A Code of Practice for Highway Structures An Asset Management Approach

A Code of Practice for Highway

Structures

An Asset Management Approach

Dick Feast

Principal Consultant

Whole Life Asset Management Amey Infrastructure Services

The Code of Practice

Code of Practice for Highway Structures in the UK issued 6 September 2005

• This document promotes the following philosophy:

– A common framework for the management of structures

– A consistent approach

The Code of Practice

The Code at a Glance:

• Introduction – Purpose, scope and status

• Management context – Description of current bridge management environment

• Asset management planning – Introduction to asset management techniques

• Financial planning and resource accounting – reviewing issues that may not be familiar with bridge managers

The Code of Practice

• Maintenance planning and management – describes a process for developing and implementing sustainable cost effective maintenance plans

• Inspection, testing and monitoring – reviews techniques and good management practice

• Assessment of structures – guidance on the assessment process

• Management of abnormal loads – Provides guidance on the approach to managing abnormal load movements

• Asset information management – describes information management processes

The Code of Practice

• Framework for bridge management system –

provides guidance on the functionality required from a Bridge Management System

• Implementation of the code – provides guidance for bridge managers on the code’s implementation

• Appendices – 14 No providing supplementary bridge management information

Current Management Practices

Minimum Maintenance Philosophy

• On some networks only a minimum of

inspection is carried out, sufficient to meet legal obligations

• Allows the condition of structures to deteriorate with time

Current Maintenance Practices

Minimum Maintenance Philosophy:

• Results in increased risks to safety and network unavailability

• Results in a growing maintenance backlog • Results in a build-up of unacceptable

Current Management Practices

Reactive Maintenance Approach:

• This is a very common approach to highway structures management

• Short term reactive maintenance that adequately manages safety and

serviceability by identifying and carrying out maintenance work required

Current Management Practices

Reactive Maintenance Approach

• Does not provide long-term value for money

• Makes estimating and justifying long-term funding requirements difficult

• Results in a declining condition of highway structures

Current Management Practices

Reactive Maintenance Promotes: • A backlog of maintenance work

• Condition and performance deteriorate • Whole life costs increase

Current Management Practices

Good Management Practice

• Based on a customer focus asset management approach

• Delivery of a service that is required and expected

Current Management Practices

Good Management Practice

• Makes optimum use of resources

• Provides a sustainable programme of work • It will assist in achieving Government and

stakeholders long term policies

Maintenance of structures, Browne, Gibbs and Robery, 1985 Acceptable level of deterioration Limit of serviceability Deterioration Time 1 Deterioration Time

2 1) Do nothing repair _philosophy

2) Regular holding

repairs

3) One off, full

refurbishment

Deterioration

Time

Current Management Practices

• The Code of Practice for the Management of Highway Structures is based on: • Good management practice • Asset management principles

The Code of Practice

• Fortunately Highway Structures are

generally long-life assets with slow rates of deterioration

• Deterioration is caused by:

– Durability problems – Vehicle impact

– Vehicle Fires – Overstressing

The Code of Practice

• The Code of Practice has been developed around an Asset Management approach

• It allows bridge management activities to be brought together into a systematic and

holistic framework for all the highway infrastructure assets

Asset Management

What is it?

• Asset Management is a formal discipline that provides a rational approach for

managing assets

• As a formal discipline it has:

– Rules and principles

– Processes and procedures

Asset Management – What is it?

Definition of Asset Management:

• Asset management is a strategic approach

that identifies the optimal allocation of resources for the management, operation,

preservation and enhancement of the

highway infrastructure to meet the needs of

Asset Management – What is it?

• A planned and considered approach that takes a long term view of service requirements and business objectives

Optimum Allocation

• Identifies needs, justifies work and makes best use of resources

Management, operation, preservation and enhancement

• Covers all aspects work and brings them together

Current and Future Customers

• Focused on delivering customer aspirations and requirements in the long and short term

Asset Management – What is it?

Provides a framework for management

• Covers Strategic, Tactical and Operational levels

• Aligns and integrates structures

management with other highway assets • Provides commonality between activities

• Covers processes, data and systems, people, standards and policies

Asset Management – The Benefits

• Provides an integrated approach linked to strategic goals and objectives

• Aligns short and long term management planning

• Requires programming maintenance funding in a logical manor

• Justifies maintenance funding

• Demonstrates the impact of different levels of funding

Asset Management

The Hierarchy of Management Process: • Strategic – Where are we going and why • Tactical – What is worth doing and when • Operational – How to do the right things

Infrastructure Asset Management

Strategic – Where are we going and why • Overall Asset Management Policy:

– Direction of Transport Policy – Stakeholders Views

Infrastructure Asset Management

Tactical – What is worth doing and when • Asset Management Plan

– Asset managers translate the Strategic Policy

into goals and specific plans for individual asset types

– Performance targets are set in the Asset Management Plan

Infrastructure Asset Management

Operational – How to do the right things

• Develop and implement detailed work plan:

