One of the objectives of an infrastructure management system IMS is to provide information for deciding whether to maintain, rehabilitate, or replace.
Two other objectives are to plan and schedule maintenance and capital improvements and to organize maintenance services and operations (Karaa 1989). Hudson et al. (1997) found that the capabilities of municipal maintenance management systems (MMSs) in the United States had not been fully realized for various reasons, including inadequate attention to formalizing inventory location, limited usage of condition and inventory data, a lack of training, and others.
This paper features the conceptual development of a transportation infrastructure maintenance management system (TIMMS) for a small urban city in Utah. This city did not have a MMS in operation at the time of research because of a lack of manpower and resources. The city employed just one part-time engineer who was responsible for maintaining all of the locally owned public works. The duties of a municipal public works department can include the following (WERC 1996):
• Refuse, waste, and recyclables collection;
• Grass and vegetation control and trimming;
• Pavement maintenance;
• Storm sewer maintenance and repair;
• Sanitary sewer maintenance and repair;
• Park facilities maintenance and repair;
• Pavement markings and traffic sign installation and maintenance;
• Maintenance, operation, and repair of municipal equipment, vehicles, and facilities;
• Snow removal;
• Sidewalk repair and replacement;
• Street lighting maintenance and replacement;
• Meetings, record keeping, and other "office work"; and
• Training, workshops, and conferences.
Some of these items, such as vehicle repair, might be the function of contractors; others, such as sidewalk repair, might be the responsibility of home and property owners. Also, volunteer groups might perform activities such as trash and debris clean-up. Many of the duties are related to transport infrastructure. The findings, decisions, and recommendations made in developing a TIMMS for the case study city may be applicable to other urban cities of a similar size, with similar types of infrastructure, that face limited manpower and resources.
The IMSs and MMSs that have been developed and discussed in the literature (Zhang et al. 1994; Markow 1995; Talvittie 1995; Subick and Adiguzel 1996; Tao et al. 2000), are for the most part, too complex to be implemented in small jurisdictions having limited resources.
A small city, for example, might have a limited budget for infrastructure maintenance, limited manpower and technical resources for infrastructure management activities, and a shortage of labour to perform maintenance actions.
1. A city engineer is solely responsible for the public works;
2. The city engineer's duties pertain not only to transportation (mostly roads) but also utilities (primarily sewage and water supply related); and
3. County, regional, and state assistance is usually secured for large public works efforts; also, the city is allocated funding annually by the state for routine transportation needs.
Regarding the latter item, a city in the United States typically receives funds, based on its size relative to other municipalities in its state, for road construction and maintenance. In some cases, additional funding may be received from special assessments and taxes.
Maintenance Management System (MMS) Components and Strategies
Hatry and Steinthal (1984) reported on a survey of MMS activities in municipalities in the United States. The following strategies were being used:
1. Perform crisis maintenance only;
2. Maintain the facilities in the worst condition first;
3. Conduct "opportunistic" maintenance when related work is scheduled (e.g., resurface a street if adjacent underground utilities are in need of repair);
4. Use previously specified maintenance cycles;
5. Repair the components that are at highest risk of failure;
6. Use preventive maintenance;
7. Reduce the demand for wear and tear on a facility; and
8. Compare the economic advantages of various maintenance strategies.
It can be argued that only the fourth, sixth, and eighth items are exemplary of a well-orchestrated MMS. The other items are either reactive or involve demand adjustments, none of which is proactive or management oriented. This paper focuses on the sixth strategy in developing a preventive-oriented TIMMS for the case study city.
Hudson et al. (1997) indicated that a functional MMS is comprised of detailed activities, such as work orders, crew assignments, scheduling, and so forth. This paper does not attempt to provide such detail for the case study TIMMS. To make an MMS functional, though, the following steps need to be taken (Uddin 1992):
1. Develop an overall MMS framework
2. Partition the roadway network and compile an inventory database
3. Develop a comprehensive list of maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction (MR&R) strategies and costs, categorized by type of infrastructure;
4. Develop and implement a customized inventory and distress data collection process, including data collection equipment and manpower needs;
5. Acquire and, if needed, modify computer software to support the manipulation and analysis of inventory and distress data; and
6. Report on various MMS components, including infrastructure inventory, conditioning, programming, costs, budget scenarios, inspection scheduling, and overall summaries.
A MMS framework is comprised of two levels of analysis: network and project (Hudson et al. 1997; Lee and Deighton 1995).
At the network level, the maintenance activities for a system are planned and programmed.
At the project level, detailed designs, site-specific impacts, and maintenance work items are assessed and completed. Integrating both levels of the framework are in-service monitoring and evaluation, as well as a database. The network level is where maintenance management is most effectively facilitated, and is the emphasis of this paper. Although Lee and Deighton (1995) recommended that a MMS be supported by a universal location referencing system, in a small community the simplest approach is to use addresses as benchmarks, then distances and directions to lock in on locations. It is not necessary to invest a great deal of effort into an elaborate network partitioning or routing scheme. The engineer simply needs to be familiar enough with the network and the locations of infrastructure to minimize redundant travel when performing routine monitoring.

BACKGROUND
The case study with the title "Swanepoel - M6 Case Study (Short Version)" is an excerpt from an extended case study that was done for Transportation Infrastructure Maintenance Management for a small urban city in Uinttah, Utah, Salt Lake City in 2009. (Reference to the full case study in Utah is available as a separate document)

 Key objectives and terms:
*Accountability for Infrastructure
*Infrastructure asset management;
*Asset life cycle management;
*Maintenance management;
*Full Asset Life Cycle Management
*Strategic Asset Management Planning
*Operations and Maintenance Management
QUESTIONS
Study the case study attached:
1.
Can you relate to the list of responsibilities of the part-time city engineer who was responsible for maintaining all of the locally owned public works (see Introduction).

a.
Would the part-time engineer be able to manage the municipal public works department without a TIMMS (Transportation infrastructure maintenance management system) ?
b.
Do you agree with the requirement that 'a city engineer is solely responsible for the public works'? (Why not another expert?)

2.
Observe the eight (8) maintenance management strategies. Do you agree with the statement: It can be argued that only the fourth, sixth, and eighth items are exemplary of a well-orchestrated MMS?

3.
Consider your own situation:
a.
Which maintenance strategy is missing (if any)? (Hint: preventive, proactive maintenance strategies)
b.
Briefly discuss the most critical requirement in stabilizing your maintenance environment.
c.
How will 4IR technological enhancements assist you in your current situation?

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Here are more detailed answers to the questions 1 a No I do not think the parttime engineer would be able to effectively manage the municipal public works department without a TIMMS The list of respon... View the full answer