Successful implementation of a Road Assets Management tool for the roads of Madrid Region

MIGUEL NÚÑEZ, Consejería de Transportes e Infraestructuras de la Comunidad de Madrid, Spain

Introduction

Reliable data and sound analyses are necessary to manage a road network in a cost-effective manner. Nowadays, appropriate systems and equipment are available for gathering data and analysis. Based on sound analyses, properly financed road improvement plans can be estimated. It is possible to outline different improvement scenarios on the basis of given priorities, e.g. reduction of fatal accidents, and financial constraints. The process should blend managerial and technical perspectives, as is shown with an empirical illustration from the road network of the Madrid Region in Spain.

Objectives

For a civil engineer the key motivation, in regards to his expertise, is undoubtedly to put it at the service of companies and public organisations, but the main goal is ultimately the service provided to the citizen. This would, no doubt, be envisioned in the case of road network maintenance. Clearly, our work must be done with care and perseverance in order to achieve the best possible results.

Benefits

What it is set out below reveals the integrated vision that the Department of Communications and Transport of the Region of Madrid has followed in developing different type of contracts in order to obtain the best results, both technically and economically.

So, the real case of the Madrid Region will be described to exemplify how the technical and economic/administrative perspectives can be arranged in order to achieve the best viable result in view of the specific challenge that is road assets management. There has been a significant reduction in the budget for new infrastructures in recent years, with investments allocated to the conservation of the existing ones. We have a highly developed infrastructure network thanks to the heavy investments in previous years.

The new construction activities focus on obtaining improvements in road safety, through remodelling of intersections, construction of roundabouts, elimination of sections of accident black spots, improvements of links, improvements of routes, construction of bus stops, improvements in pedestrian crossings, etc.

solution

The road network of the country of Spain and the Region of Madrid is divided as follows:

Table 1.1.4.1: Description of Spain and Madrid networks

 

The Roads Maintenance Strategy in Madrid region has allocated more than 160 million euros during the 2018-2021 period, divided into five main items:

 

Pavement improvements

With regard to improving the pavements, two contracts are being implemented. One entails the visual inspection of the entire network and a second contract includes the survey of the pavements using high-performance equipment.

The entire road network of Madrid region managed by the Department is classified into:

• Main network: 662 km (25%);
• Secondary network: 634 km (25%);
• Local network: 1,227 km (50%).

By means of the first contract, the visual inspection of the entire network, metre by metre, is being carried out and its level of cracking defined in terms of:

• Transverse cracking;
• Longitudinal cracking;
• Block cracking;
• Alligator cracking;
• Rutting;
• Potholes;
• Loss of material.

The surface state of the network is classified by analysing these aspects, taking five cracking levels into consideration. Thus, the Madrid Region's network has been classified as follows:

• Deterioration level 5: 9%;
• Deterioration level 4: 18%;
• Deterioration level 3: 28%;
• Deterioration level 2: 34%;
• Deterioration level 1: 11%.

These are:

• Deflections less than a maximum that is related to the category of heavy traffic that the road bears:

Table 1.1.4.2: Limit values for deflection based on the category of heavy traffic (in mm/100)

 

• Friction (CTF) greater than 40.

The information obtained in the condition survey contract, as well as the information resulting from the visual inspection contract being carried out parallel to the condition survey contract, will be recorded in the management system used by the Department since 2006 for managing the information on its road network.  This system, called ICARO, is an effective and easy-to-use tool that allows both the technicians and Department managers to efficiently manage the available resources, with the main objective of carrying out preventive conservation of the Madrid Region’s road network.

To achieve this objective, it is absolutely necessary that the information to be analysed is accurate.  For this reason, before loading the survey data into the management system, the company RAUROS is carrying out the coherence analysis described previously.  This way, by disallowing the invalid survey data, the information ultimately used by the Department's technicians and managers to take decisions is completely reliable.

 

These activities are:

• Micro agglomerate;
• Mill and inlay;
• Overlay;
• Crack sealing;
• Recycling with emulsion;
• Repair of depressions;
• Repainting of road markings.

Thus, the work carried out or planned to be carried out in the 2018 to 2020 period is reflected in Figure 1.1.4.3.

This work is awarded by tender in contracts for the rehabilitation services contracts by batches, awarding a maximum of two batches to the same rehabilitation company.

These batches correspond to the eight zones into which the Region of Madrid is divided in terms of road maintenance. Table 1.1.4.3 describes the length at which action must be taken and the budget allocated for each of the batches.

Table 1.1.4.3: Pavement improvement contracts

 

 

Structures maintenance

With regard to the maintenance of the structures, the department is currently implementing the “Contract for the inspection and oversight of bridges and structures in the Madrid Region road network (2016 - 2019)".

The department is currently responsible for maintaining 1,122 structures spread throughout the region.

This analyses the trends of different indices that indicate their condition:

• Structural index: I_E
  • Deterioration that reduces the robust performance of a structure;
• Containment index: ICSC
  • The configuration of the containment system;
  • The condition or level of damage or deterioration presented by these systems;
  • The containment deficit presented by the system;
• Road safety index: I_SV
  • Deterioration affecting the functionality of a structure;
  • Problems in circulation: joints, potholes, etc.
  • Risk of accident caused by falling fragments;
  • …
• Durability index: I_D
  • Deterioration affecting the durability of a structure;
• Minor deterioration index: I_M

Thus, priority has been given to the necessary actions by dividing them into three contract award batches: North, East and West (dark blue, pink and light blue in Figure 1.1.4.6).

The investment planned to be made in the 2018-2021 conservation period is shown in Table 1.1.4.4.

Table 1.1.4.4: Budget for bridge maintenance

 

Operation and maintenance

With regard to operation and maintenance, management thereof has also been divided into nine batches, seven of them awarded to different contractors (a maximum of two batches per contractor), and the remaining two managed with Region of Madrid resources, as indicated in Table 1.1.4.5 and Figure 1.1.4.7.

Table 1.1.4.5: Operation and maintenance costs

 

 

Payment of these contracts is based on service contracts for the operation and maintenance of the roads under their responsibility based on three types of activities:

• Group I: Activities and operations regulated by service indicators (KPI's);
• Group II. Planned operations paid for by measurements of project units;
• Group III. Extraordinary operations arising from emergency or urgent situations.

Street lighting and traffic lights

The maintenance of these aspects of the network is done in two separate maintenance contracts during three years.

Table 1.1.4.6: Lighting and traffic light installation maintenance contracts

 

Margins and landscapes

To carry out the maintenance of margins, crossings and islands, there is a contract that includes:

• Refurbishment and conservation of margins, roundabouts, crossings, rest areas and areas adjacent to the road;
• Treatment of embankments;
• Conservation of the Tajuña Greenway and of the 61.2-kilometre Carabaña-Estremer route;
• Mechanical clearing of margins and cleaning litter in the own resources areas;
• Tree pruning.

Shadow tolls

In addition to the contracts mentioned above, there are five shadow tolls for roads which are subsidised for road users. This subsidy is returned to the concession-holder.

 

The payment to the concession-holder is done with an annual subsidy corresponding to the traffic during the yearly period that has just ended, multiplied by the rate for the yearly period updated with the IPC. The amount is calculated each yearly period and the monthly subsidy to the concession-holder is one-twelfth thereof. Payment to the concession-holder has an annual limit that cannot be exceeded, regardless of the increase in vehicles travelling on the road. This is the risk of the concession.

Table 1.1.4.7: Details on the concessions currently being implemented in the Madrid Region

 

Conclusions

As described, the maintenance and conservation model of the Madrid Region's road network is a model based on the different needs of the assets and the different possibilities for maintenance and conservation, and selects the most appropriate, both technically and economically.

The Department of Transport and Infrastructure works constantly to achieve the highest quality standards in its road network and thereby provide users with the tools to attain a level of development in the area.

