-effective transportation projects for taxpayers.

The conference is also a chance to hear from some of the preeminent transportation leaders in Washington. Past conferences included the congressional leaders of both Senate and House committees with jurisdiction over transportation and infrastructure and key transportation and labor officials from AASHTO, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, FHWA, Center for American Progress, American Highway Users Alliance, Economic Policy Institute, and many other transportation stakeholder organizations.

NASHTU conference attendees will be able to meet face-to-face with their state’s Congressional Representatives and Senators during the lobbying portion of the conference, reserved for the afternoon of Tuesday, June 6. The NASHTU Conference will also feature networking opportunities, including a Group Dinner where conference attendees can get to know union representatives from other states, and a Congressional Reception where they can mingle with Members of Congress and Congressional staff.

Again to register for the conference, please visit our conference webpage.

NASHTU Notes

April 12, 2023

Colorado Auditor Finds Waste and Delay in State’s
Alternative Delivery Program

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) spent almost $4 billion on alternative delivery construction projects that bypassed the state’s low-bid practices, violated state laws, and led to the projects costing more than independent cost analysis indicated they should, according to a recently released Colorado performance audit.

The use of alternative delivery projects in Colorado followed the passage of state legislation in 2013 that allowed the department of transportation to loosen its strict adherence to low-bid procedures. That law, House Bill 13-1292, instead allows the state agency to consider factors other than cost when awarding bids. Alternative project delivery includes design-build and construction manager/general contractor (CMGC) contracting.

The audit reviewed 19 active alternative delivery projects CDOT managed during the fiscal year 2021 and 2022. In eight of those projects, the audit found that CDOT “did not fully use its project delivery process” for deciding when to forego low-bid procedures. This increased “the risk of choosing an unsuitable delivery method that could lead to cost and schedule overruns.”

In addition, the audit found that state officials ignored independent cost estimates they gathered when negotiating for alternative delivery work. This resulted in CDOT awarding contracts that were nearly $18 million more costly than independent estimates had suggested for 27 contracts on nine projects.

Although Colorado has trumpeted that alternative delivery projects saved time and money, the audit found that neither claim is supported by the evidence. In fact, one design-build project jumped by 25% over the original contract amount, escalating to a total $65 million cost. Another design-build project jumped up to a total $77 million cost, a 13% increase from the original contract, according to the audit.

In addition, the audit determined that significant delays had occurred in alternative delivery projects, with construction delays of nearly a year or more for such projects.