Document Library

The objectives of this study were to gather information on asset management practices in the United States and overseas, develop a framework for transportation asset management, and apply this framework to produce the "Transportation Asset Management Guide." Phase I of the study encompassed information gathering, framework development, and recommendation of a research program. The products of Phase I have been issued in three separate volumes. This report constitutes the first volume, providing a synthesis of current information and practices in asset management.

Federal spending on Interstate highways has contributed to changes in residential and business land-use patterns. In 1991, GAO raised concerns about the condition of Interstate highways and rising levels of congestion. The original purposes for the Interstate system were to provide for efficient long-distance travel, support defense, and connect metropolitan and industrial areas. Today, the most important role that the Interstates perform, other than supporting safe travel, is moving freight traffic across their states. The federal government provides funding for, and oversight of, the Interstate system while the states do most of the maintaining and planning for the future of the system. Combined federal and state spending on the Interstate System increased from $13.0 billion in 1992 to 16.2 billion in 2000. States are required to pay ten percent of the cost of an Interstate project; however, GAO found that the average nonfederal share of urban Interstate projects was 15 percent and 11 percent for rural projects. Interstate highways are in better physical condition and are safer than other classes of roads, although they are generally more congested. The states expect that increased traffic, the aging of the infrastructure, and funding constraints will affect their ability to maintain physical and safety conditions of the Interstate Systems and to alleviate congestion, but the costs to address the factors pressuring their Interstates were difficult to determine.

This fact sheet advertises the Pavement Preservation Toolbox, which includes resources for transportation agencies looking to develop a pavement preservation program. The toolbox materials explain the preventive maintenance concept, selection of roads for preservation projects, and further information on state of the practice in pavement preservation.

Information on the development of a series of problem statements produced in a pavement preservation workshop. The workshop was designed to gather practitioners from various maintenance disciplines to discuss research needs in the area of pavement maintenance.

The first installment in the pavement preservation checklist series, focusing on the procedure for crack seal application.

In most Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Member countries, the road network constitutes one of the largest community assets and is predominately government-owned. Road administrations must maintain, operate, improve, replace and preserve this asset while, at the same time, carefully managing the scarce financial and human resources needed to achieve these objectives. All of this is accomplished under the close scrutiny of the public who pay for and are regular users of the road network, and who increasingly demand improved levels of service in terms of safety, reliability, environmental impact and comfort. Asset management as applied to the roads sector represents a "systematic process of maintaining, upgrading and operating assets, combining engineering principles with sound business practice and economic rationale, and providing tools to facilitate a more organized and flexible approach to making the decisions necessary to achieve the public's expectations". Governments are placing greater pressures on road administrations to improve the efficiency of, and accountability for, the management of the road network. Indeed, in many countries, local highway authorities face formal accountability and reporting requirements on how they manage their assets. Asset management systems offer the prospect of significantly improving road network management outcomes. This report is a review of asset management systems as applied to the roads sector and an analysis of the responses to a survey conducted among those countries represented on an OECD Working Group on Asset Management Systems.

This report reviews the applications of an asset management framework in the context of a road agency. The report offers information for agencies looking to gain an understanding of asset management, improve system performance, and make cost-effective decisions.

A short presentation that provides some introductory information about transportation asset management.

Brochure: summarizes the AASHTO Asset Management Strategic Plan. Outlining mission, vision and goals for the next decade, the document was developed by the Transportation Asset Management Task Force in 2000.

Asset Management Implementation Plan for the Colorado DOT Research Branch.

A resource which outlines the concept behind pavement preservation, and calls upon members of the transportation community to "spread the word" in the hopes of expanding funding for pavement preservation.

This compendium serves as a tool for interested members of the highway community and the general public, providing information on pavement preservation articles and research.