LEARNINGS FROM IMPLEMENTATION OF ROAD ASSET MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN ASSAM, INDIA

RAJESH KEMPRAI, Commissioner and Special Secretary to Government of Assam, Public Works Roads Department, India
DIGANTA GOSWAMI, Assistant Executive Engineer, Public Works Roads Department, Government of Assam, India

Introduction

Public Works Roads Department (PWRD) is the agency responsible for managing the secondary, urban and rural road network in Assam. To boost infrastructure development, it had initiated several projects in the state and Assam State Roads Project (ASRP) being one of them. The State Government of Assam (GoA) through the Government of India (GOI) has received a loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) for implementation of Assam State Roads Project. Development and implementation of a computerized road asset management system (RAMS) for the maintenance and management of the state road network is one of the key mandates of ASRP. Consequently, such a system was developed and implemented during 2015-18 to meet the needs of PWRD and is called Assam Road Asset Management System (ARAMS). The ARAMS application is envisioned to assist the PWRD to rationalize and aid the decision-making for planning / programming of road maintenance and rehabilitation activities and to estimate the long-term funding requirement for preserving the road assets at an acceptable service level, thereby safeguarding their asset value. It is intended to reflect the state-of-the-art technology and best international practices, in a way that suits the local needs and conditions. To achieve this, PWRD retained LEA Associates South Asia Pvt. Ltd. (LASA), India in joint venture with LEA International Limited (LEA), Canada in association with Geo Info Space Private Limited (GIPL), India. This report offers insights to the project tasks and major findings / learnings for PWRD from the Project.

Objectives

The principal objective of the project was to establish and implement a road asset management system (RAMS) for PWRD. The project envisaged following tasks under its scope of work:

• Develop a web-GIS based software applications incorporating layers of engineering and economic criteria, database of road network and structures inventory, condition, and traffic data; tools to input, store and analyse the data based on agreed system and functional requirements of the department’s user;
• Prepare a Data Collection Manual and collect road, bridge and traffic data from the field on SH (State Highways) and MDR (Major District Roads) for nearly 7500 km using established methods and modern data acquisition equipment. Data collection of another 36,500 km of rural road network and updating the data to the same database was further added as variation to this project;
• Process field data and upload in ARAMS database to diagnose the pavement performance;
• Develop asset management policies, strategies and implementation plan for PWRD to effectively manage their assets;
• Set-up and implement the system in the data centre of PWRD, and impart training on data collection and system use to PWRD staff for sustainability;
• Develop multi-year rolling plans for capital works including road improvement, rehabilitation and pavement strengthening, road safety improvements, bridge replacements and repairs, and various improvement works (spot improvements) to bring the roads to the desired level of service;
• Develop annual maintenance plans for periodic, routine, special, and emergency repairs;
• Optimize funding to maintain the network in a defined level of service;
• Prioritize sections for a fixed budget and / or allocate funds from various funding sources to the road sections prioritized using customized rational criteria;
• Prepare network level reports on asset value, road condition, road capacity, safety ratings, safety hazards, traffic levels, historical trends etc.

Benefits

The major benefits expected from the project to PWRD are manifold. A few of them are listed below:

• Provide improved internal and external communication regarding asset information for more effective management within and outside the department;
• Improved data quality, consistency, and credibility because of adoption of standardized data collection, analytical, evaluation methods;
• Help PWRD to choose cost-effective, optimal, sound design, maintenance and rehabilitation policies, by comparing alternative maintenance/rehabilitation strategies;
• Evaluate and prioritize widening, rehabilitation, and maintenance works based on engineering, traffic, economic and social parameters;
• Review asset conditions as an outcome of resources/budgets committed/spent in the past few years for performance monitoring;
• Predict asset conditions for different funding/maintenance scenarios; 
• Review impact of funding levels, or forced decisions on the overall health of the asset to decide desirable funding;
• It can be used as a rational basis for allocating funds for maximum public benefits/returns.

SOLUtion

Assam is the largest state among the North Eastern states of India and acts as gateway for the entire North Eastern (NE) states i.e. Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and West Bengal and two countries viz. Bangladesh and Bhutan. Its fiscal and economic situation has been improving since last decade, efforts of the government has helped the state to accelerate its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).

Its geographical location demands huge thrust on the development of road infrastructure in the region for enhancing the region’s economy. As road infrastructure assets are the key factors of economic development, mobility and social equity for any region or nation. They are not only costly to build but also expensive to maintain in order to adequately meet the public expectations. The key issue is how to manage existing assets in an optimum way and deliver maximum benefit to public, taking into account limited financial resources. The solution is Road Asset Management System (RAMS) which offers a comprehensive and structured approach to deliver benefits to the community benefits through management of road network. It is defined as a systematic process of maintaining, upgrading, and operating road assets cost-effectively. PWRD, under the assistance of the World Bank has developed a web based Road Asset Management System (ARAMS). It is a comprehensive system developed for the road network under PWRD jurisdiction mapped on a GIS platform. It is intended to improve the technical capacities, skills and management capabilities of the PWRD and other road agencies associated with road management and maintenance, thus improving the ability of the Government of Assam (GoA) and its subordinate agencies to manage efficiently and cost-effectively road maintenance and improvement activities.

Road Network

The capital Assets of road agencies in Assam comprised of the road network and assets created thereon such as pavements, bridges, culverts etc. The current road assets in the state are represented in the table. While the National Highways (3,197 km) is managed by a number of agencies (NHAI, PWD-NH & Buildings, BRO, Railways), the Public Works Road Department (PWRD) in Government of Assam manages secondary and tertiary state road network of 44,862 km. The secondary network is classified into State Highways, SH, 3,134 km; and Major District Roads, MDR, 4,413 km, Urban Road 1,409 km and Rural Roads, 36,544 km. The length of rural roads is expected to be around 47,000 km as per RAMS consultant’s estimate, thereby making the total road network under PWRD to about 56,400 km to be managed by the RAMS. About 604 km of SH and 34 km of MDR are taken-up as NH post 2012-13, thereby making total NH as  3835 km.

This case study mainly focuses on the secondary road network i.e. SH and MDR under PWRD which comprises of about 15% of the entire road network of Assam. Of the 7500km of SH and MDR network, about 87% paved road network comprise of bituminous, cement concrete and paver blocks and the remaining 13% is unpaved which also included about 6% (411 km) inaccessible network due to dense forest cover, breached river sections, etc. as represented in the table below:

Table 1.1.4.8: Road network included in case study

About 84% of road network has carriageway width less than 7m i.e. either single or intermediate lane. Only 10% of the road network is of double lane standard and the remaining 6% is inaccessible as represented below:

Table 1.1.4.9: Road width included in case study

There are 1835 bridges and 10798 culverts on SH & MDRs in Assam which also include 101 wooden, 22 semi-permanent steel bridges and 96 bridges are under construction as represented in the table below:

Table 1.1.4.10: Bridges included in case study

Data Collection

Data collection constitutes the most time consuming and resource requiring component for asset management system. It is also subject to budgetary scrutiny and at risk due to financial constraints. In the context of Assam, the data collected was most appropriate to the objectives, resources and modus operandi of the department, and meets the criteria of relevance, reliability, affordability, appropriateness and accessibility. Most of the data was collected through automated means using electronic and mechanical equipment. The consultant procured ARRB’s Hawkeye to collect center-line alignment, inventory, geometry, roughness and condition of the pavement travelling at highway speeds. The data collection methodology implemented for Assam road network is represented below:

Table 1.1.4.11: Data collection methodology

Road Network Condition (Findings)

Due to years of inadequate investment towards robust design on capital asset creation and lack of maintenance thereon has the road network in poor condition. Road maintenance is a lower priority as compared to new construction. The advent of flagship schemes such as NHDP (National Highway Development Program), PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yajona – Rural Roads Program), etc. by the Government of India (GoI) has led to negligence towards maintenance of SH and MDR network. Some of the key observations from the surveys carried out by the RAMS consultant are as follows:

• Nearly 80% of roads have narrow road width i.e. less than 7m and 13% of the road network is still unpaved or kuccha roads, of which around 6% i.e. 411 km are inaccessible;
• The standard pavement thickness is very less i.e. about 10 inches or 290mm, which is barely adequate to hold the heavy traffic;
• Most of the roads are carrying heavy axle-loads with no regulations, thereby damaging the pavement life at a faster rate. In high commercial traffic roads, a high vehicle damage factor (VDF) of 11.16 is observed which is very uncommon;
• Poor quality mixes such as Semi-Dense Bituminous Macadam (SDBC) or Premix carpet (PC) are used as surface coat which are porous in nature. Due to high precipitation and heavy axle-loads, these surfaces barely last for only two years only. Poor drainage facility adds up to the current misery;
• More than 90% of the roads do not have any drainage and more than 60% of the road length has built-up sections where permanent drains are necessary;
• Assam being flood prone, most of the road sections are overtopped, thereby leading to early removal of low graded top coat or wearing course;
• Only 17% of the road network are smooth or of good riding quality (IRI < 4m/km) and about 35% of roads are failed or in non-motorable state;
• More than 90% of the roads have very less (< 2 year) remaining life and are not maintainable at any cost. They have to be reconstructed only;
• Nearly 123 bridges are semi-permanent which has to be constructed and about 57 bridges are in either poor or very poor condition which needs immediate attention.

