Asset Lifecycle Plans. December 2010

Transcription

1 Asset Lifecycle Plans December 2010

2 Lifecycle Plan Summary December 2010 P a g e 2

3 A s s e t L i f e cy c l e P l a n Contents: 1 Introduction to Lifecycle Planning Primary Purpose of Lifecycle Planning Secondary Purpose Output from Lifecycle Planning The Importance of Lifecycle Plans Lifecycle Planning Layout Lifecycle Plan Summary...6 P a g e 3

4 A s s e t L i f e cy c l e P l a n 1 Introduction to Lifecycle Planning 1.1 Primary Purpose of Lifecycle Planning The purpose of a lifecycle plan is to document how a particular asset is managed. In doing so definition is created of the standards that are applied and the processes that are used as a reference for those who may need to know. 1.2 Secondary Purpose Lifecycle plans provide secondary benefits in enabling institutional knowledge to be captured. Many authorities currently rely heavily upon the knowledge and judgement of key personnel. Documenting the management processes used for each asset group records this knowledge and enables it to be shared and developed. 1.3 Output from Lifecycle Planning The output from the lifecycle planning process is long term prediction of the cost of the continued management and operation of the asset in question. These should be in the form of financial projections linked to stated levels of service (reported using appropriate performance measures). 1.4 The Importance of Lifecycle Plans Lifecycle plans are the core of a road asset management plan. They contain the critical detail that enables the wider asset management practices such as long term cost projection, performance management and risk management to be applied. 1.5 Lifecycle Planning Layout The lifecycle planning section of this Transport Asset Management Plan is divided into three sections as follows: 1. Lifecycle Planning Summary This describes the required information to achieve the above lifecycle plan output i.e. a long term prediction of the cost of the continued management and operation of the asset. We strive to manage all the assets using a consistent process and these details will be included within the summary section. 2. Individual Lifecycle Asset Management Plans Individual lifecycle management plans will provide the main details and assumptions of the asset using the layout from the Summary section. Sections which aren t needed to manage the asset will be omitted. Sections where our standard process is used with no exceptions will also be omitted. Any exceptions to the processes described in the lifecycle planning summary will be included in the individual asset plan. P a g e 4

5 A s s e t L i f e cy c l e P l a n 3. Appendices All additional information from specific details, workings and reports will be included in the Appendix and referenced in the above two documents. P a g e 5

6 A s s e t L i f e cy c l e P l a n 2 Lifecycle Plan Summary Ref Section Name Section Description 1 Current Status What is the current status of this asset group? 1.1 Current Issues Current causes of concern, or alternatively opportunities for improvement that aren t currently being taken that still need resolving. 1.2 Current Asset Management Strategies Current strategies in place to address the previous Current Issues. These provide acknowledgement that asset management activities are already in hand with these strategies acting as a starting point. 2 The Asset What Assets do the Council Own? 2.1 Inventory The extent of the asset is presented in appropriate groups eg. asset types, geographical locations, road classification etc which relate to the specific asset management approach used by the Council. The reliability of the information is to be included with all inventories. 2.2 Asset Register Details of the definitive record of the asset owned by the council? 2.3 Asset Growth Average growth of total assets over a minimum of five years aids the projection of long term costs. Additional future growth predictions increase the accuracy of these projections. Our Approach Asset Information Management varies from asset to asset. There currently aren t any documented processes for collecting and maintaining the existing information. An Asset Management Information Strategy covering all information types is currently under development with the aim of determining the information required to be held for each asset, the information currently held, where and in what format, the missing information, the collection methods for the missing information and any proposed changes to the storage method. This strategy covers all assets and therefore will be listed as an Improvement Action in the main TAMP document only. As asset specific improvement actions are developed they will be added to the relevant lifecycle plan. 3 Service Expectations 3.1a Customer Perceptions Our Approach 3.1b Customer Perceptions Our Approach 3.2 Council Goals and Objectives What is this asset group required to do? What do people think of this asset? What are customer perceptions of the management of this asset group? The process for identification and alignment with customer expectations is achieved through a customer survey or public consultation exercise. The National Highways & Transport (NHT) Survey is a postal survey, carried out by Ipsos MORI, which is completed by 76 English authorities. The survey is organised under themes linked to national (LTP2) shared transport priorities and other important highway and transport related topics. What is the level of customer complaint in relation to this asset? Customer Project Feedback Post scheme satisfaction surveys were carried out on 3 schemes in and showed an average satisfaction of 84.3%. Customer Relationship Management Customer Relationship Management is contained within the IMIS system. All customer contacts, service requests and progress made in satisfying these are recorded on the system. IMIS enables front-line staff to present consistent and up-to-date information to customers. The Control Centre staff collects details of the caller, defect and location and enter into IMIS. Onsite inspections are completed and if work is required, details are entered into Works Manager. On completion of the task, signoff must be completed individually in both IMIS and Works Manager. Our Corporate Plan identifies the objectives and priorities that it aims to complete over a set period of time. The TAMP and lifecycle plans show how the assets P a g e 6

7 A s s e t L i f e cy c l e P l a n Ref Section Name Section Description contribute to achieving the Corporate Objectives and Priorities. Our Approach Each assets lifecycle plan contains a flow diagram showing the linkage between the asset specific priorities and the Corporate Priorities. 3.3 Use The current volume of use and any predicted future events that may cause a change to the method of management are described in this section. Growth information provides an idea of the speed of change in the previous five years. The capability of the current resources to meet the existing growth and any future growth provides a starting point for deciding the long term needs of the asset. 3.4 Safety Considerations Our Approach Role of the asset in delivering a safe road network and where applicable management processes utilised to achieve any safety targets. Injury collision statistics are included with any recurring contributory factors associated with the form and condition. A list of collision types with associated remedies and installation and future maintenance costs are included for long term cost projection. We have a rolling programme of collision investigation and prevention projects to improve the safety and operation of the highway network. Sites for concern are primarily identified using the Council's road collision database. 3.5 Utility Activity The purpose of this section is to highlight the influence that this activity has on both the ability to produce long term plans and forecasts and their content. Utility activity can have a major effect on the maintenance and management of the asset. Although not yet quantified it is believed that there is a significant increase in the number of defects found following the disturbance of the surface due to utilities. This is apparent even when the utility has reinstated the surface to the required standard. The utility coordination process, scale of activities and future trends will provide the information needed to calculate the influence on Staffordshire s assets. Our Approach rd Party Claims Costs and trends of 3 rd party claims. The interrogation of third party claims can aid in the determination of recurrent faults within the highway, the details presently held record the location and details of the claim but the information is not used when identifying or prioritising works. Our Approach 3rd Party Claims (All Assets) Year Total No. No. Refuted No. Reserve Reserve Amount No. Paid Total Paid 3.7 Environmental Considerations 3.8 Network Availability Considerations Our Approach , , ,275, , , , ,192, , ,474, ,993 Environmental requirements for each asset with associated effects on the short and long term planning. Requirements placed upon the management of this asset in terms of ensuring network availability? We have a list of 1003 Traffic Sensitive locations which are currently indicated by the field IfTrafSens, in the exported Staffordshire NSG. All locations are located as all day / every day. The GIS team are currently awaiting the approval of an Improvement Action to update the periods of traffic sensitivity. 3.9 Amenity Value Amenity requirements for each asset with associated effects on the short and long P a g e 7

