Maximizing potential savings when purchasing right-of-way within a limited budget is a challenge
currently faced by state departments of transportation (DOTs) across the nation. Early right-ofway
acquisitions promote smoother negotiations and are aimed to save money, time, and human
resources. This paper describes an optimization approach based on dynamic programming
developed for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to identify projects with candidate
parcels for early right-of-way acquisition in order to achieve the highest potential savings. Each
candidate parcel must be subjected to a preliminary environmental analysis to ensure that each
comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) standards