ARAMS Application

ARAMS is a web-based GIS application developed to add, edit, update, view, analyze, monitor and delete the data on roads and bridges under PWRD. It is integrated with PWRD’s online e-portal and hosted in the department’s server located in the Office of the Chief Engineer, PWD (Roads), Chandmari, Guwahati. It primarily consists of 7 core modules:

• Network Manager (NM), embedded with ESRI’s ArcGIS, creates road network comprising of details of road such as road name, jurisdiction, category, road length, direction, etc.
• Road Information System (RIS), stores information about inventory, composition, roughness, pavement condition, structural strength, history of works carried out, etc. of PWRD roads;
• Bridge Information System (BIS), stores information about inventory and condition of the bridges along with high resolution digital images for viewing  and store overall rating of bridges with costs;
• Traffic Information System (TIS), stores 7 day 24-hour traffic volume count data for 200 locations collected in three years including storage of seasonal correction factors, PCU (Passenger Car Unit), VDF (Vehicle Damage Factor), etc. It facilitates user to assign traffic over road network using GIS map interface and also calculates msa (million standard axles) for the pavements;
• Right-of-Way Feature Information System (RWFIS), stores location and offset distance of the -of-way features and represents on a strip map;
• Road Safety Information System (RSIS), stores accident information and calculates accident spots based on the rules configured within RAMS. It also stores information about potential hazardous locations along with remedial measures;
• HDM-4 based Pavement Management System (PMS), allows user to define homogenous sections, generate input files for import to HDM-IV for Programme / Strategy analysis and stores results obtained from HDM-IV for reporting;
• Annual Maintenance Tool (AMT), which uses simplified matrix to determine annual maintenance plan for PWRD. It can be configured based on user-requirements.

In addition to the above, two (2) modules; Web-GIS and Reports were developed to assist PWRD in viewing the information on a GIS map platform and retrieve pre-defined standard reports for administrative use. A schematic representation of the ARAMS system architecture is given below:

The application suite is developed using Oracle 11g R2 Enterprise Edition and ArcGIS Server 10.4. The client side script uses HTML and JavaScript, and server side script as Java technology. It supports a cross browser, cross platform technology, and runs on all popular web browsers including Microsoft Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome. The system and functional requirements of ARAMS was established after carrying out a detailed needs analysis study and reviewing the software licenses, hardware and networking options available with PWRD for hosting.  Some of the interfaces with key features are represented below:

Network Management Strategy

The vast road network with a current asset value of only INR 12,260 crore (USD 1751 million) will further lose its value with time if it is not sufficiently maintained and improved to tackle the distress and traffic demand. Treatments for maintenance and improvements should be suggested for building durable or long-life pavements. To maintain the roads at the desired level of service, adequate and timely provision of budget is also a requisite and should be planned and estimated in advance. A robust network management strategy considering the remaining life of the pavements with emphasis laid on long-lasting pavement (40 year design), use of superior mixes, adequate provision of drainage and raise in embankments to mitigate submergence was developed as listed below:

• Reconstruction (with or without widening) of weak/failed pavements with less remaining life (< 2 year) must be taken up on priority with a long-lasting approach:
  • Base and sub-base should be designed for 40 years;
  • Bituminous course should be designed for 20 years;
• Intermediate lane sections to be reconstructed for 2 lane facility in anticipation of heavy traffic;
• Maintenance to be undertaken on pavements having more than 10 year life for greater value of money and long-time serviceability. Interim rehabilitation to be done on poor condition roads to make it rideable for couple of years;
• Owing to high precipitation in Assam and observed Vehicle Damage Factor (VDF), minimum 30 Asphaltic Concrete with Polymer Modified Bitumen (PMB) should be preferred over thin 20 mm Premix Carpeting or 25 mm Semi Dense Bituminous Concrete;
• Structurally damaged bridges to be rehabilitated / reconstructed immediately;
• Selection of maintenance, rehabilitation strategies based on rationalized criteria:
  • Pavement Condition Index (PCI) / Roughness (IRI);
  • Traffic Loading.

 

Outcomes

Using the proposed network management strategy and ARAMS application tools, a three-year ‘Action’, a seven-year ‘Strategy’ and a fifteen-year ‘Vision’ plan up to the fiscal year 2031-32 were recommended to rehabilitate the road network and maintain in the desired level of service complying with the planning guidelines of NITI Aayog. The future treatments and costs were based on the current and the anticipated condition of pavements and the expected traffic up to 2031-32. The total requirement for re-construction of SH & MDR by 2031-32 was estimated to INR 41,915 crore (USD 5988 million) and about INR 30,000 crore (USD 4,286 million) in the next 7 years to bring the road network at an acceptable level of service as represented in the graph.

A detailed report on ‘Memorandum to Government of India 15th Finance Commission on Requirement of Funds with Explanatory Notes for Maintenance of Road and Bridge Capital Assets’ was submitted to Finance Commission for their consideration.

As a part of implementation strategy, the state government has also announced the ‘Assam-Mala’ programme. The objectives of this program is to improve the SH & MDR network in the next 15 years for fueling economic growth and bringing the state road infrastructure at par with comparable economies of Southeast Asian countries; to provide quality inter-linkage roads between the National Highways and the rural roads network as well as facilitate seamless multi-modal transportation; and to interconnect economic growth centers with quality transportation corridors and improve inter-state connectivity. The program is expected to have a number of projects under its umbrella. As a major initiative, Government of Assam (GoA) has earmarked INR 5,000 crore (USD 714 million) in the next 3 financial years for improving about 1000 km of road network. It is also planning to rope in additional resources through external funding agencies such as Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, World Bank, etc. for improvement of another 2000 km road network.

As an interim measure, GoA had also allotted a sum of INR 300 crore (USD 43 million) for maintenance of SH & MDR and PWRD allotted these funds for providing surface renewals / overlay. RAMS application was extensively used to identify the road sections and estimate the maintenance costs for each road sections. The pavement composition, pavement distresses, roughness and deflection, traffic (AADT & CVD), etc. collected on SH & MDR road network in 2017-18 year were reviewed to finalize the road sections.

Conclusion

PWRD has come a long-way in developing a GIS based Road Asset Management System using state-of-the-art equipment for data collection, latest technologies for system development, feel-good user interfaces, and best hardware and network for seamless connectivity and hosting services. Any system developed, if not sustained, will fail one day. To evade such scenario, PWRD has taken up following initiatives towards RAMS sustainability which will be a benchmark / point of reference for other road agencies:

• Outsourced data collection and support for preparation of asset management plans for 3 years under Assam-Mala Programme;
• Set-up a Road Asset Management Cell (RAMC) with dedicated staffing and well-defined mandate to give necessary thrust to the road network planning and budgeting;
• Ownership from the department’s top officials and decision makers and use of ARAMS outputs for identifying various road network improvement programme;
• Training and refresher courses planned in association with Assam Road Research & Training Institute (ARR&TI) to make PWRD engineers thoroughly competent in ARAMS.

References

AASHTO, AASHTO Guide for Design of Pavement Structures 1993 American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., 1993
Asphalt Institute, Asphalt Overlays for Highway and Street Rehabilitation, MS-17, Asphalt Institute, Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A.,
Asphalt Institute, Thickness Design Asphalt Pavements for Highways and Streets, MS-1, Asphalt Institute, Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.A., 1991
Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics 2014, FHWA, Washington, D.C., U.S.A., Dec. 2015
Indian Roads Congress, Guidelines for the Design of Flexible Pavements for Low Volume Rural Roads (First Revision), IRC:72-2015, Indian Roads Congress, New Delhi, India, 2015
Indian Road Congress, Tentative Guidelines for the Design of Flexible Pavements, IRC:37-2017, Indian Roads congress, New Delhi, India, 2012

Asset management gap analysis and self-assessment effort of the US Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)

The FHWA is assisting state departments of transportation (DOTs) in conducting and reviewing the results of an organizational gap analysis, which includes a self-assessment. The self-assessment considers, at a minimum, the adequacy of organizational strategic goals and policies with respect to asset management, whether asset management is taken into account in the agency’s planning and programming of resources, as well as whether the agency is implementing adequate data collection and analysis policies, undertaking whole-life lifecycle cost analysis and undertaking programmatic risk assessments to support an effective asset management program.