8 A s s e t L i f e cy c l e P l a n Ref Section Name Section Description Considerations term planning. Our Approach 4 Management Practices We do not have any formal policy which requires certain construction or material standards for differing amenity areas. What standards are applied to the management of this asset group? 4.1 Policies Council policies which affect the management of the asset 4.2 Inspection Regime Our Approach The significant components of the Inspection Regime which affect the asset management of the asset including frequency of inspections, inspectors training or qualifications, output and compliance with Codes of Practice. We monitor the safety of the highway network following their Highway Safety Inspection Code of Practice (HSICP) last revised in October This is based on the recommendations of Well Maintained Highways, Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management, July The frequencies of inspections are described in Table 4.1. Table 4.1: Frequency of Safety Inspections Road Category Hierarchy Description Definition Inspection Frequency 4.3 Condition Assessment 4.4 Construction / Asset Acquisition Our Approach C1 C2 C3 Strategic Route Main Distributor Secondary Distributor Principal A roads that form part of a strategic network at a regional level. Remaining A roads B roads, C roads with a total traffic flow > 1000 in a 12hr period, unclassified urban bus routes with an hourly or more frequently service C4 Link Road Remaining C roads, roads linking the main and secondary distributor network, D & U roads with exceptionally high traffic flow, industrial estate service roads, residential distributor roads with considerable H.C.V. flow C5 Local Access Road Remaining D & U roads ie. residential loop roads, housing estate roads, residential cul-desacs, rear access lanes, green lanes lay-bys. Monthly (driven) Monthly (driven) Monthly (driven) 3 Monthly (driven) Annual (driven / walked) Condition assessments provide an indication of the remaining life of an asset. Assessment procedures differ with each asset and must therefore be described including frequencies and inspectors training or qualifications. A list of results and interpretations for a minimum of five previous surveys provides an understanding of how the asset is progressing through its lifecycle and whether the condition targets are achievable. How are new assets acquired? The process and standards applied to ensure newly acquired assets have a certain level of condition. The whole of life costs assessment used at the time of design of new assets enables the Council to ensure future maintenance requirements can be completed within the budget. New assets are typically acquired from either adoption or from taking over improvement works completed by contractors on behalf of the council. This is managed through using Section 38, 278 or 106 legal agreements. Newly constructed 'adoptable' streets are only adopted once they meet current council specifications. At present the long term costs of new works are not assessed and the ongoing maintenance liability is not included within the design calculations or added to the service plan. This can lead to the addition of new assets that have overly onerous ongoing maintenance requirements. There is currently no process in place for updating the RMS when internal works are completed which entail a change to the existing infrastructure. The Asset Data Management Team are currently developing an Asset Data Management Strategy P a g e 8

9 A s s e t L i f e cy c l e P l a n Ref Section Name Section Description which will include a process for obtaining accurate inventory information to ensure RMS is maintained. It is the responsibility of the Network Manager to inform the safety inspectors of any newly acquired assets such that they can be included on the inspection programme. At present there is no formal procedure for this action and no measure of performance. 4.5 Routine Maintenance Our Approach Routine repair categories, specific response times and target compliance rate. Routine Maintenance treatments are undertaken to ensure the asset is maintained at a minimum service level. Defects are identified through customer contact reports and the Highway Inspection Regime as detailed in the Highway Safety Inspection Code of Practice (HSICP) There are six Response Categories which are based on the Highway Maintenance Code of Practice. The type of treatments selected will differ according to the urgency of repair. The Response Categories are: Table 4.1: Category Response Times Category / Defect Response Cat 1 / Def 1A Make the defect safe at the time of inspection (ie. sign and cone off) and summon a maintenance crew to break off their existing work to carry out immediate repairs. Cat 1 / Def 1B Request a maintenance crew to make the site safe or carry out repairs within 24 hours Cat 1 / Def 1C Maintenance crew to make the site safe and make arrangements for permanent repairs to be carried out within 28 days. Cat 2 / Def 2 Make safe or repair in 7 calendar days Cat 2 / Def 3 Repair within 28 calendar days Cat 2 / Def 4 Carry out repair during next available programme. 4.6 Operational / Cyclic Maintenance 4.7 Planned Maintenance: Renewals In most assets specific investigatory levels need to be developed as an Improvement Action to ensure a consistent approach. Operational activities required to keep the assets in operation, frequencies and target compliance with response times. How are planned renewals determined? What intervention criteria are used to assess renewals needs? How are lists of possible schemes prioritised? How are planned renewals programmes linked to prediction of asset condition? Which assets, or asset components, present the opportunity for the application of preventative maintenance? 4.8 Disposal The process for disposing of assets including the criteria for disposal and the official removal from council ownership 5 Investment How much does this asset group currently cost? 5.1 Historical Investment Historical levels of investment over the last 5 years including: 3 rd party claim payouts Operational costs: cyclic maintenance activities Reactive maintenance: safety related Routine maintenance: reactive non safety related Planned maintenance: asset renewals preventative Planned maintenance: asset renewals corrective P a g e 9

10 A s s e t L i f e cy c l e P l a n Ref Section Name Section Description 5.2 Output from Investment 5.3 Forecasting Financial Needs Asset upgrading Output from investment over the last five years Future forecast budgetary needs and documented process for establishing these. 5.4 Valuation Gross Replacement Cost (GRC) estimate of the current cost of replacing an asset using a standardised procedure Depreciated Replacement Cost (DRC) estimate of the current book value of the asset reflecting the fact that a proportion of the asset has been consumed / used up as result of use and ageing. Annualised Depreciation Cost (ADC) the cost of an asset to a single year of the asset s expected lifetime 6 Forward Works Programme 6.1 Existing Programmes Our Approach 6.2 Programme Coordination Our Approach How are future works programmed? Current year and forward work programmes costs and other details. The process for developing current year and forward work programmes including update frequency and level of confidence. The prioritisation method In Staffordshire budgets are allocated in February each year and draft 12 month programmes, based on estimates, are finalised for approval in March. On approval each scheme is designed to finalise treatment type and cost. Schemes can be added or deleted from the programme based on these costs. No programmes exist for future years. Coordination of future works programmes The application of asset management and lifecycle planning in particular provide an ideal opportunity for greater co-ordination through the co-ordination of programmes over a longer period providing the potential for creating more hybrid schemes, managing road space occupation more effectively and placing embargos of potentially inappropriate extensive routine repairs on assets for which major maintenance schemes are planned within the next few years. At present there is a formal process for creating a co-ordinated works programme made up of appropriate schemes from each of the individual asset groups. 6.3 Option Appraisal The documented option appraisal methodology used to assess alternatives at a maintenance treatment level, project level and a budget category level. Our Approach Designers are required to assess a number of options before undertaking the final design. There is little documented evidence of the process and assumptions that drive the final decision. 7 Risk What are the risks associated with the management of this asset group? 7.1 Risk Control and Reporting Our Approach 8 Works Delivery and Procurement Our Approach 9 Performance Measurement The key risks that have been identified, the controls in place to manage them and the reporting process. The current delivery method of works and the tender processes for contracted works The council processes for evaluating supplier proposals for higher cost, better value for money products and services Staffordshire Highways is a virtual joint venture bringing together us, and Enterprise as a seamless team delivering the highest standards in maintaining and improving our vital transport infrastructure. How is the performance of this asset group measured and managed? 9.1 Performance Results and targets for national performance indicators for the asset for the last P a g e 10

11 A s s e t L i f e cy c l e P l a n Ref Section Name Section Description Indicators: five years. National 9.2 Performance Indicators: Local 9.3 Performance Reporting Our Approach 10 Future Strategies 11 Service Improvement Actions Results and targets for local performance indicators for the asset for the last five years. The process for reporting performance results including when and to whom Performance Indicators are reported quarterly through the Council s Performance Management Information System to Scrutiny Committee Future strategies which offer the best value for money to deliver what is required from the asset Asset management processes in Staffordshire which could be improved to enable delivery of a better value service Specific improvement actions which improve the way in which the council currently manages the asset. They are recorded as an improvement action statement and include a proposed completion date and responsible officer. P a g e 11

12 A s s e t L i f e c y c l e P l a n Risk Register Tables Table 2.1a: Likelihood Impact Table 2.1b: Risk Impact Risk Rating Likelihood Risk Description (Overall Risk = Likelihood x Impact) Score Classification 1 Remote Likely to occur greater than 10 Years 2 Unlikely Likely to occur within 5 to 10 Years Net Risk Score Risk Rating Risk Mitigating Action 3 Possible Likely to occur within 3 to 5 Years 16 to 25 Red Action required 4 Likely Likely to occur within 1 to 3 Years 10 to 15 Amber Should consider action 5 Very Likely Likely to occur within a year 1 to 10 Green May consider action Table 2.1c: Risk Impact Risk Rating Score Impact Classification Health, Safety and Welfare 1 Insignificant Minor injury cleared with first aid treatment 2 Minor Reportable dangerous occurrences (near misses) 3 Moderate Reportable over-threeday injuries or reportable diseases 4 Significant Major reportable injury or injuries 5 Catastrophic Fatality or permanent disability Customer Service Finance Reputation Adverse impact on service for up to 1 day. Adverse impact on service between 1 day and 1 week. Adverse impact on service between 1 week and 1 month. Adverse impact on service between 1 and 3 months. Adverse impact on service for over 3 months. Up to 100,000 Up to 250,000 Up to 1m Up to 5m Over 5m Managed / reported to Business Unit Local media (Short Term duration) Managed / reported to Departmental Management Team Local media (Medium / Long Term duration) Managed / reported to Corporate Management Team and Members Regional media (Short Term duration) Managed / reported to Members and Cabinet Regional / National media (Medium / Long Term duration) Third Party intervention Public Interest Group National / International media (Medium / Long Term duration) P a g e 12

