The authors used a risk-based benefit-cost approach to evaluate the impact of nineinformation technology (IT) tools on a $1.3 billion bridge repair and replacement program.The IT systems include four tools based on geographic information systems, two documentcontrol systems, and three other reporting and database systems. The risk-based approachallowed us to deal with the uncertainties around staff time savings and other factors that areimprecise and subject to variation. Taken as a whole, the programs had a positive benefit-costratio, although four of the programs individually did not generate enough benefits to covertheir costs. Most of the tangible benefits of these systems were the result of time savings byagency staff and contractors. The paper concludes that organizational structure, contractualand legal requirements, timing and coordination with existing IT systems are critical factorsaffecting the benefits of IT systems in support of major transportation programs.The major contribution of this paper is to demonstrate the application of benefit-costanalysis and risk-based approaches, which have commonly been used in transportationproject evaluation, to the evaluation of IT systems in support of a transportation program.
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