Based on the results of the self-assessment, a gap analysis is undertaken to determine which areas of the agency’s asset management process require improvement. The self-assessment questions are available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/asset/gap/selfassessment.pdf

The FHWA works with state DOTs in undertaking the asset management gap analysis, which includes the following:

• Review of asset management materials
• Undertake and analyze the results of the asset management self-assessment
• Interview key personnel from various offices
• Conduct in-person, real-time asset management self-assessment (clarify and discuss responses in a group setting)
• Interview state DOT senior agency leaders
• Develop draft implementation plan
• Coordinate workshop with DOT to review the draft improvement plan
• Final implementation plan

Self-assessment using the IAM Toolkit

The Highways Agency in the UK (now named Highways England) made it a contract requirement for its asset support contracts for the contractor to undertake a competency assessment against the requirements of PAS 55 (a Publicly Available Specification published by the British Standards Institution (BSI)) in order to assess asset management capability. In the first year, the contractor is required to achieve maturity level 1 and after two years maturity level 2. The approach uses the Institute of Asset Management (IAM) self-assessment methodology and toolkit.

The level 2 assessment takes the following form:

• A gap assessment of the current competencies through interviews with key staff and a review of relevant documentation
• A report with recommended actions against each of the requirements in PAS 55 using the IAM assessment tool
• A final review of the actions undertaken through furthered structured interviews and a final report assessing the maturity level
• The outcomes of this approach will be a set of asset management competencies and an action plan to achieve level 3 maturity.

1.2.2.1 Leadership and culture

Leadership has a strong influence on the culture and behavior of all organizations. Clear direction and priorities will ensure that both significant and apparently minor decisions made across the organization support a consistent approach to achieve the business objectives. Such decisions include appropriate investment decisions to reflect the asset management strategy (UKRLG and HMEP 2013).

Below is a list of some of relevant aspects of leadership and organizational culture as applied to asset management:

• Senior management must demonstrate leadership by creating a culture and environment reflecting an agency-wide commitment to asset management.
• Strong leadership should run throughout the organization to influence the many functions of road infrastructure management, and link them all so that they support the wider asset management approach.
• An asset management culture promotes a coordinated approach across the organization to the long-term management of the network by aligning the activities of individuals and teams to common objectives rather than to individual priorities.
• An asset management culture should avoid conflicting priorities and messages, lack of understanding, or lack of a collaborative approach.
• Achieving good leadership requires a certain amount of knowledge on the part of leaders. The key issues and benefits of asset management should be articulated by the asset management staff in ways that are non-technical and meaningful.

 

1.2.2.2 Self-assessment

The self-assessment’s aim is to benchmark the current asset management practices of the organization and identify specific opportunities for improvement (Cambridge Systematics et al. 2002). The main objectives of self-assessment include the following:

• Develop a consensus among managers within the organization about the status of asset management.
• Assist the organization in identifying asset management strengths, weaknesses, constraints, and opportunities for improvement.
• Develop priorities and recognize critical areas that need immediate attention.
• Provide a foundation for implementing the organization’s improvement strategy for asset management.

One of the most important steps in implementing asset management is to identify the organizational policies and goals to be achieved, which will define the agency’s most important priorities. Asset management is a customer-focused, goal-driven management and decision-making process. Organizational goals, policies, and budgets establish a consistent evaluative philosophy. Goals and performance measures are the levers that drive the decision framework, establishing investment scenarios that reflect levels of service and making resource commitments consistent with the perceived needs of stakeholders. Analysis procedures regarding alternative options are used within this framework (FHWA 2012).

 

1.2.2.3 Asset management champions

It seems to be universal that, at least in the early stages of implementing an asset management framework, there will be a need for a champion, who can be anyone with sufficient interest and influence to promote organizational changes. A champion may be designated by someone in top-level management or he may simply emerge from among the members of the involved groups. In any case, a champion is one who does not rest until the mission is accomplished. Candidate champions include the following:

• The leader of the organization
• Functional or geographic managers
• First-line supervisors
• Key technical or policy-level staff

The champion for implementing an asset management framework will face the challenge of prevailing in any deliberations and debates about why such a differentiated approach is needed at all.

Arguments about the unique significance of the road system, the benefits (and complexity) of a risk-based approach, the need for mitigation strategies and contingency plans, and the interests of stakeholders are likely to be relevant to the champion (Cambridge Systematics et al. 2009).

1.2.2.4 Asset management roles

In designing the most suitable organizational structure to support asset management, road organizations may choose either a centralized or a decentralized approach. While the former facilitates consistency of processes and work methods, it also entails the risk of making asset management appear remote for the areas responsible of service delivery, which may not fully understand the policies defined centrally. On the other hand, in some circumstances a decentralized structure may result in a fragmented asset management approach and culture.

Regardless of the organization type chosen, the roles and relationships driving asset management should clearly establish the strategic, tactical, and operational levels within an organization, as shown in Table 1.2.2.4 (UKRLG and HMEP 2013).

The asset management functions included in Error: Reference source not found are discussed throughout this manual.

Key roles for developing and delivering asset management include the following (UKRLG and HMEP 2013):

• Senior decision makers support and endorse the asset management policy, strategy, and performance requirements. Their leadership and financial commitment is crucial in building the organizational culture and structure to make asset management successful. In addition, senior decision makers should undertake a periodic review of the approach adopted for asset management.
• Asset managers and practitioners are responsible for developing and delivering the approach to asset management that has been agreed upon by senior decision makers and documented in the strategy and performance requirements. Collection and management of appropriate data and development of lifecycle plans, multi-year programs, and annual works programs will be required to support the approach and meet the asset management requirements.

The actual positions and relationships among these roles that should be defined within each organization largely depend on the results of the self-assessment exercise.

At the basic maturity level, asset management may rely on just one person or a small group with multi-disciplinary training and experience. As the organization moves to the proficient level, asset management will involve the coordinated effort of various workgroups and multiple individuals.

Defining new roles and managing the transition from a small group to a formal, mature asset management team is an important leadership task (FHWA Transportation Asset Management Expert Task Group & AASHTO 2013). It requires a consideration of individual, team, and organizational expectations as well as a vision for how the process will change as the formal asset management team is established and developed. Figure 1.2.2.4.1 shows an example of how a transitional asset management team might be composed.

As with any major project in a road organization, the re-engineering of the corporate structure needs a project manager or project leader, who will be devoting most of his/her time to the project. A feasible candidate to play this role might be the chief executive officer of the organization or a properly empowered senior manager. The most important skill of the project manager would probably be his/her ability to build teams. The attribute list for this person should also include motivation and persistence in overcoming the inevitable barriers that appear whenever an organizational change is attempted. The project manager may come from an engineering, economics, or planning background or, preferably, from a combination of more than one of these disciplines.

A steering committee of senior managers, overseeing the work of the asset management leader, is also essential to ensure that all parts of the asset management process function together as a unit. Sufficient resources are vital to the effective implementation of asset management, including adequate training for agency staff to ensure availability of the necessary skills and understanding to implement asset management successfully.

Clear role descriptions for those carrying out asset management tasks and requirements should then be developed. There is likely to be new competency requirements within the organization and training programs in asset management to support the proposed changes.

As stated earlier, there is no single way of defining roles for asset management. However, an organizational structure suitable to delivering asset management typically includes the roles depicted in Figure 1.2.2.4.2 (UKRLG and HMEP 2013).

1.2.2.5 Competency requirements

Senior management should identify the competencies necessary to meet the requirements for adopting asset management. Where these competencies are not available in the organization, training of staff may be required. Recruitment, mentoring, or collaboration with other authorities may also be considered (UKRLG and HMEP 2013).

If competencies or resources are not available, external support can be an effective way of addressing gaps, particularly when there is a need to build capability within the organization. It is important that ownership is retained within the agency and that asset management staff have enough knowledge to be smart purchasers.