13 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n Carriageway Lifecycle Plan December 2010 P a g e 13

14 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n Contents: 1 Current Status Current Issues Current Asset Management Strategies The Asset Scope of Asset Asset Register Asset Growth Service Expectations Customer Perceptions Council Goals and Objectives Use Safety Considerations Utility Activity rd Party Claims Environmental Considerations Management Practices Policies Inspection Regime Condition Assessment Construction / Asset Acquisition Operate and Maintain (incl. Routine Maintenance) Planned Maintenance: Renewals Disposal Investment Historical Investment Forecasting Financial Needs Valuation Forward Works Programme Existing Programmes Option Appraisal Risk Risk Control and Reporting Performance Measurement Performance Indicators Performance Reporting Future Strategies Improvement Actions...26 P a g e i

15 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 1 Current Status 1.1 Current Issues Accurate widths of the carriageway are currently unknown on the whole Staffordshire network. These need to be obtained to allow the 2010/11 Valuation to be completed accurately. Note: Default widths were provided for the 2009/10 Valuation. 1.2 Current Asset Management Strategies An additional 30 million is being put into carriageway (and footway) maintenance over 4 years ( 5 million in 2009/10, 10 million in 2010/11 and 2011/12, and 5 million in 2012/13) to achieve the target condition of 4%. 2 The Asset 2.1 Scope of Asset The carriageway asset is comprised of: Table 2.1: Carriageway Inventory 2009/10 (Km) Road Type Urban (km) Rural (km) Total (km) Principal (A) Roads (Cat 2) Classified (B) roads (cat 3a) Classified (C) roads (cat 3b) , Un - Classified (C) roads (cat 4a) , Total There is a high level of confidence in the accuracy of the above values. They are updated on an annual basis as part of the R199b data return to the Department for Transport (DfT). 2.2 Asset Register The most up to date carriageway network is found on the National Street Gazetteer. The WDM Pavement Management System (PMS) has the capacity to hold the network and all additional carriageway information. Currently at this time the PMS is not populated. An improvement action to complete this task is included in Section 10 of this Lifecycle Plan. P a g e 2

16 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 2.3 Asset Growth The lengths provided through the R199b process for the last five years are recorded in Table 2.2. The average annual increase over the period is 1.2% predominantly in the rural areas. The majority of the increase in the carriageway asset is from the adoption of unclassified roads. This equates on average to 1% increase per year which is predicted to continue for the following five to ten years. Table 2.2: Changes in Carriageway Inventory (Km) Road Type 2005/ / / / /10 Urban 2, , , , ,768.3 Rural 2, , , , ,292.3 Total 5, , , , ,060.6 Overall % Change 0.0% 0.0% 5.8% 0.0% 3 Service Expectations 3.1 Customer Perceptions The process for identification and alignment with customer expectations is achieved initially through a customer survey or public consultation exercise. The most recent fully documented survey was completed in 2003 in association with a Have your Say event National Highways & Transport (NHT) Survey The National Highways & Transport (NHT) Survey is a postal survey, carried out by Ipsos MORI. The following results were associated with the carriageway asset: Table 3.1: National Highways & Transport (NHT) Survey Results (Carriageways) Ind. Ref. Benchmarking Indicator Score (100) Rank (30) CC Rank (11) Score (100) Rank (76) CC Rank (11) Score (100) HMBI 01 Condition of road surfaces HMBI 02 Cleanliness of roads HMBI 06 Speed of repair to damaged roads and pavements HMBI 08 Weed killing on pavements and roads HMBI 11 Keep roads clear of obstructions such as skips/scaffolding etc HMBI 14 Cuts back overgrown hedges obstructing the highway HMBI 15 Deals with mud on the road Rank (95) CC Rank (11) P a g e 3

17 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n Customer Relationship Management Our Customer Relationship Management process enables us to provide our customers with a good service. All customer contacts and service requests received are entered into our Integrated Highway Management System (IHMS) which enables us to manage and ensure that action is taken within our required response time. Figure 3.1 shows the number of enquiries received in relation to the carriageway asset. A more in depth analysis of the information highlights that reporting potholes is the most common enquiry. The increase in the winter months highlights the effects the bad winter had on the overall carriageway through the increase in potholes. Number of Enquiries Number of Customer Enquiries 2009/10 (Carriageways) Carriageways Specialist Surfacing Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 gure 3.1: Customer Enquiries 2009/10 (Carriageways) Source: IHMS Fi 3.2 Council Goals and Objectives The carriageway asset makes a significant contribution towards achieving Corporate Priorities as can be seen in Figure 3.2. P a g e 4

18 C a rr i a g ew a y L i f ec y c l e P l a n D e ce m b e r Corporate Priorities Corporate Priority 1: A vibrant prosperous and sustainable economy Corporate Priority 2: Strong, safe and cohesive communities Corporate Priority 4: A protected, enhanced and respected environment Corporate Priority 3: Improved health and sense of well being Corporate Priority 5: Statutory education and early years targets Service Outcomes Service Outcome 2: Staffordshire will be known for being a high knowledge-based, skilled economy, leading to better quality of life outcomes for Staffordshire s Service Outcome 3: Ensure that Staffordshire s communities can access everyday facilities via the transport and Service Outcome 4: Provide high quality, innovative and efficient services to Staffordshire communities. Service Outcome 1: Tackle the challenge of climate change and ensure that Staffordshire s communities can access our natural environment. Service Priorities Service Priority 11: Improve and maintain the condition and safety of Staffordshire s roads, footways and rights of way. Service Priority 10: Develop and manage a transport network which supports sustainable economic growth, promotes travel and improves Service Priority 15: Provide efficient and high-quality trading services to facilitate highperforming front-line services. Staffordshire County Council Highway Aims Aim 3: Well maintained highways SCCHA3A: To maintain the highway network to a standard that provides for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods Aim 2: Safer roads, accessible and sustainable transport SCCHA2A: To ensure safer journeys and reduce road casualties Aim 1: Customer Focussed SCCHA1A: Our services will be easier to access, more customer focussed and, responsive to the needs of individuals and local communities. Aim 5: A high quality, value for money service SCCHA5B: We will be recognised as a leading high performing highway service Staffordshire County Council Highway Priorities SCCHP3A: Improve and maintain the condition and safety of Staffordshire s roads, footways and rights of way SCCHP3B: The completion of a second transport Asset Management Plan SCCHP2A: Reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on Staffordshire s roads SCCHP1A: Increased customer satisfaction measured through the road defects hotline surveys, post scheme satisfaction surveys, National Highways Public Satisfaction Survey and the Considerate Constructor Scheme SCCHP1B: Improved response to reports and requests for service from our customers. SCCHP5B: Improve the quality of work by reducing the number and costs of defects and non-conformities. TAMP Linkages SCCHP3A TAMP Linkage: The carriageway life cycle plan provides the tools to create programmes to achieve this priority SCCHP3B TAMP Linkage: The successful completion of the TAMP SCCHP2A TAMP Linkage: Implementing the Skid Resistance Policy including regular monitoring, analysing and programme development SCCHP1A TAMP Linkage: Provides forward programmes that will be made available to the customer when requested. SCCHP1B TAMP Linkage: Provides the process for compiling the Minor Works Programme focussed on satisfying the customer SCCHP5B TAMP Linkage: The carriageway life cycle plan targets efficient use of funding on maintaining the asset. P a g e 5

19 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 3.3 Use We do not have a formal traffic monitoring process in place for assessing traffic growth over time. It is recognised that this is an essential component of long term planning so an improvement action to develop a process has been included in Section 10. The only existing traffic flow information for Staffordshire County is found on the Department for Transport (DfT) website Source: -volm/tra8903.xls This is updated throughout the year as information becomes available. Table 3.2 Traffic Flow and % Growth (All Motor Vehicles) Traffic Flow (mil.veh.miles) ,594 2,601 2,619 2,690 2,979 3,006 2,997 3,057 3,150 3,136 3,144 % Change % Accumulated Growth % 20% 15% % Accumulated Traffic Growth ( ) (Staffordshire / West Midlands) 10% 5% 0% West Midlands Staffordshire Year Figure 3.3: % Accumulated Traffic Growth ( ) Table 3.2 shows that traffic has increased by 16.95% over the last ten years. Figure 3.3 shows that this increase is signicantly above the same increases for West Midlands and England over the same period. The main increase began in 2003 when detrunked roads were passed to Staffordshire County Council for managing. P a g e 6

