00795319

Component

In order to assess the condition of the state highway system in North Carolina, a maintenance assessment program has been developed and implemented by the North Carolina Department of Transportation. Although pavement condition and bridge rating programs have been in place for many years to determine maintenance needs for pavements and bridges, there was no system in place to survey and evaluate the condition of the other roadway features. Without a method to assess the maintenance condition of the total system, the department's request for increased maintenance funding was typically based on the combination of two things: the previous year's expenditures and an estimate of unmet needs. The unmet needs estimate was based on the professional opinion of field managers and engineers and not on actual measured quantities. Establishing a maintenance assessment program would provide a system for assessing overall maintenance condition, provide a tool for tying funding levels to actual field conditions, identify inadequately maintained roadway features, and determine the funding levels needed to achieve a specific maintenance condition. The maintenance assessment program was developed in several steps. First, a literature review was conducted to find any research done on this subject, as well as the current state-of-the-art programs in place in other state departments of transportation. Second, based on this information, a program framework was devised to: a) collect roadway feature data, b) summarize the data collected, c) evaluate and interpret the results, and d) present the results in a common sense manner. Third, a plan was established to meet the objectives of the program framework which included: a) determining the roadway features to evaluate, b) determining the survey methodology and data collection methods, c) determining how the condition of the features related to the department's expenditures, and d) calculate a realistic budget to achieve an acceptable maintenance condition. By implementing a maintenance assessment program, the North Carolina Department of Transportation will be taking the first step toward shifting from a reactive "fixing" mode to a proactive "prevention" mode. Eventually, this should lead the way to greater customer satisfaction, effective use of resources, higher quality products and services, avoidance of rework, and empowering of local managers and supervisors.

Session C

English

27p

2000

Ninth AASHTO/TRB Maintenance Management Conference

Appendices (1) ; Figures; Photos; References; Tables

Budgeting; Condition surveys; Data collection; Financing; Highway maintenance; Implementation; Literature reviews; Maintenance management; Needs assessment; Preventive maintenance

North Carolina

Finance; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Research; I60: Maintenance

TRIS, TRB

Jul 18 2000 12:00AM

• CONTINUING QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS IN PENNDOT'S HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE
• QUALITY OF MAINTENANCE MATERIALS