Competencies may fall under a number of categories, including the following:

• Leadership and governance
• Communications and relationship management
• Strategic thinking and decision making
• Risk management
• Business management, finance, resources, tools, and information management
• Planning development and review
• Asset understanding
• Lifecycle management
• Technical skills, including choice of treatments and materials
• Procurement and contract management
• Delivery

 

NORTHEAST OHIO AREAWIDE COORDINATING AGENCY (NOACA), CLEVELAND, OHIO, USA

JASON J. BITTNER & DAVID K. HEIN, Applied Research Associates, Inc., USA & Canada

INTRODUCTION

In order to ensure that the condition of the roadway is adequate to maintain the usability, comfort, and safety of the travelling public, concession agreements usually include a set of conditions outlining the type and frequency of monitoring and the minimum acceptable levels of pavement performance. The ability to meet these criteria is an important part of the project and is outlined in the operations, maintenance, and rehabilitation plan.
The performance of pavements and their compliance to the project requirements can be measured in a variety of ways. Typical concession agreements focus on the components that most impact the safety and ride comfort level of pavement. The most common conditions identified in the concession agreements for highway projects include:

• International Roughness Index (IRI);
• Pavement Surface Distress;
• Rut Depth;
• Friction.

IRI has become the element of choice to reflect the ride comfort level of a pavement. IRI reflects the serviceability of the pavement, the ride comfort (Patterson), and even the amount of vehicle fuel consumption (Taylor). Typically, a maximum value of IRI is specified for a given section length (i.e. average IRI of 2.5 m/km for each 50 m length of a lane). In addition to a maximum IRI value, it is also becoming common for the concession agreements to also specify a given distribution of IRI values to ensure that the entire network is not maintained at only the minimum level of acceptability. A typical IRI profile cumulative distribution used in can be seen below (NBDOT).

Figure 1.3.5.1: IRI profile cumulative distribution

A highway concession may have thousands of 50 m sections. The percent of 50 m sections in each “bin” of IRI range from 0.5 to 2.5 m/km. For example, the figure shows that 50 percent of the sections must have an IRI of less than 1.25 m/km. The curve in the figure shows that about 60 percent of the sections have an IRI of less than 1.25 m/km which is compliant, but the curve moves into the red (non-compliant zone) for number of sections requiring an IRI of less than 0.9 m/km.

OBJECTIVES

A unique component of some of the concession agreements is the use of key performance indicator distributions such as those shown in figure above. These distributions add a new level of complexity to the prediction and budgeting of rehabilitation activities.
Typical PMS software applications allow for a large variety of goals during the forecasting analysis. However, they are not designed to meet the dynamic needs of the distribution analysis. This has proven to be one of the more difficult aspects of performing long term forecasting (ie. 5 years). The most optimal plan for a concessionaire is to plan rehabilitation activities such that in conjunction with the deterioration of non-rehabilitated sections just meets the distribution of IRI in the following year. Traditional pavement performance models for IRI would be developed through an age versus IRI graph. The following figure shows the age versus IRI graph for a typical highway conditions with more than 5,000 pavement management sections each 50 m in length.

 
Figure 1.3.5.2: Age vs. IRI

Clearly, it is not possible to fit a traditional performance curve thought this IRI data. Ideally, the overall roadway condition should be hovering just over the distribution line. In order to change the distribution, it is important to understand that improving the condition of an individual section will alter the shape of the distribution of all section with better performance. This means that many minor preventative maintenance activities on the network, although the most cost-effective treatment for the pavement, will not significantly change the distribution. By locating the poor performing sections on the distributions and simulating the results of the repair, an estimate of distribution can be created to assess any other areas of the curve that many need to be adjusted. For areas that affect the performance at around the 50 percent mark of the distribution, localized cost-effective rehabilitation and maintenance alternatives can be used to change the shape and ensure overall compliance.

CHALLENGE

The nature of the requirements for IRI, is such that pavement sections exhibiting an IRI of greater than 2.5 mm/m are scheduled for rehabilitation each year. The rehabilitation action taken may be very localized to address a bump or settlement and as long as the IRI for the 50 m section is reduced to below 2.5 m/km, the section is in compliance with the project requirements. Predicting when an individual section may exceed the 2.5 mm/m limit is very difficult as “rough” pavement sections may appear very quickly.

SOLUTION

In order to develop an indication of the impact of the pavement maintenance and rehabilitation program on the distribution of IRI as compared to the concession IRI requirements, an analysis of the rate of change of IRI was completed. The average rate of change of IRI of 1.6 percent through the past 5 years was selected to represent the typical reduction in smoothness for sections that were not improved by maintenance or rehabilitation action. This average reduction in IRI was then applied to the all of the measured IRI for all 50 m sections that were not improved to determine the expected IRI for each section. For sections that were improved, the IRI values were “reset” and assigned to bins as shown in the following table. The bins are necessary because the result of maintenance to improve IRI will not result in the same IRI for all sections.

Table 1.3.5.1: IRI distribution

The percent of “improved” sections in each bin represents the expected improvement due to the rehabilitation action taken for pavement sections that exceeded an IRI value of 2.5 mm/m, i.e. 25 percent of sections were improved from an IRI of greater than 2.5 mm/m to less than 0.8 mm/m of roughness. The number of “improved” sections in each bin were then added back to the “deteriorated” IRI dataset based on the average deterioration of 1.6 percent per year to determine the new IRI cumulative distribution curve. The curve for 2018 is shown below.
A similar exercise was then completed for the next 5 years of the concession based on the maintenance and rehabilitation activities planned in the current 5-year plan and average annual rate of deterioration expected.

CONCLUSION

The cumulative distribution performance modeling described above permits the concessionaire to actively determine the impact of the current 5-year maintenance and rehabilitation plan on the cumulative distribution of IRI and to optimize their annual investments.

REFERENCES

Paterson, W.D.O. International Roughness Index: Relationship to Other Measures of Roughness and Riding Quality. In Transportation Research Record 1084, National Research Councel, Washington, D.C., 1987.
Taylor, G.W., and J.D. Patton. Effects of Pavement Structure on Vehicle Fuel Consumption – Phase III Report CSTT-HVC-TR-068. National Research Council of Canada, 2006.
New Brunswick Department of Transportation (NBDOT). OMR – Asset Management Requirements Trans Canada Highway Project Attachment 61. Fredericton, New Brunswick, 1998.

ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY ANAS S.P.A ITALY

UGO DIBENNARDO, ANAS S.p.A, Italy.

INTRODUCTION

ANAS S.p.A., the main Italian road agency, manages more than 32.000 km of national roads, including hundreds of bridges and tunnels. With the pursuit to optimize technical and economical efforts and build a renovated planning strategy, a Pavement Management System (PMS) has been implemented “in-house”. It is part of a wider project aimed at the proposal of a Road Asset Management (RAM), which suggests a proper allocation of funds based on required maintenance needs. Specifically, the RAM is able to propose optimum technical and financial long-term strategies for planning maintenance activities of all the assets involved in a road network (e.g. pavements, bridges, tunnels).
In the last decade, many PMS have been developed worldwide. However, each system must deal with peculiarities of the involved road network and address specific issues related to local conditions. Consequently, ANAS has decided to develop its own software, a user-friendly system centered on a performance-based approach. Incorporating the control parameters imposed by Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport to monitor pavement conditions, ANAS PMS proposes simple decision-making tools for planning road maintenance, efficiently leading to identification and prioritization of sites needing repairs.

OBJECTIVES

The final objective of the proposed system is to create a simple supporting tool in the decision-making process to properly allocate funds and optimize technical activities. The system will assist technicians and road managers in building up an effective infrastructure network, which must guarantee safety and good service conditions for users, as well as sustainability/benefits in terms of financial resources and technical efforts for the road agency.

BENEFITS

Based on the outputs of the proposed system, ANAS sought to identify maintenance and rehabilitation priorities due over time, proposing cost and technical-effective repairing solutions able to comply with budget and performance requirements (i.e. minimizing maintenance activities in terms of frequency and costs and maximizing pavement performance). The system implementation and the consequent planning strategy will guarantee high quality standard infrastructures together with relevant money savings due to direct and indirect benefits for road users and road managers.

