Development and Use of As-Built Plans by State Departments of Transportation

Sixty-eight percent of the states who responded to a survey indicated their agency has a documented process for as-built development. They said handwritten notes were the most commonly used method to capture as-built data (86%), followed by electronic notes (76%), and then photographs (33%). Some states use more than one option to capture as-built data.

The TRB National Cooperative Highway Research Program's NCHRP Synthesis 548: Development and Use of As-Built Plans by State Departments of Transportation examines the current state of the practice in as-built development and use across the United States.

Over the years, as-built plans have been the method used by the construction industry to capture and record construction changes and additions that are not represented in the original plan drawings. The accuracy and completeness of these plans are essential for operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation of current transportation infrastructure.