20 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 3.4 Safety Considerations Table 3.3 provides details of all reported casualties for the last 10 years including child statistics. In summary there has been an overall downward trend in all categories since Table 3.3 Summary of All Reported Casualties Year Fatal Serious KSI Slight Total All Child All Child All Child All Child All Child Carriageway surface renewal schemes have been used to reduce the collisions at some sites. Table 3.4 and 3.5 provide an analysis of how different treatment types affect the level of collisions. Table 3.4 compares the impact different surfacing treatments have on collision reduction. The most productive, in terms of collision savings per site is resurfacing, with a reduction of 7.2 collisions per site been achieved after treatments have been completed.. The other three surface types all achieved between 3.8 and 5.5 reductions in collisions as a result of the specific treatment. Table 3.4: LSS Collision STATS 3 YEAR ANALYSIS ALL COLLISIONS TREATED BY SURFACING Rank Type Before After % Reduction in Collisions after new Treatment No. Sites Treated Collisions / site Before Treatment Completed Reduction in Collision / Site Treated 1 Resurfacing* % Surface Dressing % Anti-skid surfacing % Retexturing* % Total All Schemes % * Tended to be locations with a rapidly increasing number of collisions in the winter when surface treatments were not possible Table 3.5 compares the impact individual scheme types including surface dressing, anti-skid surfacing and signing and lighting have on collision reduction. The surface treatments were both shown to provide more reductions to the amount of collisions than signing and lining improvements. P a g e 7

21 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n Table 3.5: LSS COLLISION STATS 3 YEAR ANALYSIS 2003/04 to 2005/06 SURFACING AND SIGNING / LINING Rank Type Before After % Reduction in Collisions after new Treatment No. Sites Treated Collisions / site Before Treatment Completed Reduction in Collision by / Site Treated 1 Surface Dressing % Anti-skid Surfacing % Signing and Lining % Total % Utility Activity Utility activity can have a major effect on the maintenance and management of the carriageway asset, although not yet quantified it is believed that there is a significant increase in the number of defects found following the disturbance of the surface due to utilities. This is apparent even when the utility has reinstated the surface to the required standard rd Party Claims The interrogation of third party claims can aid in the determination of recurrent faults within the highway. The details presently held record the location and details of the claim. This information is currently not used in the identification and / or prioritisation of works. The total quantities for all highway assets are shown in the Lifecycle Plan Summary at the beginning of this document. The costs of these claims can be significant and it is therefore important to identify commonalities which can be assessed and reduced through following good asset management. An Improvement Action to separate the 3 rd Party Claims into individual assets is included in Section 10 of this Lifecycle Plan. 3.7 Environmental Considerations Staffordshire Highways prides itself on being a leader in the field of sustainable highways maintenance where we consider the environmental effects of our actions. We recycle arisings from the existing road, using imported, recycled or secondary aggregates to reduce our impact on the natural resources and use techniques which minimise the production of greenhouse gases. The following are examples of processes we use to reduce our effect on the environment: In situ mobile asphalt recycling This innovative technique uses existing footway material or asphalt planings, turning lumps of crumbling old footway into new shiny black asphalt. The process completely avoids the need to purchase new bitumen-coated aggregate and elminates the disposal of any waste to landfill. P a g e 8

22 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n This process alone has resulted in an annual reduction in carbon emissions of approximately 1,600 tonnes equivalent to almost 10 million kilometres of car journeys, calculated with the Carbon Trust Toolkit using standard Defra conversion factors. Recycling of inert materials returned to maintenance depot Materials are imported from site to highways depots and stock piled in storage bays. When sufficient materials are in stock, mobile crushing and screening plant is temporarily installed in the depot and the material, usually concrete products and excavated sub-base is crushed to produce laboratory tested Type 2 Granular Subbase which is then reused within the highways term maintenance contracts. This process produces approximately 65,000 tonnes of material per year, saving the Council around 730,000 per year. 4 Management Practices 4.1 Policies The following two policies which effect the asset management of the carriageway have been officially approved by the Council. Skid Resistance Policy July 2008 Highway Safety Inspection Code of Practice (last revised in October 2007) The remaining requirements for managing these assets are provided by the recommendations detailed in the Well Maintained Highway Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management, July 2005 (Well Maintained Highways). An improvement action has being included in Section 10 to obtain official council approval for the specific recommendations in Well Maintained Highways which we follow. This will require reviewing all the recommendations to ensure they meet our needs and adding where applicable local exceptions. 4.2 Inspection Regime We monitor the safety of the highway network following our Highway Safety Inspection Code of Practice (last revised in October 2007). This is based on the recommendations of Well Maintained Highways. 4.3 Condition Assessment The condition of the carriageway is assessed by inspections using a number of assessment techniques. SCANNER a vehicle mounted automated condition survey that assesses the visual defects on the surface of the road and relates these to an overall road condition. P a g e 9

23 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n SCRIM Sideways-force Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine used to measure the wet skidding resistance of a road surface. Deflectograph A vehicle mounted survey that assesses the structural condition of road pavements by measuring the deflection of the road surface under the action of a rolling wheel. Coarse Visual Inspection (CVI) To complete? Table Frequency of Condition Inspections/Assessments Survey Type Deflectograph SCRIM Scanner CVI Road Classification A A & B A, B & C D & U % of Network Surveyed Each Year A, B = 100, C = Direction of Survey One way One way One way N/A Yearly Cycle for Complete Coverage 5 1 A, B = 2, C = 4 4 km Surveyed Each Year A = 546.3; B = A = 546.3, B = 331.9, C = Deflectograph This type of survey is carried out to assess and estimate the structural residual life of the carriageway, and where necessary to design overlay thicknesses to extend the structural life. This process can help to define the backlog and long term budget requirements required to maintain the structural integrity of the highway network. Table 4.2 and its associated graph show that 89.59% of the carriageway surveyed in 2009 has over 19 years of life remaining. This has improved from 38.64% in The significant reduction highlights that the carriageway scheme selection process is working correctly and targeting pavements with low remaining life. Table 4.2: Deflectograph Summary Defective Life Years Residual Life Survey (02/02/2007) Length % (km) Survey (14/12/2009) Length % (km) < to to to to > % Comparison of Deflectograph Results 02/02/ /12/2009 <0 0 to 4 5 to 9 10 to to 19 >19 Residual Life P a g e 10

24 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n SCRIM Scrim surveys are used to measure the wet skidding resistance of the road surface. The measurements from scrim are used to identify lengths of road that are at or below investigatory levels defined for that particular road category or carriageway event. This allows the authority to identify problem areas and carry out remedial works as required, hence improving the safety of the highway network. Table 4.3 and its associated graph show the results from SCRIM surveys completed in 2002 and In measuring SCRIM, each 10 metre section is assigned a reading from the survey machine which is then compared with an investigatory level (IL). ILs reflect the level of demand for skid resistance expected at the specific site. High demand sites include pedestrian crossings and traffic signals where the need to stop quickly is more likely. Low demand sites are lengths of road where there are no events requiring the need to stop quickly. The SCRIM Deficiency measure referred to in Table 4.3 compares the level of skid resistance available via the survey with the IL. A value of zero or above indicates that there is insufficient skid resistance at the site for the required demand. The results in Table 4.3 show that in 2002/03 and 2009 there was 13.7% and 12.3% of carriageway respectively with SCRIM Deficiency below 0. This indicates that skid resistance has maintained a consistent level in that period. Table 4.3: SCRIM Deficiency 2002/ SCRIM Deficiency % Length (km) % Length (km) < > Totals 100 1, % Less than 0.15 Comparison of SCRIM Results Bet & Bet.-0.1 & Bet & Bet & 0.04 Bet & 0.09 More than 0.09 SCRIM Deficiency 2002/ SCANNER Scanner surveys are conducted in order to obtain the following information; roughness in the left-hand wheel path, texture in the left-hand wheel path centre of lane and right-hand wheel path, individual wheel path rut depths measured under a 2m straight edge with 20 sensors over a 3.2 metre width, video recording of the view ahead providing images at 5m intervals, longitudinal gradient, horizontal radius of curvature and lane cross fall. P a g e 11

