Introduction
Civil engineering projects that design and construct critical infrastructure are vital for serving communities’ fundamental needs. From transportation networks to power facilities to water delivery systems, the success or failure of these megaprojects can improve daily living standards or contribute to major consequences. Comprehensively analyzing recently completed civil engineering projects by evaluating key aspects in project management and execution across a project’s lifespan stages offers insights into contributors to project performance outcomes.
Analysis of the New International Airport in Mexico City
A relevant large-scale civil engineering project finalized within the past seven years is the New International Airport (NIA), constructed to serve Mexico’s capital region. This $13 billion airport built on a dry lake bed was intended to replace the capacity-constrained Benito Juárez airport and boost Mexico’s infrastructure capabilities (Semple, 2018). However, shortly after construction began, the NIA was canceled in 2018 due to a controversial public referendum, which abruptly stopped the massive partially completed project. Analyzing this airport endeavor across factors spanning project management strategies to budget constraints illuminates reasons for the drastic failed outcome.
Regarding project management, the NIA appeared to need to improve in areas like long-term planning, risk analysis, and change control processes (Noval, 2020). The aggressive 4-year construction schedule left little buffer should any complications emerge, while independent reviews identified threats related to challenging soil conditions and seismic activity that were downplayed (Semple, 2018). Additionally, there were shortfalls in coordination between parties like the project management team, contractors, aviation specialists, and government entities overseeing the effort. For example, some key feasibility studies were outdated and must be updated.
The revised lifecycle fell remarkably short – progress halted during the construction phase just as major groundwork activities gained momentum after years of designing the $18.6 billion master plan concept (Reed, 2018). However, the project passed the important preceding stages, including in-depth requirements gathering with international aviation consultants, extensive architecture and engineering planning, and procurement of major infrastructure partners (Noval, 2020). However, falling short of executing the build phase shows that matters related to upfront planning failed to protect decisions amid the political shifts and public disapproval that ultimately shut down the endeavor – significant overlooked risks.
Discussion of Project Life Cycle
When reflecting on the NIA project’s life cycle stages in the context of its unexpected failed outcome, the assessment spotlights gaps in fully covering critical planning, risk assessment, and stakeholder alignment bases early in the project design phases. While the project was based on arguably reasonable goals and requirements to expand airport capacity to meet growing air travel demands in Mexico’s capital region, this strategic infrastructure endeavor collapsed due to inadequate protections to keep plans on track amid public and political headwinds. Implementing robust risk management practices, stakeholder communication, and buy-in strategies earlier may have better safeguarded the execution trajectory from excessive disruptions. The case reflects common issues in large civil projects when upfront planning and ongoing governance fail to thoroughly anticipate and adapt to internal and external variables through all life cycle phases.
Conclusion
In closing, comprehensively evaluating key facets across a civil engineering project’s full life cycle phases provides an understanding of what factors ultimately drive project success versus failure from a management execution perspective. As civil infrastructure shapes communities’ advancement and capabilities, dedicating efforts towards planning rigor and adaptive quality control at both project and program levels remains essential.
References
Noval, L. (2020). Strategic misalignment and public policy failure: Lessons from Mexico’s new airport project cancellation. Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis: Research and Practice, 22(4), 420–433. https://doi.org/10.1080/13876988.2020.1718955
Reed, J. (2018). Six key points about the cancelled Mexico City airport project. Financial Times. https://www.ft.com/content/e15a2448-de44-11e8-9f04-38d397e6661c
Semple, K. (2018). Mexico cancels big Mexico City airport project. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/29/world/americas/mexico-airport-cancelled.html
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