Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming an increasingly important part of transportation project delivery. As agencies generate larger volumes of project data, AI-assisted tools are helping teams access, organize and use information.
After a recent conversation with WSP’s senior vice president of digital delivery services, Chris Harman, I’m more confident than ever that responsibility for judgment, accountability and decision-making remains firmly in human hands.
AI’s role is to help transportation professionals access, organize and understand the growing volume of information that surrounds every project. As digital delivery continues to evolve from document-based to data-centric workflows, AI-assisted tools can support teams in navigating project information while professional expertise remains at the forefront.
The challenge isn’t a lack of information. Transportation projects generate enormous volumes of data, documents and models throughout planning, design and construction. The difficulty is finding relevant information quickly, understanding it in context and applying it to project decisions. That distinction is becoming increasingly important as AI-assisted tools become part of transportation delivery.
From Documents to Data
Transportation agencies have been on a digital-delivery journey for years. Building information modeling (BIM), 3D design platforms and other digital tools have become increasingly common across planning, design and construction. Yet, for much of that time, projects were still largely delivered through traditional plans, specifications and PDF documents.
According to Harman, the industry is now moving beyond simply creating digital versions of traditional deliverables.
“In digital delivery, we’re still doing what we always have: creating tools to help our clients deliver more efficiently,” he says. “But now, we are leaning more into data-centric and model-centric delivery.”
Agencies are beginning to view project information as a long-term asset that can support maintenance, asset management and future decision-making.
That perspective shift is changing expectations. Transportation owners are looking for better ways to access, understand and use the data generated throughout a project’s lifecycle.
Making Project Information More Accessible
If there’s one challenge common to nearly every transportation project, it’s information management. From design models and specifications to utility records, permit requirements and construction updates, project teams are constantly working across multiple sources of data.
As Harman puts it, “Project teams often spend significant time locating information across numerous sources. Documentation is distributed across multiple systems, while project conditions and designs continue to evolve throughout delivery.”
The issue is rarely a lack of information. More often, it’s finding the right information.
“Our clients keep telling us that they need a better way to view and interact with their data,” says Harman.
This is where AI-assisted tools are beginning to play a role. These tools may be used to support searching, organizing and visualizing information within relevant project models, databases and document management systems.
“Instead of scrolling through PDFs or flipping pages, we can just search the data,” notes Harman. “The tools we use produce volumes of data, and it’s hard to get to all of it. But by using AI, we can help extract relevant information from a large amount of project data.”
One example Harman encountered involved overhead-sign structures. AI-assisted workflows were used to organize information from design files and standards, supporting project teams as they modeled the infrastructure in context and reviewed potential conflicts and coordination issues prior to construction.
“We’re giving project teams more information to work with,” says Harman. “By adding information that was previously impractical to gather, we are able to provide project teams with additional information during the design phase.”
For transportation owners, the intended value is to make existing information more accessible and useful, supporting project teams’ analysis, coordination and judgment.
Why Human Expertise Still Matters
The distinction between information and expertise helps explain where AI may provide value and where human judgment remains essential. Harman pointed to philosopher Gilbert Ryle’s framework of “knowledge that” and “knowledge how.”
“Knowledge that” refers to facts, standards and project data. “Knowledge how” is the expertise required to apply that information in the real world.
Transportation projects are filled with variables that don’t fit neatly into a database, including safety considerations, utility conflicts, environmental constraints, stakeholder priorities and funding realities. Every project presents its own unique set of circumstances.
As Harman explains, AI-assisted tools can support access to “knowledge that,” while infrastructure delivery continues to depend on professional “knowledge how.”
For example, a tool may surface information indicating a potential conflict between a sign structure and a utility line, which is “knowledge that.” Determining whether the conflict matters, evaluating possible solutions and understanding the impacts of each option is “knowledge how.”
In other words, information alone isn’t enough. Transportation professionals must interpret that information in context, balance competing priorities and decide which actions should be taken.
That responsibility remains unchanged regardless of how information is gathered or presented. Clients rely on engineers, planners and project managers not simply to access information, but to guide decisions and deliver successful outcomes.
As Harman notes, “Human expertise remains the foundation for safe and accountable infrastructure delivery.”
As transportation projects become increasingly data-rich, AI-assisted tools can help organizations find, organize and understand project information. The greatest productivity gains will come from enabling engineers, planners and project managers to spend more time applying their expertise where it creates the greatest value.
For transportation owners entrusted with public resources, that’s the distinction that matters most.