Condition-based method for programming road infrastructure maintenance

This discussion deals with the development of models for the optimal timing and spatial location of road infrastructure maintenance projects considered in the RIMES (Road Infrastructure Maintenance Evaluation Study) project of the Framework IV Road Transport Programme of the Commission of the European Union. The proposed methodology uses engineering-driven criteria such as assessment of road condition data and associated empirical knowledge to facilitate the selection of road lengths in which a single maintenance solution may rectify a combination of the defects observed. Simple optimization procedures are presented that concern the evaluation of the data collected, the selection of the remedial treatments, and finally the realization of maintenance projects. These rules together with simple economic calculations establish a framework for roads and bridges works programming that is applicable on short-term programs. For each road unit associated with this process, an optimal set of data is defined that may be retrieved from an existing road management system. A number of screening techniques enable the identification of the pavements or structures requiring maintenance. Thereafter, an analysis is carried out based on these data to identify a works solution and to determine the engineering priority of the works identified. Economic indicators such as annualized costs are calculated to provide a common basis for assessing the viability of the investment. The output from the works-programming system is a set of maintenance projects scheduled over a period of time with associated estimates of costs calculated for each project and includes integration of pavements and bridges based on economic priorities.