BIM for highway infrastructure: a systems thinking insight into the impeding factors

Purpose While building information modeling (BIM) adoption has received considerable attention in buildings, its implementation in highway infrastructure projects remains limited. This study aims to identify and contextualize the critical factors impeding BIM adoption in highways and to examine their causal interrelationships. Design/methodology/approach A four-stage mixed-method research framework was employed. First, a systematic literature review identified 20 factors and quantified their relative importance using normalized literature scores. Second, a cross-country industry survey generated corresponding normalized empirical scores. Third, these datasets were integrated to rank and categorize the factors and to identify critical impediments using Pareto analysis. Finally, causal interrelationships among the critical factors were examined through causal loop diagram developed using systems thinking–based modeling. Findings Thirteen key impediments, classified into five categories (financial, technical, management, environmental and legal) were found to impede BIM adoption in highway infrastructure projects. Nineteen causal interrelationships and seven feedback loops were identified. The findings provide quantitative evidence that BIM implementation in highways is hindered not by fundamentally new barriers, but by the intensification and interaction of well-documented challenges observed in building projects within the linear infrastructure context. Originality/value This study extends BIM adoption research by identifying impediments specific to highway infrastructure. By uncovering underlying causal interrelationships and feedback structures through systems thinking and causal loop modeling as a methodological novelty, it provides a system-level understanding of BIM adoption dynamics. It also offers strategic insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders to design targeted, system-aware interventions aimed at improving BIM adoption in highway infrastructure projects.