– Detailed work plans – Schedules

• Take account of the priorities identified in the Asset Management Plan

Infrastructure Asset Management

• Asset Management Framework Flowchart • Illustrates the

connection between the Strategic, Tactical and Operational

Infrastructure Asset Management

• Tactical and Operational Management Planning

Infrastructure Asset Management

Operational Activities • Regular Management

– Inspection, Testing and Monitoring – Structural Assessments

– Routine Maintenance

Infrastructure Asset Management

Infrastructure Asset Management

Operational Activities

• Re-active Maintenance

– Emergency response – Essential Maintenance

Operational

Processes

Identification of needs

Prioritisation – Value Management Optimistion – Value Engineering Implementation – Planning

Maintenance Planning

Operational Processes:

• Asset inventory, condition and performance data

• Bridge Management Database • BMX System

Bridge

Management

Database

Maintenance Planning

• Determine current performance • Identification of needs

• Produce management strategies • Produce a structures work-bank

Inspection, Testing and

Monitoring

Maintenance Planning

Value Management

• Value management is a formalised approach to prioritise the identified needs and to assess the benefits of undertaking maintenance and the risks of not undertaking maintenance

Value Management

• Assessment of Risk = Likelihood x Consequence in relation to :

– Safety: of the public

– Functionality: service level affect

– Environment: effects on the environment – Cost: value for money

Value Management

Prioritisation Criteria Identified • Safety and Functionality

– Structure type, route carried, condition, assessed performance

• Benefits and disbenefits

– Whole life costs, journey times, network disruption

• Socio-economic and Environmental

– Impact on the community – Impact on the Environment

Value Management

Workbank identified and prioritised • Routine Maintenance Programme

– A rolling programme of proactive maintenance will reduce the need for reactive maintenance and will prolong the life the service life of

replacable elements:

• Reactive minor repairs

• Bearing cleaning and greasing

• Joint cleaning and seal replacement • Drainage maintenance

• Vegetation removal • Maintenance painting

Value Management

Maintenance and Renewals Programme identified • Programme maintenance – Preventative maintenance – Component renewal – Upgrading – Improvements – Replacement • Reactive maintenance

– Major structural repair work – Emergency work

Value Engineering

• Value Engineering is the process of developing an optimal solution to a

maintenance need and reducing waste and inefficient aspects of design, construction and maintenance

• The two key components of Value Engineering are:

Value Engineering

• Option Appraisal

– Only required when there are several options – Whole Life Costing to optimise future

maintenance

– Multi Criteria Decision Analysis – for softer issues

• Scheme Optimisation

– Combine different works on a structure – Combine similar work types

Delivery of Maintenance Programme

• Forward Work Plan:

– Detailed 1 to 3 year programme of work – Align with funding levels available

• Work Scheduling: Annual Work Plan

– Detailed programme with costs – Minimise network disruption • Monitoring and Feedback

– Analysis of out-turn costs can improve future estimates

– Feedback used to improve management process – Continuous improvement

Could a Code of Practice be of

Benefit to Hong Kong

• The bridge stock in the Hong Kong is relatively new

• The Hong Kong Highways Department owns and maintains 1969 structures that carry pedestrian or vehicular loading

• They also own and maintain 732 ancillary structures, i.e. sign gantries, noise barriers and noise enclosures

Reviewing the Hong Kong

Bridge Stock

• Although the number of bridges is not particularly large the size of the particular structures very are impressive:

– 5 road bridges have between 50 and 80 spans – 38 road bridges have between 20 and 50 spans – 69 road bridges have between 10 and 20 spans – 167 road bridges have between 5 and 10 spans – 123 footbridges have 5 spans or more

– 11 road bridges have a largest span over 70m

A Code of Practice

and its Benefits to Hong Kong

• Such a sophisticated Bridge Network as Hong Kong’s requires Best Management Practice

• Formalised Asset Management practices provides a rational approach for managing such assets

A Code of Practice

and its Benefits to Hong Kong

It would provide a strategic approach that identifies:

• The optimum allocation of resources for:

– the management – operation

– preservation – enhancement

of the highway infrastructure to meet the needs of current and future customers

A Code of Practice

and its Benefits to Hong Kong

Strategic – Where are we going and why

• Hong Kong SAR Level - Transport Policy : • Transport Department • Highways Department • MTRC, • KCR, • Aviation, • Maritime

A Code of Practice

and its Benefits to Hong Kong

Tactical – What is worth doing and when

• Hong Kong Island Highways Department

• Hong New Territories Highways Department

• Tunnel Operators

• TMCA – Operators

• Route 8 – Operator

• Specific Route line of the MTRC – i.e.Airport Line

A Code of Practice

and its Benefits to Hong Kong

Operational – How to do the right things

• i.e. New Territories Highways Department:

– Inventory

– Inspection, Testing and Monitoring – Assessments – Emergency response – Routine maintenance – Preventative maintenance – Renewals – Upgrading

General Conclusions

The Code of Practice and Asset Management Principles allows for :

• Improved stewardship and accountability

• Improved communication and relationships with service users

General Conclusions

• Improved financial efficiency:

– Improved decision-making based on costs and benefits of alternatives

– Justification for forward works programme and funding requirements

– Recognition of all costs over the life of the asset

General Conclusions

• Asset management does not replace existing good practice

• Instead it provides a Framework within which good practice may be:

– more effectively implemented – managed

– complemented