SOLUTION

Each year ANAS, through its experimental research center, monitors its road network to detect the main parameters for verifying pavement condition ((e.g. CAT, IRI, HS) asked by Italian Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport. This extensive monitoring campaign makes available a huge amount of data that can be exploited for the development of a reliable PMS without needing additional efforts in terms of equipment and/or complex features (i.e. no need of additional costs).
In this sense, the first step of the PMS construction process (still in progress) has been the development of an elaboration method that includes the above-mentioned pavement performance parameters regularly detected by ANAS for the determination of pavement rating. Specifically, a simple methodology was proposed to elaborate all the historical data recorded through in site investigation equipment and visual inspections. The analysis provides two main performance indicators, which describe functional and structural pavement conditions:

• Functional Index (IF): related to friction (i.e. skid resistance) and roughness data – parameter prescribed by Italian regulations to verify pavement conditions (i.e. IPAV, N). The Coefficient of Transversal Friction (CAT) and the International Roughness Index (IRI) quantify pavement skid resistance and pavement roughness, respectively;
• Structural Index (IS): related to pavement surface distress level. Road conditions are determined through visual inspections conducted by ANAS technical staff already responsible for supervising each road section. A specific distresses catalogue and a standardized elaboration procedure support road inspections.  

Based upon IF and IS rating combination (Figure 1.3.5.3), the current road pavement condition level is identified as summarized by the parameter IRD (Index of Distress Relevance).
Below, expressions and relationships between the above-described parameters are shown:

Table 1.3.5.2: CAT and IRI category

 
Figure 1.3.5.3: Pavement condition rating

With the aim of verifying the capability of the proposed road data elaboration method to provide a feasible and reliable picture of the actual maintenance need of the road network, a case study of its applicability is presented in the next paragraph.
Two 5 km sections of double carriageway roads with same traffic and structure category (i.e. road category B – subjected to heavy traffic – Figure 1.3.5.3) were analyzed in terms of IRD. The sections were selected taking into account maintenance needs previously identified based on the empirical experience of road agency technicians. One section was selected among those identified in “poor conditions” (i.e. requiring repairs – Figure 1.3.5.4). The other one, recently rebuilt, was chosen among those in “good conditions” which do not require priority in rehabilitation (Figure 1.3.5.5). For each section, CAT and IRI data were analyzed as previously described and visual inspections reports were elaborated to determine IF, IS and IRD as summarized below. For the first section, data recorded in two different periods were considered with the aim of verifying the ability of the system to identify the distress evolution over time.

 
Figure 1.3.5.4: Road Pavement Structure

Figure 1.3.5.5: a) RA 11 (2017); b) RA 08 (2015); c) RA 11 (2017)

Table 1.3.5.3: IRI and CAT data elaboration

Table 1.3.5.4: Pavement condition rating

Results shown in Table 1.3.5.3 and 1.3.5.4 validate the reliability of the performance-based elaboration method proposed by ANAS to identify pavement condition. IRD properly ranks roads based on the distress level: a better IRD rate characterizes the road section recently restored (RA 11). At the same time, the road section requiring maintenance (RA 08) shows ICAT and IIRI values that worsen over time with an overall reduction in the IRD rate, as expected due to the higher deterioration recorded with the most recent road inspection. Based on these findings, in order to restore acceptable pavement conditions, ANAS planned specific maintenance activities on the RA 08 road (conducted in 2017 and 2018).
Thus, with few efforts in terms of data acquisition and mathematical calculations, the IRD parameter is able to easily provide a comprehensive picture of the current pavement condition of the whole road network and demonstrates the sensibility to adjust according to distress evolution.
The next step for ANAS PMS development is the implementation of provisional evolution models based on climate and traffic conditions as well as time aging effects. By applying evolution laws to the IRD parameter, the IDF (Index of Future Deterioration) will be identified, so capturing in advanced maintenance needs and priorities of the road network and their evolution. In this sense, for the construction of reliable evolution laws, the wide historical database recorded over time by ANAS research center constitutes an irreplaceable resource. The combination of IDF information with visual inspection data, that provide useful hints about deterioration causes, assists technicians in the identification of the most feasible and effective technical solutions. To this regard, depending on distress type and extension as well as IFD values, a catalogue of standardized maintenance activities will support technical decisions. Finally, based on technical needs and budget availability, ANAS can plan a careful long-term action strategy, which allows significant cost savings and technical efficiency.

CONCLUSION

ANAS PMS demonstrates optimum capability in identifying gaps and priority maintenance needs, allowing for better allocation of resources as well as technical efficiency. With very limited efforts in terms of data finding and calculation, the proposed system can easily provide a reliable picture of the current pavement condition of the road network, demonstrating the sensibility to adjust according to distress evolution.

REFERENCES

ASPHALTICA World Seminar. 2018. “Pavement Management System - Il progetto di ANAS”, presented by Ugo Dibennardo and Tullio Caraffa. Rome, Italy. 26 October 2018.

1.4.4.1 Strategic objectives and levels of service

The asset management strategy sets out what the authority intends to do in order to manage its highway infrastructure assets; in developing the strategy, authorities/agencies should establish the mission and goals (asset management objectives). Management objectives usually identify the quality of service to be offered to stakeholders, which reflect the authority’s aspiration/availability and the expectations of stakeholder. Any asset service affecting any stakeholders in their roles as users, taxpayers, partners, elected officials, community residents, etc., may be included.

The quality of services likely to be placed in the future on the highway network should be incorporated in defining the levels of service. Therefore, levels of service are broad statements that describe the performance required for highway infrastructure assets, which are the balance between stakeholder expectations, corporate vision and available funding (see figure 1.4.4.1.1).

At the proficient maturity level of asset management, levels of service can be split into two distinct categories: customers/stakeholders and technical.

Customer levels of service relate to how the customers and stakeholders receive the service in terms of tangible and intangible measures or criteria. They are expressed in terms that customers and stakeholders can understand and comprehend. Tangibles include the appearance of facilities, frequency of service disruptions, availability of service, frequency of crashes, etc. Examples of intangibles include speed of service, staff attitude and ease of dealing with the agency.

Technical levels of service support both the customer’s and the agency’s strategic objectives; they are usually expressed in technical terms used by agency personnel or contractors. At the early stages of asset management (basic maturity level), some agencies use their performance measures as level of service statements.

Each road organization needs to determine the number and nature of its own levels of service, but in any case, levels of service should be developed based on themes that demonstrate the relationship between higher level corporate objectives and any stakeholder requirements for delivery of the service, the most common aspects/themes being (see e.g. law P.L. 112-141 in USA (AASHTO, 2013)): safety, serviceability (congestion reduction, system reliability, etc.), sustainability (environmental, aesthetics), accessibility (e.g. reduced project delivery delays) , financial performance, etc.

Levels of service can be developed through workshops, focus groups, public opinion surveys, collaborative working and market survey research

It should be noted that levels of service need to be developed in a hierarchy that reflects the increasing level of detail of planning activities (see figure 1.4.4.1.2).

Strategic - To provide a snapshot of overall performance, generally for stakeholder consumption;

Tactical - To inform decision making, particularly in terms of investment;

Operational - To provide information on operational aspects of the service, such as the speed of repairs or performance of service providers undertaking maintenance activities.

 

 

1.4.4.2 Performance measures

Each level of service should be supported by a set of performance measures (see figure 2), which will enable to measure both individual aspects of performance as well as the overall level of service.

Two type of measures are of interest:

• Measures of physical condition of the highway asset;
• Measures of the organizational performance.

It is relevant to distinguish between the condition and performance of an asset:

• Asset’s performance is directly related to its ability to provide the required level of service;
• Asset condition is related to its physical state, which may or may not affect its performance.

Usually, for each level of service, a number of performance measures are chosen, and the process to evaluate them generally involves the aggregation of raw data (objective and subjective, quantitative and qualitative), as shown in table 1.4.4.2.1.

Definition of Performance MeasureVarious performance measures are usually required to represent a single level of service, but they might be aggregated in a key performance indicator (KPI) to describe the level of service. It may be appropriate to use different weighting factors for each of the performance measures that contribute to a level of service or KPI (e.g. condition of footways may have a greater weighting than condition of white lines).

Typically, performance measures may include both engineering and non-engineering considerations (for example based on results from public opinion surveys). There are four type of performance measures:

• Input – Demonstrates the amount of resources needed to complete activities and includes staff, labor and material costs and other relevant financial information. This type of measure does not necessarily demonstrate the performance of the service or whether the overall strategy is met;
• Output – Typically measures completed activities, such as the area of surface dressing per year. This type of measure provides information on the activities completed against a program of works, but does not provide information on whether the level of activity met the overall strategy, whether it met any of the performance requirements, or if it delivered value for money;
• Outcome – Describes the results of activities provided and may include measures such as public satisfaction and the condition of various assets. These measures can be used to demonstrate the link between the asset management strategy and service delivery most effectively;
• Efficiency – Reflects the input cost per activity or for the total service. It could be used to support investment decisions.