25 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n COARSE VISUAL INSPECTION (CVI) CVI surveys are a driven visual inspection of the D road and unclassified road network. These surveys are conducted on 25% of the D and U road network annually hence forming a 4 year cycle. Survey Type Length (Km) Table 4.4 BVPI Results (2005/ /10) A Roads B Roads C Roads U Roads SCANNER SCANNER SCANNER CVI %age of overall length Length (Km) %age of overall length Length (Km) %age of overall length Length (Km) %age of overall length 2005/ / / / / Construction / Asset Acquisition New assets are typically acquired from either adoption or from taking over improvement works completed by contractors on behalf of the council. This is normally managed by the development control team using Section 38, 278 or 106 legal agreements. Newly constructed 'adoptable' streets are only adopted once they meet current council specifications. 4.5 Operate and Maintain (incl. Routine Maintenance) Routine Maintenance treatments are undertaken to ensure the asset is maintained at a minimum service level. Safety inspectors are responsible for identifying and assessing any defects which reduce the safety of the road user. Investigatory Levels are the point when a risk assessment should be conducted. Section 2.2, Highway Safety Inspection Code of Practice provides a list of investigatory levels for the main defects for guidance. Table 4.5 shows the Carriageway Investigatory Levels. Table 4.5: Carriageway Investigatory Levels Feature Defect Investigatory Level Carriageway Pothole / Spalling 40mm depth Crowning Dependant on reinstatement width (NRSWA) Depression 50mm level difference (area 2m 2 ) Rutting 40mm depth Crazing / cracking 25mm width (40mm depth) Sunken ironwork 40mm level difference Raised ironwork 20mm level difference Edge deterioration 100mm level difference P a g e 12

26 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n The number of carriageway and specialist surfacing defects rectified in 2008 and 2009 are shown in Figure 4.1. This information highlights a significant increase in carriageway defects in 2009 due extensively to the bad winter causing an increase in potholes. Number of Defects Carriageways (Category Breakdown by Year) Cat 1 Cat 2/Def 2 Cat 2/Def 3 Cat 2/Def 4 Cat 1 Cat 2/Def 2 Cat 2/Def 3 Cat 2/Def 4 Response Categories by Year Response Categories by Year Figure 4.1: Carriageway and Specialist Surfacing Completed Defects (2008 & 2009) (Source: IHMS) 4.6 Planned Maintenance: Renewals Number of Defects Specialist Surfacing (Category Breakdown by Year) Planned maintenance options available are for A, B and C Roads in Table 4.6 and for Unclassified Roads in Table 4.7. Table 4.6: Unit Costs and Design Lives for Treatment Urban and Roads (A, B & C Roads) Treatment Design Lives Rural Unit Cost ( /m) Urban Unit Cost ( /m) (yrs) A Roads B Roads C Roads A Roads B Roads C Roads Reconstruction Thick Overlay Moderate Overlay Thin Overlay Thin Surfacing Surface dressing / Micro Asphalt Table 4.7: Unit Costs and Design Lives for Treatment Rural and Urban Roads (Unclassified) Treatment Design Lives Unit Cost ( ) (yrs) Structural Condition Indice Wearing Condition Indice Edge Condition Indice* * All unit costs are for m 2 except for Edge which is in linear metres Figure 4.2 details the process for creating the Annual Planned Maintenance Programme. Additional information referred to in Figure 4.2 is shown in Figure 4.3 and Table 4.7. The result of the process is a final list of schemes to be completed in the following financial year. This is inserted into the Annex of this lifecycle plan once P a g e 13

27 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n approved. A second list of schemes is also identified which are on standby for situations where additional funding may become available or one of the initial schemes can t be completed. This is an annual process and each year all uncompleted identified schemes, new and old, will be prioritised equally. This ensures that the schemes most in need of completion are inserted into the following years Planned Maintenance Programme. P a g e 14

28 Carriagewa y L if ecy cle Plan D ecem b er Planned Maintenance Programme Process Step 1: Identification of Scheme Hotspots Step 2: Field Inspection Step 3: Prioritisation The initial identification of potential maintenance schemes called Scheme Hotspots are undertaken by the Pavement Engineers using an automated process as depicted in Figure 4.3: The process assesses the main condition data collected throughout the year: SCANNER, CVI, SCRIM and outputs a list of work schemes. Pavement Engineers visit all sites identified from the following sources and assesses the condition of the pavement and the validity of the suggested treatment Scheme Hotspots POEMS Customer complaints for the last 12 months Five Year Programme Road Management System Output Category Four Sites identified within the last 12 months. Schemes cannot be prioritised on defects alone due to roads being very similar in regards to deterioration. If the Pavement Engineer agrees that the site warrants treatment, a Value Management process is completed using the prioritisation factors in Table 4.8 Step 4: Economic Prioritisation Economic Prioritisation Factor representing Value for Money is calculated using the following formula. Total points x Life of Treatment Economic Prioritisation = Area of Scheme x Cost of Treatment (Value for Money) Prioritisation Programme (Year 0 to Year 5) Figure 4.2: Planned Maintenance Programme Process P a g e 15

29 Carriagewa y L if ecy cle Plan D ecem b er Hierarchies are surveyed at different intervals Generally over a 12 Month Period April to March UKPMS Surveys Defined by Department for Transport UKPMS Data processing Producing RCI s & Condition Indices Other Surveys Defined by Asset Management Countywide data repository of road condition Approx 0.5 million defect lengths All condition data is Analysed by the Pavement Management section June - September The processing delivers approx 1800 Potential schemes of varying length and expense CVI Survey Initial prioritisation of preventative maintenance schemes based on survey data SCANNER Survey Initial prioritisation of structural schemes based on survey data Others i.e. SCRIM etc Figure 4.3: Creation of Schemes Hotspots Priority Process Table 4.8: Value Management Factors Attributes Score Collision Rates 1 collision 2 collisions >3 collisions 1 KSI >1 KSI P a g e 16

30 Carriagewa y L if ecy cle Plan D ecem b er Carriageway Shape Good Average Poor Category 1&2 Defects <10 Number <20 Number <30 Number <40 Number >40 Number Contribution to LI No Yes Drainage +ve drainage is present and working +ve drainage is present and NOT working No drainage & standing water HGV Traffic Values Low <10% Medium <20% High >20% Maintenance Hierarchy Hierarchy 5&6 Hierarchy 4 Hierarchy 3 Hierarchy 2 Hierarchy 1 Ride Quality Good Average Poor Scheme Efficiency <50% >50% >60% >70% >80% Scheme Length <500m >500m >1000m >1500m >2000m Scheme Score from Site or UKPMS <20% >20% >40% >60% >80% Urban or Rural Rural Urban Winter Maintenance / Bus Routes No Yes Contribution to Sustainability Schools, Shops, Other Town Centre Industrial Estate Church etc P a g e 17

31 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n We have also been undertaking a regime of preventative maintenance using surface dressing treatments where appropriate using SCRIM information condition assessment. The use of surface dressing is identified on a case by case basis taking into account the economies of scale. 4.7 Disposal Redundant carriageways are those that the authority or the Secretary of State are to close or are no longer required. The maintenance of these would normally revert to persons whose property fronts the area. The authority is required to coordinate with public utility undertakers to ensure their needs are met in relation to apparatus. New owners will need to be informed of any utility easement. Undertakers should also consider the installation of any ducts to facilitate any future diversionary works. Where new owners are to develop the area they must consult with the undertaker prior to any development work being carried out. 5 Investment 5.1 Historical Investment Table 5.1 Carriageway Works Expenditure 2006/07 to 2010/11 Year Work Description Revenue (000) Capital (000) Total (000) Structural , , Preventative 4, , ,500.0 Routine Maintenance 7, ,788.1 Total 12, , ,384.0 Structural , , Preventative 4, , ,500.0 Routine Maintenance 8, ,050.2 Total 12, , ,783.5 Structural , , Preventative 4, , ,612.5 Routine Maintenance 8, ,641.8 Total 13, , ,884.3 Structural , , Preventative 4, , ,867.3 Routine Maintenance 7, ,607.6 Total 12, , ,728.8 Structural , , Preventative , ,228.8 Routine Maintenance 7, ,607.6 Total 7, , ,387.1 P a g e 18

