Transportation Asset Management Tools and Standards Applied in Canada Highway Network Preservation

This paper presents the asset management concepts, engineering standards and technical tools developed by Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) for highway network preservation and annual investment planning, focusing on the applied standards and specifications including pavement performance measures, prediction models, rehabilitation strategies, cost effectiveness analyses, prioritization and optimization methods. The paper presents how MTO's Second Generation Pavement Management System (PMS2) fits into the ongoing Asset Management (AM) activities in terms of corridor investment plans (CIP) and multi-year rehabilitation and maintenance program. An example application of a corridor investment plan is used to illustrate the key characteristics and functional capacities of the newly enhanced PMS2, including road network database management, performance evaluation and prediction, and customized decision trees based upon forecasted road conditions and targeted service levels. The paper concludes with main findings from the example study of Ontario provincial highway corridor investment plans under different scenarios of investment and targeted performance levels, and discussions on several challenges related to the integration of PMS2 into the asset management program.