1.6 Project Rigor

A project’s rigor is related to the level of risk and complexity associated with the project. Identifying and evaluating the risks will support the development of the project and guide the approach to management of the project.

Table 1-1

can be used to help determine the rigor of the project.

The project rigor should be documented in the DSR and should be used to determine the level of project risk assessment. See

Section 5.4.2

for more information on types of environmental documents that apply to projects.

Table 1-1: Project Rigor¹
Type of anticipated Environmental Document	ROW/Utility Impacts²
Type of anticipated Environmental Document	High potential for delay to letting³	Some potential to delay for letting	Little to No potential delay to letting
EIS (Environmental Impact Statement)	HIGH Rigor⁴	HIGH Rigor⁴	HIGH Rigor⁴
EA (Environmental Assessment)	HIGH Rigor⁴	MEDIUM Rigor	MEDIUM Rigor
CE (Categorical Exclusion)	HIGH Rigor⁴	MEDIUM Rigor	LOW Rigor
Notes: Specific project details should be evaluated by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) to determine the project’s rigor. ROW and Utility impacts should be determined by SMEs High potential for delay should be confirmed by appropriate staff. High Rigor projects typically have high public or political interest and are generally greater than $25 million in construction cost; however, cost alone should not be the determining factor.

Table 1-2

lists typical project types and their associated rigor. This table does not cover all project types and is only intended to provide a general understanding of projects and their potential rigor.

Table 1-2: Example Project Type and Associated Rigor
Project Type	TxC Code	Typical Rigor
Project Type	TxC Code	High	Medium	Low
Bridge Replacement	BR		●	●
Bridge Widening or Rehabilitation	BWR		●	●
Convert Non-Freeway to Freeway	CNF	●	●
Intersection and Operational Improvements	IOI			●
New Location Freeway	NLF	●
New Location Non-Freeway	NNF	●	●
Overlay	OV			●
Rehabilitation of Existing Road	RER			●
Restoration of Pavement Structur	RES			●
Seal Coat	SC			●
Super-2 Highway	SP2			●
Widen Freeway	WF	●	●
Widen Non-Freeway	WNF	●	●

Tools to use:



Form 2440 - DSR

Available training:

 PMD300 – Transportation Project Management at TxDOT

* All training can be found in

TxDOT’s Training Catalog

Chapter 1: General Guidance