BACKGROUND

Few agencies are adequately funded for the maintenance activities needed to keep the asset at lowest life cycle cost, particularly for ancillary assets. In addition to bridges and pavements, other assets need maintenance and preservation funding, but the needs of ancillary assets have not been investigated as thoroughly as bridges and pavements needs. Deferring appropriate preventative maintenance activities not only shortens the useful life of the asset and increases the life cycle cost, but also could lead to premature failure and potential safety and liability concerns. 

While many cost estimation tools exist, entities still struggle to (1) keep pace with the existing demands placed on maintenance activities, (2) illustrate the relationship of maintenance activities and extending the service life of specific assets, (3) understand and determine the cost of maintenance and preservation for additions to the transportation system, and (4) communicate in a succinct manner the additional funding needed to maintain various assets of the transportation systems to budget decision-makers. 

Establishing industry-wide tools will more comprehensively convey the benefits of investing in maintenance and preservation to budget decision-makers, including elected officials and senior management in agencies. These tools will not only enhance maintenance and preservation programs but also contribute to the prolonged service life of various asset classes. Research is needed to quantify and document additional funding requirements and provide information to effectively communicate these needs to decision-makers. The findings can inform the Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) and other state highway improvement plans, covering operation improvement, safety, freight, and more.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this research is to develop a practical tool to accurately estimate and justify funding requirements for asset maintenance and preservation. The tool is expected to be utilized and adapted by transportation agencies to incorporate existing and future asset classes and to facilitate communication of maintenance and preservation needs to technical and nontechnical audiences.

At a minimum the research shall:

1. Document current state of practice;

2. Define the relationship between maintenance activities and the impact of delayed maintenance; and

3. Develop a tool (e.g., a spreadsheet tool) to quantify the cost of annual maintenance per asset class to help agencies demonstrate the resources needed to maintain the transportation system in state of good repair and at its optimal life cycle cost. The tool shall arrive at the optimal life cycle cost by comparing different maintenance strategies and scenarios. 

Accomplishment of the project objective will require at least the following tasks.

TASKS

PHASE I—Planning 

Task 1. Conduct a comprehensive literature review on transportation asset management planning with emphasis on the funding needs estimation process and the cost of delayed/deferred maintenance for the existing and future asset classes. The review shall include published and unpublished documentation and research conducted through the NCHRP; the Federal Highway Administration; and other national, state, and local agencies.  

Task 2. Scan the current state of practice to identify policies, resources, and strategies used for asset management for maintenance activities throughout the lifecycle as well as within different asset classes. This task includes identification of best practices nationwide that involves existing asset classes and additions to the transportation system.

Task 3. Synthesize the results of the literature review and the current practice scan to identify knowledge gaps related to the research objective. The gaps should be addressed in the final product or the recommended future research.

Task 4. Propose a research plan, to be executed in Phase II, to achieve the research objective. At a minimum, the research plan shall include:  

1. Identifying pertinent assets and relevant data;
2. Defining the methodology that leads to the estimation tool;
3. Developing the prototype of the tool that will include:

• • Variability and scalability to meet agencies needs and inform data driven decision-making;

  • A balanced resource allocation for various asset classes based on financial constraints and system-level risks;

  • Scenario planning to evaluate and compare various maintenance strategies; and

  • A visualized summary/report.  

4. Developing the user guide for the tool;
5. Developing a pilot test to be conducted by selected state departments of transportation;
6. Revising/updating the tool based on the results of the pilot testing; and
7. Preparing the preliminary outline of the final report. 

Task 5. Prepare Interim Report No. 1 that documents Tasks 1 through 4 and provides an updated work plan for the remainder of the research no later than 6 months after the contract award. The updated plan must describe the process and rationale for the work proposed for Phases II and III.

PHASE II—Execution

Task 6. Execute the research plan according to the approved Interim Report No 1.

Task 7.  Prepare Interim Report No. 2 that documents Task 6 and provides an updated work plan for the remainder of the research. The updated work plan must describe the process and rationale for the work proposed for Phase III.

PHASE III—Final Products

Task 8.  Revise the tool and its user guide after consideration of the panel’s review comments.

Task 9. Conduct a virtual workshop/webinar to present the findings of the project to state and/or other jurisdictional practitioners, which could include asset management, maintenance, and planning staff. 

Task 10. Submit the draft final deliverables including (1) a final report that documents the entire research effort, (2) the tool, (3) the user guide, (4) a PowerPoint presentation of the research findings, and (5) a stand-alone technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products”.

STATUS: Proposals have been received in response to the RFP. The project panel will meet to select a contractor to perform the work.