32 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 5.2 Forecasting Financial Needs A financial model has been developed that predicts the future budget required to achieve predefined conditions as measured by SCANNER, SCRIM and the Deflectograph. The detail of the approach followed is documented in the WDM Ltd report Use of a Model for Estimating the Budget Required for Staffordshire County Council to achieve Predefined Pavement Conditions on their Road Network completed in The model separates the network into Road Classes A, B, C and Unclassified. The input information includes Condition Data, Maintenance Treatment Unit Costs and Design Lives. The following four Scenarios were assessed: 1. Determine budget to maintain current condition for the next 10 and 25 years (Steady State). Results are shown in Table 5.2. Table 5.2: Scenario 1: Average Annual Budget Required to Maintain Steady State over 10 and 25 Years Class of Road Budget Required to Maintain Current Condition Result at 2019 Result at 2034 LI SCRIM Def. Budget Required to Maintain Current Condition LI SCRIM Def. A Roads Rural 1,772, % 9.8% 1,900, % 8.3% A Roads Urban 1,853, % 14.6% 2,202, % 11.9% B Roads Rural 781, % 10.6% 803, % 8.9% B Roads Urban 614, % 10.2% 665, % 7.1% C Roads Rural 4,854, % - 4,596, % - C Roads Urban 1,501, % - 1,603, % - U Roads 3,794, % - 3,794, % - Total 15,172,196 15,568, Determine the budget required to reduce all defect values to zero in 1 year. Table 5.3 shows the results of Scenario 2. Table 5.3: Scenario 2: Reduce Defects to 0% Over 1 Year Class of Road Results at 2010 SCRIM Cost Network Cost Total Cost A Roads Rural 736,623 7,041,456 7,778,079 A Roads Urban 1,098,634 9,880,906 10,979,539 B Roads Rural 326,540 3,608,216 3,934,756 B Roads Urban 211,811 3,099,875 3,311,686 C Roads Rural - 35,606,337 35,606,337 C Roads Urban - 10,194,090 10,194,090 U Roads - 18,925,168 18,925,168 Total 2,373,608 88,356,048 90,729,656 P a g e 19

33 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 3. Determine the budget required to achieve the proposed service levels of 4% for Principal roads, 5% for Non-Principal classified roads, and 6% for unclassified roads over 10 and 25 years. Table 5.4 shows the results of Scenario 3. Table 5.4: Scenario 3: Achieve Proposed Service Levels over 10 and 25 Years Class of Road Average Annual Total Cost Result at 2019 Result at 2034 Local Indicator SCRIM Deficiency Average Annual Total Cost Local Indicator SCRIM Deficiency A Roads Rural 1,731, % 9.8% 1,882, % 8.2% A Roads Urban 2,016, % 14.9% 2,272, % 12.5% B Roads Rural 796, % 10.6% 810, % 9.0% B Roads Urban 619, % 10.2% 668, % 7.2% C Roads Rural 6,083, % - 5,113, % - C Roads Urban 1,571, % - 1,632, % - U Roads 4,433, % - 4,050, % - Total 17,252,745 16,429, Determine the service levels achieved after ten years if an additional 30m is invested in the network over the next four years. This uses the steady state information obtained in Scenario 1 and adds the additional budgets for the first four years as shown in Table 5.5. Table 5.6 shows the results of Scenario 4. Table 5.5: Scenario 4: Proposed Budget (2009/ /13) Road Type Current 2009/ / / /13 Budget Add. Bud. Tot. Bud Add. Bud. Tot. Bud Add. Bud. Tot. Bud Add. Bud. Tot. Bud A Road 6, , , , , , ,971.0 B Road 2, , , , ,366.9 C Road 3, , , , , , , , ,374.3 U Road 3, , , , , , , , ,148.5 Total 14, , , , , , , , ,860.7 Table 5.6 highlights the significant anticipated improvements in the Local Indicators over the next ten years when adding the additional funding. Table 5.6: Scenario 4: Achieve Proposed Service Levels over 10 Years after Additional 30m Investment in first four years Class of Road Average Annual Total Cost Results at 2019 Local Indicator SCRIM Deficiency A Roads 4,248, % 12.4% B Roads 1,636, % 11.2% C Roads 7,431, % - U Roads 4,455, % - Total 17,772,813 P a g e 20

34 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n Financial Model Scenarios Summary Table 5.7 shows a breakdown of the results of the four scenarios assessed. Scenario 1 provides a steady state standard where the level of condition remains the same throughout the 10 and 25 year periods. This is the minimum that we strive for and to provide that would require an additional 5.43% per annum for the next 10 years. We have chosen the Scenario 4 model for the next 10 year period. Our strategy is to use the additional investment to treat more of the high amber sections of road, which has the benefit of reducing further deterioration and the volume of road achieving the red condition level in the future. Through the investment of 26.8m it is evident that target service levels are achieved and sustained until 2019 for Road Type A, B and U. The higher priority Road Types, A and B, both achieve service levels of 2.3% which exceeds the target of 4.0%. If achieved, these roads will only require smaller investments in the future thus enabling our focus to shift to the other road types. Table 5.7: Summary of Financial Model Scenarios Scenario Average Annual Cost Values at 2019 Values at 2034 % Incr. from Current Budget Effect on Condition Average Annual Cost % Incr. from Current Budget Current 14,391,200* NA Existing levels NA NA NA Effect on Condition 1 15,172, % Existing levels 15,568, % Existing levels 2 90,729,656* % 3 17,252, % 4 17,772, % *Budget for one year only Remove all deficiencies Achieve target service levels Achieves target service levels for Road Type A, B and U and improvement in Road Type C. NA 16,429, % NA NA NA Achieve target service levels 5.3 Valuation Table 5.3 shows the breakdown of the 2009/10 Carriageway Gross Replacement Cost which has been completed in accordance with the Code of Practice on Transport Infrastructure Assets and the published timetable for Whole of Governments Accounts. Note: The 2010/11 Whole of Government Accounts return will also require the calculation of the Depreciated Replacement Cost (DRC) and Annualised Depreciation Cost (ADC). P a g e 21

35 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n Table 5.4: Carriageway Gross Replacement Cost (2009/10) Road Classification Length (metres) Principal (A) Roads (Cat 2) Width (metres) Area (sq metres) CW GRC (million) Linear Items GRC (million) Gross Replacement Cost (million) Urban 275, ,399, Rural 397, ,182, Classified (B) roads (cat 3a) Urban 130, , Rural 201, ,048, Classified (C) roads (cat 3b) Urban 324, ,337, Rural 1,130, ,877, Un - Classified (C) roads (cat 4a) Urban 2,037, ,036,800 1, ,887.3 Rural 1,627, ,186, TOTALS 6,125,298 35,006,058 3, , ,956.3 Note: Widths based on HAMFIG Default Values 6 Forward Works Programme 6.1 Existing Programmes We currently have three works programmes: 1. Existing Programme the value of the initial years programme equals the allocated budget. The selected schemes are compiled of the top scoring sites following the Value Management Process. 2. Year 2 Programme a list of schemes valued at the same budget as the Existing Programme is compiled from the rolling programme which consists of the remaining top scoring sites from the Value Management Process. 3. Year 3 to 5 Programmes All remaining schemes assessed using the Value Management Process are grouped together to be completed between Year 3 and 5. Individual years aren t allocated to these schemes as it is not currently possible to predict how condition will be affected in the future. 6.2 Option Appraisal The identification of the appropriate treatment required at an individual location is based at present on pavement investigation results and the engineering judgement of a professionally qualified engineer. P a g e 22

36 C a r r i a g ewa y L i f ecy cl e P l a n D e cem b er Risk Risk management is a systematic approach to identifying and dealing with the risks that threaten our plans and projects and impact upon the continuation of service delivery. 7.1 Risk Control and Reporting A risk register has been developed for the Transportation Asset Management Plan with individual asset risk registers also having been developed. Table 7.1 details the risks identified for the carriageway asset. The derivation of the Scores within Table 7.1 are shown in Table 2.1a, b, and c of Staffordshire County Councils Asset Lifecycle Plans document, October Table 7.1 Controlled Risk Register (Carriageways) Risk Limited usage information may mean that prioritisation of works cannot be undertaken appropriately such that available budgets are not used to their best value. Limited condition information may mean that prioritisation of works cannot be undertaken appropriately such that available budgets are not used to their best value. Limited data management procedures and IT systems may mean that existing information quickly becomes unreliable and therefore prioritisation of works cannot be undertaken appropriately such that available budgets are not used to their best value and the objectives of the council are not met. Likelihood Score Impact Score Uncontrolled Risk Score Current Controls In Place Revised Likelihood Score Revised Impact Score Controlled Risk Score Defined Carriageway Hierarchy Analysis of SCANNER Information No current control P a g e 23

