Road asset management systems

Abstract

The road asset (excluding structures) includes more than just the pavement; it also includes earthworks, drainage, safety barriers, lighting, signs, lines and the soft estate (grassland, trees and shrubs). This valuable asset, ideally needs to be monitored and managed, and therefore requires asset management systems which are geographic information system (GIS) based, to properly manage the asset information. When these are integrated to a common base, we have an integrated asset management system (IAMS). The value of a good IAMS is that it must be really useful and virtually intuitive to be used, for occasional use by all levels of people from senior managers down. It can be used for considering and comparing reliable data and information they hold, across all assets, from the inventory, network and detailed surveys. The HA (Highways Agency) is responsible for the motorways and trunk roads in England, and already uses individual and shared asset management systems (AMS). They are used in the HA's bidding and prioritisation process for maintenance of all road assets. Proposed maintenance schemes are assessed through the HA's Integrated Value Management process, before approving budget allocations. The HA will be introducing an IAMS nationally next year. This paper covers some of the existing HA's AMS together with the development and implementation of an easy to use GAIMS, an intelligent Geographical Asset Integrated Management System, used at the local (MA) level. GAIMS-P (GAIMS for pavements) has been successfully used with the other AMS to optimise maintenance interventions and justify bids for funding for pavement schemes based on projected condition.