Evaluation of Maintenance Decisions to Optimize Navigable Inland Waterway Lock Conditions
Publication: Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 30, Issue 3
Abstract
An investment gap in America’s inland waterways (IWWs) has been fueled by decades of low investments, which has negatively impacted the reliability of the waterway’s locks. US IWWs, which transport commodities and support the nation’s economy, are aging rapidly, exacerbated by decades of underinvestment. Many of these infrastructure systems now need to address a substantial maintenance backlog to increase their life span and improve functionality. Optimizing the decision-making process for effective and efficient planning and policymaking is essential to perform this requisite maintenance. Recognizing the robust scope of this maintenance, long-term maintenance strategies are needed in order to optimize investments across these waterway systems to improve their condition. Currently, limited research exists on decision making on IWW transportation assets, and there is a lack of requisite guidance for optimally performing maintenance activities on a single lock on the IWW system. Therefore, this study focuses on developing a decision-making model that considers several uncertainties toward optimizing the maintenance of locks on IWWs. The model evaluates maintenance decisions on an IWW lock using data obtained via expert elicitation. Results obtained from compiling the influence diagram (ID) and performing sensitivity analysis on the model support the need for periodic inspection of the locks to assess the condition before making any maintenance decision. The study presents a novel approach for enhancing maintenance decisions on IWW assets by considering key uncertainties beyond the physical condition of the assets. This research sets the stage for further studies on how fiscal constraints affect infrastructure asset maintenance decisions.
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Data Availability Statement
Some or all data, models, or code used during the study were provided by the USACE, such as condition data, cost of consequences, and DM’s preferences. Direct requests for these materials may be made to the provider as indicated in the acknowledgments.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to acknowledge the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) for providing some of the data used to develop this model.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Infrastructure Systems
Volume 30 • Issue 3 • September 2024
Copyright
© 2024 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Sep 15, 2023
Accepted: Mar 29, 2024
Published online: Jun 8, 2024
Published in print: Sep 1, 2024
Discussion open until: Nov 8, 2024
ASCE Technical Topics:
- Analysis (by type)
- Architectural engineering
- Asset management
- Building management
- Business management
- Decision making
- Engineering fundamentals
- Financial management
- Hydraulic engineering
- Hydraulic structures
- Inland waterways
- Investments
- Locks (waterway)
- Maintenance and operation
- Practice and Profession
- Sensitivity analysis
- Water and water resources
- Waterways
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Metrics & Citations
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