Risk-based transportation asset management plans are required under new performance-driven legislation. Bridges and pavements are required within these plans, and the inclusion of other assets is encouraged. One could argue that the primary assets of a transportation agency are the transportation corridors that have been established to provide means for moving people and goods safely and efficiently. A corridor's performance in this regard is only as good as its weakest link. Therefore, the way an agency can manage an asset, such as a corridor, to a standard for system performance, is to consider its components concurrently, not by individual asset classes. A corridor has embankments, slopes, walls, bridges, and pavements, and considering these geotechnical features separately does not make sense from a system performance perspective. Settlement, slope instability, rockfall, erosion and corrosion are events which can be surprising, or recognized in advance and managed. The corridor concept can bring geotechnical assets into consideration and result in better management for system performance. It also provides a means for rational prioritization that allows for a phased approach to the daunting task of collecting inventory and condition assessment for features that have not previously been managed. Geo-professionals are developing tools and practices for inventorying, assessing performance, predicting life-cycle costs and degradation, and evaluating risk associated with geotechnical features. These tools and practices will contribute to effective corridor management.
展开▼