The steps for identifying performance measures generally include:

• Identifying existing performance measures and how they are being used;
• Defining gaps to be addressed based on coverage of critical outcome areas for authorities/agencies and support for the asset management best practices;
• Establishing criteria for selecting new measures.

The logical starting point for the development of performance measures is to identify what aspect of performance is being measured.

Indicators suitable to be used as performance measures should be:

• Meaningful,
• Relevant to demonstrate the delivery of strategy,
• Based on reliable data already available,
• Simple to understand,
• Stable (can be compared over time),
• Useful for benchmarking (for comparison with other authorities/agencies),
• Already known or used (or something similar already being measured by others),
• Sustainable in terms of cost.

One of the basic considerations in developing performance measures is to maximize the use of existing data and minimize the need for collection of additional data.

The SMART approach may be used in selecting actual performance measures. This approach evaluates the following attributes for candidate measures:

• Specific - the measure is specific, clear and unambiguous, explaining clearly what is expected;
• Measurable - there is a simple method for measuring it;
• Attainable - the measure is realistic and there is a clear action plan of how it can be achieved;
• Relevant - it is important in achieving the asset management objective; and
• Time-bound it is measured in a timeframe.

Once performance measures are selected, it is advisable that:

• data are tested in order to verify if they are practical to measure and compute;
• validity of results is checked in order to verify that they genuinely reflect current performance (precision and accuracy of the performance measures is a critical issue when performance measures are established and target values set).

Typical sources of data and other information used to define performance measures may include: public opinion surveys (letters, e-mails, calls and blogs), business reporting, operational reporting, existing inventory data, performance data (including condition) and financial reporting.

In relation to KPIs, Working Group 2 (Management Indicators) of a past PIARC Technical Committee on Asset Management (cycle 2008-2011), put some effort into identifying the existing management indicators as well as the lack of indicators when necessary (PIARC 2012). Table 1.4.4.2.2 shows some examples of the work carried out by this committee.

Random Auditing: Audits can include customer satisfaction surveys, sample condition surveys and ad hoc inspections. Random audits are frequently used to independently audit the performance of Highway Authorities/Agencies who are working under quality management systems. Their purpose therefore is to provide an independent crosscheck on performance.As far as the frequency of measures is concerned, consideration should be given to the balance between the cost of collecting the monitoring data and information and the risks of not having the information available. This is particularly important when considering compliance with statutory obligations and demonstrating value for money. The most commonly used ways of carrying out performance measurement are:

• System Audits: Where asset management software systems have been implemented the system, if properly used, will provide a source of performance management data. For example, customer query systems will be able to provide response times to queries and also be able to identify areas of exception, i.e. particular types of complaint or query or particular geographical areas generating a high number of queries
• Monthly: Where established management systems are in place it is possible to obtain monthly performance statistics. In general, these may focus on activities and the time taken to complete them. Progress against an established program may also provide a useful management tool.
• Annual: Some indicators will be based upon information supplied by others annually. This limits the use of such indicators to annual reviews.

1.4.4.3 Targets

Progress in achieving asset management goals and objectives, as described by levels of service, is quantified by target values of the selected performance measures. Therefore, each performance measure should have a performance target associated with it over a period of time, typically up to five years.

The targets should be easily recognizable and understood by senior decision makers and/or the asset manager depending on whether they are strategic, tactical or operational.

The process of defining performance targets needs to be iterative, determining the best combination of targets against what is affordable. In this process, consideration should be given to:

• past and current performance and what is achievable;
• cost in the short, medium and long term.​

The process of setting performance targets may include steps such as the following (NCHRP, 2006):

• Define contexts and time horizons;
• Link targets to long – term goals;
• Assess funding availability;
• Analyze resource allocation scenarios and trade-offs;
• Consider policy and public input;
• Establish the targets and track progress.

Examples of performance targets as defined by various US state DOTs are presented in Table 1.4.4.3.1 Table 1.4.4.3.2 shows examples of targets used in Romania. Both sets of examples refer to pavement preservation.

NOTES:

NP1 – very good performance;

NP2 – good performance;

NP3 – medium performance

NP4 - NP5 - poor performance

Traffic expressed in millions of standard axles (msa)

 

 

GEPUR GUIDE A SINGLE SHARED METHODOLOGY FOR MANAGING AN INTER-URBAN OR AN URBAN NETWORK

HUGUES ODEON, CEREMA, France

Introduction

In France, the IQRN method has been used to manage the national road network for about 25 years. But this method is not fit for local road networks, and there is no other simplified method available. The main purpose of the GEPUR project was to provide a single and shared methodology for managing local road networks of Eastern France (ten departments). This methodology was written by officers who are in charge of the daily management of inter-urban and urban road network; the group was led by a representative of the Cerema. The final guide is composed of two parts, the first one for inter-urban networks, and the second one for urban roads. The frame of these two parts of the guide is similar, but the urban roads have specificities that influence their behavior and lifecycle, making it necessary to take them into account.

Objectives

The aim of the GEPUR project was on one hand to provide a guide available for road network managers and their contracting authorities, and on the other hand to create a group of road network managers who will be able to share their know-how.

Benefits

The GEPUR project allowed road network managers to build their own methodology together, taking advantage of the experience of each of them.

solution

The GEPUR guide provides an open methodology. Its implementation to a specify network can be different according to the contracting authorities policy, the length of the network and the financial capabilities of the department or the city.

Regarding the asset management plan, the road network manager can opt for different strategies. Usually, the network is divided in three or four classes, and the chosen strategy varies according to the classes.

First, he has to choose between different priorities:

1. To repair only the most destroyed pavements;
2. To adopt routine maintenance to slow distress progress on a huge part of the network;
3. To repair pavements along a route, to avoid dissemination of works;
4. To maintain pavements on a high level for the primary network, and on a lesser level for the secondary network;
5. The length of the maintained roads each year must be in accordance with the total length of the network and the durability of used technics.

Then, he has to define different technics for maintenance. Each of them has benefits and limits which must be taken into account. For example, the routine maintenance can only maintain the quality level of the road for a few years, a surface dressing can restore the surface characteristics of the pavement (impermeability, skid resistance) and an asphalt concrete can moreover contribute to strengthen the structure.

It is then possible to define which technics will be used on each class of the network, what the maintenance frequency is for each of them, and what average percentage of surface will be treated with each technic. For example (Table 1.4.7.1), on the class 1 network, it could be possible to adopt 15% of very thin asphalt concrete, 15% of thin asphalt concrete, 20% of asphalt concrete, and 50% of surface dressing. On the class 3, these percentages can respectively be 0%, 25%, 0% and 60%, with 15% of specific asphalt concrete for flexible pavement. The durability of each technic also depends on the traffic of the road, and consequently of the class (Table 1.4.7.2).

Table 1.4.7.1: Average percentage of each technics per class (%)

Table 1.4.7.2: Average durability of the different maintenance technics (years)

Finally, the road network manager defines an asset management plan for each class of the network (Figure 1.4.7.1), describing the type of maintenance to be applied and its average durability for a long cycle life (30 years for example). It is then possible to evaluate the global cost of this asset management plan over 30 years, and to adjust it to the financial capabilities of the department.

 

Figure 1.4.7.1: Asset management plan depending on the type of structure (flexible, bituminous, rigid) and traffic

Conclusion

The GEPUR guide provides a tool to the road network managers and their contracting authorities, which allows them to define their own asset management plan, according to their quality policy and the financial capabilities. This guide is in two parts, the first one for inter-urban road network, and the second one for the urban road network.

References

Group. 2016. GEPUR Part 1 : inter-urban network. IDRRIM. Paris (Fr), June 2016. https://www.idrrim.com/publications/4484.htm
Group. 2018. GEPUR Part 2 : urban network. IDRRIM. Paris (Fr), to be published.
Odéon H., Jung V., Schang J.P. (2015) : GEPUR, une méthode de gestion d’un réseau routier par et pour les collectivités locales, AIPCR 2015, Séoul (Corée du Sud), nov.
Odéon H., Schang J.-P., Jung V. (2017) : GEPUR : a method for managing a road network by and for local authorities, JTTE, USA, Marc-Apr, pp. 104-115.