37 C a r r i a g ewa y L i f ecy cl e P l a n D e cem b er Table 7.1 Controlled Risk Register (Carriageways) Risk Limited knowledge amongst staff of the efficiency of the different treatment options and their costs may lead to inappropriate treatments being undertaken resulting in budgets not being used to their best value. Limited specifications for treatment options may lead to inefficient and costly works being undertaken. Limited knowledge / use of preventative maintenance treatments may lead to the continuing deterioration of the network and the need for higher cost remedial works in the future. Limited staff resources may lead to long response times regarding public and councillor requests. Limited staff resource may lead to poor delivery of work programmes resulting in loss of efficiency and reputation. Likelihood Score Impact Score Uncontrolled Risk Score Current Controls In Place Training needs assessed as part of Personal Development Reviews Revised Likelihood Score Revised Impact Score Controlled Risk Score Standard treatments applied Knowledge addressed through Personal Development Programme, analysis of higher remedial costs - No Controls Review of staff structure to review dealing with public and councillor requests Review of staff structure to review dealing with delivery of work programmes P a g e 24

38 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 8 Performance Measurement The performance of the Highway division is measured and maintained against the following set of Performance Indicators. 8.1 Performance Indicators Local Indicators that are relevant to the carriageway asset are: Table 8.2: Local Indicator Results 2007/ /11 Performance Indicator WM01: Percentage of Principal Roads: Structural maintenance should be planned Local Target Year 07/08 Year 08/09 Year 09/ Year 10/11 WM02: Percentage of non-principal Roads (classified): Structural maintenance should be planned WM03: Percentage of non-principal Roads (unclassified): Structural maintenance should be planned 12% 10% 9% SR02a: Percentage of A and B class roads SCRIM surveyed at below investigatory level SR02b: Percentage of C Class roads in annual survey tested using Griptester at or below investigatory level SR05: Percentage of all safety defects (Category 1 to 3) repaired on time 51% SR05a: Percentage of all Category 1 Safety defects repaired on time 97%* 98%* SR05b: Percentage of all Category 2 Safety defects repaired on time 58%* SR05c: Percentage of all Category 3 Safety defects repaired on time 44%* SR08a: Percentage of safety inspections completed on time (Highway) 55%* CF4: Percentage of items of correspondence responded to in time Note: Data for 2009/10 is based on defect response times which are more demanding than 10 day corporate response 36%* CF7: Percentage of Road Defects Hotline reports responded to in time 48%* VFM06: Cost of defects as percentage of total value VFM07: Percentage of spend on reactive compared to planned maintenance VFM08: Reduce the costs of highway related claims as a percentage of planned maintenance *Results include all assets. An improvement action to separate above Performance Indicator results into separate assets has been included in Section Performance Reporting The results of the performance indicators are entered into the Council s Performance Management Information System quarterly. The relevant Scrutiny Committee will review the updates as they become available. P a g e 25

39 C a r r i a g e wa y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 9 Future Strategies Our future strategy is to undertake more preventative maintenance treatments on carriageways in the amber condition band. This will reduce the whole life cost of the carriageways as we will be eliminating lengths which would otherwise have deteriorated to a red condition requiring more expensive treatments to remain in service. 10 Improvement Actions Table 10.1 Improvement Actions (Carriageways) Number Action Proposed Implementation Date CW-IA1 CW-IA2 CW-IA3 CW-IA4 CW-IA5 CW-IA6 CW-IA7 Develop an asset information strategy to determine the information required to be held, the information currently held, where and in what format, the missing information, the collection methods for the missing information and any proposed changes to the storage method. Develop a process for grouping third party claim data into separate asset groups. Complete the development and implementation of identified policies Develop a procedure to assess the ongoing maintenance liability of new assets and ensure these figures are included within the design calculations or added to the service plan. Mandatory maintainability audit. Complete the depreciation component of the valuation of the carriageway asset Develop a long term programme of carriageway works required and link to the financial need projections Identify future management strategies and update the LCP accordingly TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC Responsibility Highway Network Data, Operations Delivery Teams Network Management Operations Delivery Teams Operations Delivery Teams Operations Delivery Teams Operations Delivery Teams Operations Delivery Teams P a g e 26

40 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n Footway, Footpath and Cycleway Lifecycle Plan December 2010

41 Contents: F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 1 Current Status Current Issues Current Asset Management Strategies The Asset Scope of the Asset Asset Register Asset Growth Service Expectations Customer Perceptions Council Goals and Objectives Use Safety Considerations Utility Activity rd Party Claims Environmental Considerations Management Practices Policies Inspection Regime Condition Assessment Construction / Asset Acquisition Operate and Maintain (incl. Routine Maintenance) Planned Maintenance: Renewals Disposal Investment Historical Investment Forecasting Financial Needs Valuation Forward Works Programme Existing Programmes Option Appraisal Risk Risk Control and Reporting Performance Measurement Performance Indicators: Future Strategies Improvement Actions...22 P a g e i

42 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 1 Current Status 1.1 Current Issues There is no asset inventory for footways. This affects our ability to calculate the budget needed both in the short and long term to maintain the asset to the desired service level. 1.2 Current Asset Management Strategies An extra 30 million has been invested into footways and carriageways, using the breakdown from the WDM Limited report Use of a Model for Estimating the Budget Required for Staffordshire Council to achieve Predefined Pavement Conditions on their Road Network, completed in The additional funds will be allocated to the preventative maintenance budget which is targeted at sites where lower level treatments, including slurry seals, enable the footway to provide a longer period of service before significant reconstruction is required. 2 The Asset 2.1 Scope of the Asset The footway, footpath and cycleway assets are comprised of: Table 2.1 Footway, Footpath and Cycleway Estimated Inventory 2009/10 Road Type Description Total Length (km) Footway Footpath Cycleway (Off-road) Pedestrian facilities adjacent to a carriageway or carriageway verge. Pedestrian facilities remote from the carriageway that still form part of the highway network. Cycle or shared cycle/pedestrian facilities off carriageway. (Not on-carriageway cycle lanes). There is a high level of confidence in the accuracy of the footway and cycleway lengths. 2.2 Asset Register Unknown The most up to date footway network is found on the National Street Gazetteer and the WDM Pavement Management System (PMS) that has the capacity to hold the all additional footway information. Currently the data within the PMS is limited and there is no process to ensure the accuracy of the data is maintained. An improvement action to complete this task is included in Section 10 of this Lifecycle Plan P a g e 2

43 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 2.3 Asset Growth We do not have any accurate records relating to the change in footway asset size. The collection and recording of this information has been noted in the Asset Information Strategy. An improvement action to start recording this information for future cost projections is included in Section 10 of this Lifecycle Plan. Additional growth is expected to be comprised mainly of new housing developments. 3 Service Expectations 3.1 Customer Perceptions The process for identification and alignment with customer expectations is achieved initially through a customer survey or public consultation exercise. The most recent fully documented survey is one completed in 2003 associated with a Have your Say event National Highways & Transport (NHT) Survey The National Highways & Transport (NHT) Survey is a postal survey, carried out by Ipsos MORI. The following results were associated with the footway, footpath and cycleway assets. Table 3.1: National Highways & Transport (NHT) Survey Results (Footways) Ind. Ref. Benchmarking Indicator Score (100) Rank (30) CC Rank (11) Score (100) Rank (76) CC Rank (11) Score (100) HMBI 06 Speed of repair to damaged roads and pavements HMBI 08 Weed killing on pavements and roads HMBI 10 Deals with obstructions on pavements WCBI 02 The condition of pavements WCBI 03 The cleanliness of pavements WCBI 05 Provision of safe crossing points WCBI 06 Drop kerb crossing points WCBI 07 Pavements been kept clear of obstructions Rank (95) CC Rank (11) Table 3.2: National Highways & Transport (NHT) Survey Results (Cycleways) Ind. Ref. Benchmarking Indicator Score (100) Rank (30) CC Rank (11) Score (100) Rank (76) CC Rank (11) Score (100) WCBI 09 Condition of cycle routes WCBI10 Cycle crossing facilities at road junctions and traffic signals Rank (95) CC Rank (11) P a g e 3

44 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n Customer Relationship Management Our Customer Relationship Management process enables us to provide our customers with a good service. All customer contacts and service requests received are entered into our Integrated Highway Management System (IHMS) which enables us to manage and ensure that action is taken within our required response time. Figure 3.1 and 3.2 show the number of enquiries received in relation to the footway and cycleway assets respectively. A more in depth analysis of the information highlights that the most common topic reported for footways is tripping hazards. Number of Enquiries Jul-09 Number of Customer Enquiries 2009/10 (Footways) Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Figure 3.1:Customer Enquiries 2009/10 (Footways) Source: IHMS Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 Number of Enquiries Jul-09 Number of Customer Enquiries 2009/10 (Cycleways) Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Figure 3.2: Customer Enquiries 2009/10 (Cycleways) Source: IHMS Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul Council Goals and Objectives The footway and cycleway asset makes a significant contribution towards achieving Corporate Priorities as can be seen in Figure 3.3. P a g e 4

