Final Scope

State departments of transportation (DOTs) are increasingly expanding transportation asset management programs beyond pavements and bridges, by including selected ancillary transportation assets. Example ancillary transportation assets include (but are not limited to):

• Hydraulic structures (e.g. culverts, drainage systems);
• Overhead sign and signal structures and signal systems;
• Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure (e.g. sidewalks and curb ramps);
• Intelligent transportation systems and communications infrastructure;
• High mast and highway light poles;
• Traffic barriers (e.g. guardrail);
• Earth retaining structures;
• Sign panels and supports; and
• Building facilities.

Management of ancillary transportation assets may be described in state DOTs recently completed and certified transportation asset management plans (TAMPs) and/or in other formal and informal documentation. While research has explored data collection, asset management, and data storage and use for the management of ancillary assets, it is unknown to what extent state agencies have implemented and used these resources for asset management.

The objective of this synthesis is to document practices used by state DOTs for managing selected ancillary transportation assets, including levels of maturity and variability of practice across state DOTs.

Information to be gathered for these selected ancillary assets includes (but is not limited to):

• Selected ancillary transportation assets included in state DOT transportation asset management programs;
• Maturity scale definition for the ancillary asset program and the state of practice for maturity (e.g. life-cycle planning methods, risk and resilience);
• Which, if any, ancillary transportation assets are included in state DOT TAMPs or other documents, certified or informal;
• Models for condition forecasting used;
• Performance measures, metrics and targets;
• Selected asset data used for programming decisions; and
• Compilation of DOT resources (e.g. tools, spreadsheets, guidance, manuals).

Information will be gathered through a literature review, a survey of state DOTs, and follow-up interviews with selected DOTs for the development of case examples. Information gaps and suggestions for research to address those gaps will be identified.

Information Sources (Partial):

• FHWA’s HIF-19-068 - Handbook for Including Ancillary Assets in Transportation Asset Management Programs (2019).
• FHWA’s Case Study 7 – Managing Assets Beyond Pavements and Bridges (2020).
• FHWA’s HIF-20-067 Case Study 7 – Managing Assets Beyond Pavements and Bridges (TAMP Practices on Other Assets) (2020). (https://www.fhwa.dot.gov). 
• NCHRP 08-36, Task 114, Transportation Asset Management for Ancillary Structures.
• NCHRP 20-05/Topic 54-06, Ancillary Asset Data Stewardship and Data Models.
• FHWA’s HIF-20-092 - https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/asset/pubs/hif20092.pdf

TRB Staff (consultant)
Sandra Larson
Phone: 515-971-6329
Email: slarson@nas.edu

Meeting Dates
First Panel: October 5, 2023, Washington, DC
Teleconference with Consultant: October 23, 2023,10-11 am Eastern
Second Panel: June 4, 2024, 10 am – 4 pm Washington D.C., Keck Center

Panel Members

Michael C. Brown, Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates

Gehan Elsayed, West Virginia Department of Transportation

Raymond Khoury, Virginia Department of Transportation

Michael Rossi, New York State Department of Transportation

Trisha Stefanski, Minnesota Department of Transportation

Loren Turner, California Department of Transportation

Ida van Schalkwyk, Washington State Department of Transportation

Tashia Clemons, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

Claire Randall, Transportation Research Board