Current Projects
Transportation Asset Management Expert Task Group
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Asset Management has formed the Transportation Asset Management Expert Task Group (TAM ETG) as a forum to discuss changes in the way highway agencies are managing assets. The structure and membership of the TAM ETG were intentionally designed to ensure interaction with key AASHTO and Transportation Research Board committees. The Transportation Asset Management ETG will:
- Outline a framework for financially sustainable infrastructure and service delivery that clarifies connections between asset management, stewardship, risk management, performance management, and long-term financial planning;
- Identify strategies for advancing asset management practice and influencing change within state DOTs and partnering with transportation agencies by addressing gaps in the framework, roles and responsibilities, drivers, tools, and/or workforce skills;
- Provide input to FHWA, AASHTO, and TRB regarding direction, definitions, processes, tools, and templates associated with implementation of state and local transportation asset management plans;
- Develop and implement a plan for communicating the work of the TAM ETG to the transportation community.
More information on the ETG
TAM ETG on the AASHTO TAM Portal
Webinars on Asset Management
FHWA with the AASHTO Subcommittee on Asset Management FHWA will conduct webinars on Asset Management topics beginning the summer of 2012. The Subcommittee recommended that the following topics be addressed in future webinars:
- Present the key topics discussed at the "Peer Exchange - Beyond Pavements and Bridges: Transportation Asset Management with a Focus on Safety (2011)"
- Key findings from the 2011 International Study Tour on Managing Pavements, Managing Performance
- Webinar focused on presenting the results from NCHRP 43-01, "Use of Transportation Asset Management Principles in State Highway Agencies,"
- Webinar on Reauthorization with regard to Asset Management; however, may need to wait until it is approved.
- Follow-up of the TRB Event 185, Successful Asset Management Business Models and Barriers to their Implementation.
Asset Management Financial Report Series
The Federal Highway Administration intends to bring awareness to the concept of financial planning and financial sustainability, within the context of asset management by developing a series of short reports focusing on transportation asset management financial planning. These reports introduce financial planning gradually and expose transportation agencies to the concepts of long-term financial plans and asset valuation and discuss their potential utility in transportation asset management practices.
Expected completion date: Spring of 2016
Financial Planning Course for Transportation Asset Management
This new NHI course is tentatively entitled Financial Planning for Transportation Asset Management. The purpose of this course is to advance the skills and knowledge of state and local transportation agencies who are to develop financial plans to improve long-term decision-making, increase transparency and promote stewardship of transportation assets as well as compliance with the provisions of MAP-21. Financial plans can serve many functions including illustrating long-term investment needs, assisting with making difficult investment tradeoffs, educating policy makers of the consequences of various investment strategies, and increasing the transparency regarding how agencies invest scarce resources.
Expected completion date: Winter of 2015
Asset Management Gap Analysis
The AASHTO Asset Management Guide includes guidelines on how an agency may undertake a self-assessment of its capabilities to conduct and implement asset management in their organization.
This project is to assist State DOTs in conducting and reviewing the results of the self-assessment. The self-assessment should consider, 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 including development of the State Transportation Improvement Program; as well as, whether the agency’s is implementing adequate data collection and analysis policies, undertaking whole life life-cycle cost analysis, undertaking programmatic risk assessments to support an effective asset management program.
Expected completion date: Winter of 2016
Pavement Health Track Tool
The FHWA has recently developed the Pavement Health Track (PHT) Analysis Tool that can help determine the health of a road network in terms of Remaining Service Life. The tool can determine the health of different pavement types under various conditions, such as rural or urban environments or various climates, and a range of applications, including individual projects, highway networks, and corridors within a State or crossing State lines. The tool requires pavement data inputs from the HPMS 2010 or a State can input data from its pavement management system. The PHT analysis tool has already been tested by a few States. These tests resulted in several recommendations for further enchantment of the tool. As a result, the FHWA is undertaking this effort to enhance the PHT.
To obtain a copy of the tool (first version) and view relevant documentations please visit the following:
- http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/healthtrack/pubs/technical/technical.pdf (.pdf, 18 mb)
- http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/healthtrack/pubs/users/users.pdf (.pdf, 3.0 mb)
- http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/healthtrack/pubs/workbook/workbook.pdf (.pdf, 3.1 mb)
under review for enhancements.