Bulletin

March - April 2007, Vol. 73, No. 2

Best Practices

From ‘fix it’ to ‘anticipate it’

VDOT’s new asset management system helps managers make objective determinations about how to maintain Virginia’s highway assets

Maintenance of Virginia’s highway assets is being transformed from a “just fix it” approach to one of “proactively managing assets to extend service life.”

The primary reason for the change is VDOT’s new Asset Management System (AMS), which was developed in-house by staff from the Asset Management, Operations Planning and Information Technology divisions. The system already has drawn national and international attention.

The AMS is the culmination of more than a decade of work to incorporate new efficiencies into the maintenance and management of Virginia’s interstate, primary and secondary systems. In recent years, the process has been propelled by recommendations from state auditors and directives from state legislators.

“Maintenance is no longer just about going out and fixing things that are broken. It’s more about collecting data on asset conditions, predicting asset deterioration rates and doing more preventative maintenance. It’s more about anticipating future needs,” says Tanveer Chowdhury, an assistant director in the Asset Management Division. He expects AMS to provide information to enhance the performance and life expectancy of VDOT’s highway assets.

The new system is needs-based, which means maintenance needs are determined by objective assessments of asset conditions. Priorities are set on these needs and costs are calculated to meet them. Allocations are then made to each VDOT district based on these objective determinations. That stands in contrast to the long-used method of adding an inflation factor to a district’s current allocation to get an allocation for the next budget period.

“The new system provides a rational basis for developing VDOT’s biennial maintenance work program and budget,” explains Chowdhury.

The AMS also provides fact-based scenarios for General Assembly members who determine the levels of funding to maintain Virginia’s transportation infrastructure. If the legislature decides to increase funding by 5 percent, increased quality in proportion to that extra funding can be projected for transportation assets. When funding is reduced, the decrease in the quality and condition of those assets can be projected. AMS will provide objective data for these scenarios.

Likewise, if local officials perceive that funding for their roads is being slighted, the AMS provides a backdrop of objective data to address those concerns.

The AMS is based on six modules:

Random condition assessment, which allows users to collect inventory and condition data on guardrails, signs, paved shoulders, traffic signals and much more from randomly chosen tenth-of-a-mile sections across the state
Needs-based budget, an automated tool for identifying projected needs using asset inventory and condition data along with decision trees and cost models
Planning module, a means to project asset performance based on current asset condition and planned maintenance investments
Work accomplishment and monitoring, a system for recording maintenance costs of labor, equipment and materials
Inventory module, a means to collect and store asset inventory and condition data
Analysis tools, which develop cost models as well as obtain internal VDOT feedback on maintenance practices and asset management

Another important feature of the Asset Management System is pavement condition data collection. The traditional “windshield” survey, with VDOT experts driving the roads and noting their deficiencies, is no longer being used. Contractors now provide continuous digital images of the roadways, which VDOT maintenance planners will be able to view on their computers. The contractors also provide a computer analysis of the pavement distresses using “automated crack-detection technology,” which can summarize the pavement condition on maps and charts for every mile of the highway. Images will also be collected and analyzed on about 20 percent of the secondary network each year.

Condition assessments are combined with appropriate maintenance responses and costs to provide a biennial maintenance work program. Meanwhile, the budget for bridges, traffic signals, Smart Traffic Centers, safety rest areas, ferries and tunnels was developed by using either software modeling systems, bridge management systems or various databases, as well as the expert opinion of managers responsible for these facilities.

A future goal of the AMS process is establishing strategic performance targets for transportation assets. These are to be based on lifecycle cost considerations, deterioration rates and various maintenance and operations activities. These goals are related to defined levels of service set for assets.

A study in 2005 by the consulting firm of Booz, Allen and Hamilton found that VDOT’s Asset Management System “is leading its peer state DOTs in implementing asset management concepts, principles and models.” Consequently, VDOT managers and engineers have been invited to make many presentations on the system across the U.S. and abroad.

Page last modified: Wednesday, January 16, 2008