Identifying Funding Needs for Maintenance and Preservation of Existing Transportation Assets and System Infrastructure Additions

Many entities struggle to (1) keep pace with existing demands placed on maintenance activities; (2) communicate the relationship of maintenance activities and extending the service life of specific assets; (3) understand the cost of additions to the transportation system; and (4) communicate the additional funding needed to maintain those transportation systems in a succinct manner to budget decision-makers. Few agencies are adequately funded for the maintenance activities needed to keep assets at lowest life cycle cost. Although pavements and bridges have asset management requirements, many other assets are in need of maintenance and preservation that is not adequately funded. Deferring the 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. Having templates and tools that are universally accepted in the industry to communicate these benefits and needs to budget decision-makers (especially elected officials) will be a benefit to not only the maintenance programs and preservation programs, but by extending the service life of each asset class. The objectives of this research are: (1) acknowledge and help define the relationship between maintenance activities and delaying the need for preservation work; (2) develop templates and examples to depict the cost of annual maintenance per asset element so agencies can demonstrate the increased cost to maintain the transportation system; and (3) develop a communication tool to be used for demonstrating the additional resources needed to maintain an asset in a state of good repair and maintain the lowest life cycle cost for each asset class.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5533
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $450000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 19-25

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  Office of Infrastructure
  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Nasri, Arefeh

• Start Date: 20231107
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Asset management; Financing; Life cycle costing; Maintenance management; Preservation
• Subject Areas: Finance; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01898356
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 19-25
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Nov 7 2023 11:54AM