FRT 218: Asset Management, Extreme Weather, and Proxy Indicators

Extreme weather events that negatively affect KYTC’s transportation assets have become more frequent over the past several decades. These events damage assets, increase mitigation and maintenance costs, and further strain already-stretched transportation budgets. This pilot project will improve KYTC’s management of the pavement and bridges on the National Highway System (NHS), improving protection against threats from extreme weather events and natural hazards. This will enhance current efforts to keep the NHS safe using fiscally responsible methods. Safer, well-maintained roads will improve the quality of life for Kentuckians. The proposed project will build on KYTC’s current work that investigates extreme weather events and transportation assets. The goal is to establish a framework to determine the vulnerability of assets to extreme weather and other natural hazards, and incorporate that information into the state’s transportation asset management plan (TAMP). It is broadly understood that extreme weather events can have immense consequences for transportation systems in the form of increased costs, budgetary impacts, and reduced life cycles. However, the likelihood of extreme weather events affecting different asset classes is less clear, and currently there are no quantitative methods used to anticipate impacts and identify appropriate mitigation and monitoring strategies to minimize potential risks. KTC will contract with KYTC to document the effects of extreme weather and natural hazards specific on assets, with a specific focus on asset life cycle analysis and effects on transportation budgets. KYTC will also document basic impacts and cost information for specific asset classes and the best methods for minimizing and mitigating potential threats. This pilot project will allow for the foundation work to introduce the extreme weather risk to the network for the specific asset classes of NHS pavements and NHS bridges. KTC will develop strategies to address those risks. The strategies will establish a framework to produce continuously up-to-date assessments of both asset classes. In time, those strategies may be applied to evaluate other asset classes on the NHS as well as non-NHS pavements and bridges throughout the state. The project will develop a methodology for incorporating previously collected vulnerability assessment information on individual assets and asset classes into asset management planning. It will examine how information about vulnerability informs life cycle analysis, maintenance activities, maintenance costs, mitigation strategies, resilience, and sustainability. The project’s results will help KYTC improve its transportation program budgeting so that funds budgeted for maintenance, replacement, mitigation, and inspections account for the effects of extreme weather on assets. KYTC expects better life cycle planning and allocation of resources statewide as a result of its efforts.