FOOTWAY EVALUATION DEVELOPED BY BRRC

TIM MASSART, BRRC, Belgium

Introduction

Walking and cycling are green transport modes which should be given more attention in future. The quality of footways is not always very good. Maintenance planning and budgeting are mostly based on ad hoc repairs.

The problem is the lack of a complete evaluation method. We have developed an evaluation method for footways.

Our approach is based on a network analysis with a wheelchair, which is the most “sensitive” type of footway user. This wheelchair is equipped with sensors and a skid resistance measuring device. Three parameters (comfort/longitudinal unevenness in the direction of travel, gradient in the direction of travel, and crossfall) can be measured in one run, and a skid resistance measurement is made in each section of the network.

We would like to present this measuring equipment with results maintained untill now. Furthermore we would like to promote this approach and show the good relation between the objective measuring device and the subjective rating of the testpanel.

Objectives

Efficient inventorying and inspection of footways.

The objective of this tool is to measure in 1 pass the comfort, crossfall and longitudinal slope of a footway in an objective way.

Benefits

By measuring the 3 characteristics, mentioned above, in an objective way, we eliminate subjective complaints from citizens.

solution

At the national and international level, there is currently no objective tool to determine this quality of pedestrian pavements continuously, quickly and cost-effectively. The concept is all too often approached subjectively, on the basis of the feeling that we get as a traffic participant in a public space. That is why the Belgian Road Research Center decided in 2015 to develop a measuring instrument to assess pavements on three criteria that are fundamental for pedestrians: flatness (comfort), skid resistance (resistance to slipping) and slope (transverse and longitudinal).

Evaluation criteria

Relevant technical parameters to be collected for footway evaluation are the following:

• footway width;
• longitudinal unevenness / comfort;
• crossfall / gradient;
• skid resistance / coefficient of friction;

Footway width

Different users need different footway widths. In this concept we use a wheelchair. We assume that people with impaired mobility are the most “sensitive” users of a footway. If people with a wheelchair, baby car or other vehicle can travel in an acceptable way, the criterion is met.

Longitudinal unevenness / comfort

The feeling of comfort on a footway varies widely with the type of user. In the concept proposed in this article, we will measure comfort with a wheelchair equipped with an accelerometer. This evaluation is objective and stringent, because a wheelchair user suffers the most from lack of comfort on a footway.

Crossfall / gradient

Crossfall should normally be lower than 2 %. This parameter will be measured continuously in the concept proposed below.

Concept

Basic concept (V0)

After analysing the available tools and the way inspections are made in other countries, we found that no existing device can measure all the relevant characteristics at an affordable price. That is why we are suggesting the concept described below. (This measurement method remains to be refined and the measuring equipment still needs to be developed.)

The basic component of the method is a wheelchair. We propose to convert it into a measuring vehicle. The chassis of the wheelchair as well as the wheels and the load (weight in the wheelchair) will be determined experimentally, as a first step. It seems interesting to choose the chassis and wheels so as to minimize suspension and damping, with a view to obtaining a highly sensitive measuring device.

Figure 1.4.7.2: Basic concept (Source: BRRC)

A smartphone is fixed onto the chassis and the following parameters can be measured:

• time;
• GPS;
• orientation with respect to the north (compass);
• speed;
• crossfall / gradient;
• longitudinal unevenness / comfort (with accelerometer).

In 2016, a first prototype (V0) was developed by the CRR. This was materialized by a wheelchair on which smartphones containing a GPS and an accelerometer had been fixed (equipment integrated by default in all smartphones). This equipment provided figures concerning the comfort of the coating (rating out of 10). This comfort is evaluated via the accelerometer which will measure the vertical accelerations generated by the surface of the coating on the wheelchair and therefore in fine on the user. In order to measure also the adhesion of the coating, a complementary tool available to the BRRC has been used: the Portable Friction Tester (PFT - more information available on www.brrc.be/fr/article/f1301_06 and www.vti.se/en/Publications/Publication/road-marking-friction_669533).

At the end of 2016, surveys were carried out with this prototype and the PFT tool on eleven "test" sites located in the city center of Brussels, each with a different coating: two asphalt, two concrete and seven natural stone .

In April 2017 and in collaboration with Brussels Mobility, the adherence and flatness of these eleven sites were then evaluated by different users during a morning organized by the CRR. The objective of this approach was to verify if the results obtained by the measuring equipment, reflected the feeling of pedestrians. In total, twenty-eight participants took part in this field exercise: eighteen valid pedestrians and ten people with reduced mobility (people in wheelchairs, people walking with difficulty, people with visual impairments). A test sheet was completed by each participant and for each site.

Figure 1.4.7.3: Evaluation of the footway by user (Source: BRRC)

At the end of the analysis and as illustrated in the graph of Figure 1.4.7.4, a classification of the sites according to the comfort of the coating perceived by the users was carried out. The classification obtained from the subjective data collected by the twenty-eight users (light blue on the graph), compared to that obtained with the encrypted data collected by the prototype (dark blue), shows that a correlation exists on this notion of comfort.

Figure 1.4.7.4: Comfort ranking (Source: BRRC)

Encouraged by this encouraging observation, the BRRC decided during the summer of 2017 to develop a second prototype (V1) with several objectives:

• also measure the transverse and longitudinal slopes of the pedestrian zones;
• measuring the speed of movement to eliminate the disturbances generated by different survey speeds;
• remove as much as possible the possible disturbances related to the quality of the accelerometer used (variable depending on the smartphone);
• develop a single system with which all the components communicate;
• Automatically centralize all the data collected in a single database.

Results and perspectives

Presented in preview on the stand of the BRRC at the Belgian Road Congress in Brussels at the beginning of October 2017, this equipment allows to measure continuously and in a "geolocated" way the comfort and the longitudinal and transversal slopes of the sidewalks and other pedestrian spaces. The measurement of adhesion can currently not be performed by this equipment and always requires the use of additional equipment (PFT tool for continuous measurement (tests in progress), SRT pendulum (Skid Resistance Tester for point measurement). This second prototype and the sensors that compose it are shown in Figure 1.4.7.5.

Figure 1.4.7.5: Second prototype (Source: BRRC)

In summer 2018 we have surveyed a complete city center in Belgium with the measurement equipment. In the map beneath, you can find the results on the comfort of the footways for the complete city center.

Figure 1.4.7.6: Comfort assessment for a whole network (Source: BRRC)

This functional equipment is now integrated in the family of roadside inspection equipment available at the BRRC. It can be used to respond to external technical assistance specifically oriented to the quality of use of pedestrian coatings.

The road administrator will be able to categorize different pedestrian coatings based on comfort (wheelcair equipment) and adhesion measurements (PFT). The following figure shows a decision grid that can be used to trigger an intervention. In the green area (VG Very Good) we have a pedestrian coating with very good scores on comfort and adhesion. In the red zones we have at least one problem (adhesion or comfort). Based on this we can choose a substantiated measure.

Figure 1.4.7.7: Evaluation grid for footway coatings (Source: BRRC)

 

What still remains to be done

The concept presented above has been tested in actual practice. We will explore different strategies to get this equipment on the market.

• the wheelchair community has shown interest and we will explore posssibilities how to encourage them to measure their network;
• Explore possibilities to use applications (app) on smartphone / tablet and correlate wheelchair users with the prototype;
• Establish a measurement methodolgy to explain how we obtain repeatable and reproducable measurements.

Conclusion

Walking and cycling are green transport modes which will get more attention in future. The quality of footways is not always very good. In most cities, road managers have difficulties in estimating the quality level of their footway network. Maintenance planning and budgeting are mostly based on ad hoc repairs. With this complete evaluation method administrators will be able to manage this asset in a more efficient way and with a well determined approach.

After this inspection, the administrator will have a good overview of the quality of his footway network. He will easily find those footways who need a maintenance. On the other hand, experience will be gained for different types of  pavements for footways. With this experience, the administrator will be able to decide wich type of pavement is suitable for which footway.

Reference

Tim Massart, 2018. The Belgian Road Research Center strives to develop a Tool that measures the usability of pedestrian surfacing/ Routes/Roads n°377 – 2nd quarter 2018. Location.