Applications of Travelling Salesman Optimization in Construction Scheduling

This paper reviews recent research work on applying the well-known Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP) optimization technique in construction scheduling and then discusses its limitations and potential benefits to construction. The paper investigates three main aspects: (1) recent variants of TSP discussed in the literature; (2) up-to-date applications of TSP in the construction domain; and (3) the key parameters in the scheduling process that could benefit from TSP formulations. An in-depth review of over 40 journal papers in the period from 2013 to 2023 was retrieved from the Scopus database. While few efforts address crew routing among construction projects, no study considers the practical constraints at various locations/sites. Areas where the construction industry can benefit from TSP have been identified, primarily the possible integration with repetitive scheduling techniques to support the delivery planning of infrastructure rehabilitation projects. The combination of these techniques can optimize the crews and their work sequences among sites to meet delivery constraints while respecting the practical work conditions at various sites.