45 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P la n Corporate Priorities Corporate Priority 1: A vibrant prosperous and sustainable economy Corporate Priority 2: Strong, safe and cohesive communities Corporate Priority 4: A protected, enhanced and respected environment Corporate Priority 3: Improved health and sense of well being Corporate Priority 5: Statutory education and early years targets Service Outcomes Service Outcome 2: Staffordshire will be known for being a high knowledge-based, skilled economy, leading to better quality of life outcomes for Staffordshire s Service Outcome 3: Ensure that Staffordshire s communities can access everyday facilities via the transport and Service Outcome 4: Provide high quality, innovative and efficient services to Staffordshire communities. Service Outcome 1: Tackle the challenge of climate change and ensure that Staffordshire s communities can access our natural environment. Service Priorities Service Priority 11: Improve and maintain the condition and safety of Staffordshire s roads, footways and rights of way. Service Priority 10: Develop and manage a transport network which supports sustainable economic growth, promotes travel and improves Service Priority 15: Provide efficient and high-quality trading services to facilitate highperforming front-line services. Staffordshire County Council Highways Aims Aim 3: Well maintained highways SCCHA3A: To maintain the highway network to a standard that provides for the safe and efficient movement of people and goods Aim 1: Customer Focussed SCCHA1A: Our services will be easier to access, more customer focussed and, responsive to the needs of individuals and local communities. Aim 5: A high quality, value for money service SCCH5B: We will be recognised as a leading high performing highway service Staffordshire County Council Highways Priorities SCCHP3A: Improve and maintain the condition and safety of Staffordshire s roads, footways and rights of way SCCHP3B: The completion of a second transport Asset Management Plan SCCHP1A: Increased customer satisfaction measured through the road defects hotline surveys, post scheme satisfaction surveys, National Highways Public Satisfaction Survey and the Considerate Constructor Scheme SCCHP1B: Improved response to reports and requests for service from our customers. SCCHP5B: Improve the quality of work by reducing the number and costs of defects and non-conformities. TAMP Linkages SCCHP3A TAMP Linkage: The footway life cycle plan provides the tools to create programmes to achieve this priority SCCHP3B TAMP Linkage: The successful completion of the TAMP SCCHP1A TAMP Linkage: Provides forward programmes that will be made available to the customer when requested. SCCHP1B TAMP Linkage: Provides the process for compiling the Minor Works Programme focussed on satisfying the customer SCCHP5B TAMP Linkage: The footway life cycle plan targets efficient use of funding on maintaining the asset. Figure 3.3: Aims and Priorities of Tootway, Footpath and Cycleway Asset P a g e 5

46 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 3.3 Use At present there is no pedestrian or cycle count data recorded Staffordshire. However manual classified counts are undertaken by DfT annually and can be converted to an index. An improvement action to complete an annual count of pedestrians and cyclists is included in Section 11 of this Lifecycle Plan although this would be expensive to collect. 3.4 Safety Considerations The only record of collisions associated with the footway, footpath and cycleway are those that are reported as part of the 3 rd party claims procedure as detailed in 3.6 below. This asset group has not been identified as being expected to deliver any specific contribution to safety however the condition of these assets can be a major factor in trip and fall collisions. It is recognised that the provision of footway safety is underpinned by the inspection, repair and renewals activities. These activities ensure a base level of safety. An improvement action to develop a safety strategy for footways and cycleways has been included in Section 10 of this lifecycle plan. 3.5 Utility Activity Utility activity can have a major effect on the maintenance and management of the footway asset, although not yet quantified it is believed that there is a significant increase in the number of defects found following the disturbance of the surface due to utilities. This is apparent even when the utility has reinstated the surface to the required standard rd Party Claims The interrogation of third party claims can aid in the determination of recurrent faults within the highway. The details presently held record the location and details of the claim but the information is not used when identifying or prioritising works. The total quantities for all highway assets are shown in the Lifecycle Plan Summary at the beginning of this document. The costs of these claims can be significant and it is therefore important to identify commonalities which can be assessed and reduced through following good asset management. An improvement action to separate the claims into asset groups to allow further analysis is included in Section 11 of this Lifecycle Plan. P a g e 6

47 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 3.7 Environmental Considerations Staffordshire Highways prides itself on being a pathfinder in the field of sustainable highways maintenance where we consider the environmental effects of our actions. We recycle arisings from the existing road, using imported, recycled or secondary aggregates to reduce our impact on the natural resources and use techniques which minimise the production of greenhouse gases. The following are examples of processes we use to reduce our effect on the environment: In situ mobile asphalt recycling This innovative technique uses existing footway material or asphalt planings, turning lumps of crumbling old footway into new shiny black asphalt. The process completely avoids the need to purchase new bitumen-coated aggregate annd elminates the disposal of any waste to landfill. This process alone has resulted in an annual reduction in carbon emissions of approximately 1,600 tonnes equivalent to almost 10 million kilometres of car journeys, calculated with the Carbon Trust Toolkit using standard Defra conversion factors. Recycling of inert materials returned to maintenance depot Materials are imported from site to highways depots and stock piled in storage bays. When sufficient materials are in stock, mobile crushing and screening plant is temporarily installed in the depot and the material, usually concrete products and excavated sub-base is crushed to produce laboratory tested Type 2 Granular Subbase which is then reused within the highways term maintenance contracts. This process produces approximately 65,000 tonnes of material per year, saving the Council around 730,000 per year. 4 Management Practices 4.1 Policies The Highway Safety Inspection Code of Practice (last reviewed in October 2007) is the only officially approved Council policy relating to the asset management of the footway and cycleway assets. The remaining requirements for managing these assets are provided by the recommendations detailed in the Well Maintained Highway Code of Practice for Highway Maintenance Management, July 2005 (Well Maintained Highways). An improvement action has being included in Section 10 to obtain official council approval for the specific recommendations in Well Maintained Highways which we follow. This will require reviewing all the recommendations to ensure they meet our needs and adding where applicable local exceptions. P a g e 7

48 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 4.2 Inspection Regime Under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980, Highway Authorities are under a duty to maintain the highway and can be charged with statutory negligence and manslaughter in the event of a fatality. We monitor the safety of our highway network following our Highway Safety Inspection Code of Practice (last revised in October 2007). This is based on the recommendations of Well Maintained Highways. Safety inspections are carried out on the footways by dedicated safety inspectors who have undergone both a formal and informal training programme. The current frequencies of inspection against route type are detailed in Table 4.1. Table 4.1: Footway Hierarchy and Inspection Frequency Road Category F1 F2 Hierarchy Description Primary Walking Route Secondary Walking Route Definition City/Town centres, busy urban shopping and business centres with high pedestrian volumes Schools, local shopping precincts, industrial outlets F3 Link Footways Strategic footways in urban areas connecting local access footways to higher category footways (i.e. footways leading to City/Town centres), footways leading to large employment establishments F4 Local Access Footways Non strategic housing estate footways, culde-sacs, divergent footways & rural footways Inspection Frequency Monthly walked 3 Monthly walked 6 Monthly walked / driven Annual walked / driven Frequency recommended in code of practice Monthly walked 3 Monthly walked 6 Monthly walked / driven Annual walked / driven Table 4.2: Cycle Hierarchy and Inspection Frequency Cycle Route Category Definition Inspection Frequency Frequency recommended in code of practice F1 Part of Carriageway As for carriageway, minimum frequency 6 monthly driven Six Monthly F2 Remote from Carriageway 6 Monthly driven / cycled / walked Six Monthly F3 Cycle Trails Annually cycled / walked Annually 4.3 Condition Assessment Currently we only complete annual Detailed Visual Inspections (DVI) on Cat 1 and 2 footways. The DVI is a walked survey where inspectors accurately record and measure all areas or lengths of footway defects. The accuracy of this information enables it to be used in supporting and validating treatment decisions and scheme identification. P a g e 8

49 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n Table 4.3 shows the results for the last five years. Table 4.3: Category 1 and 2 Footway Condition Indicator Results (2005/ /10) Year Actual Target 2005/06 30% 25% 2006/07 9% 23% 2007/08 12% 23% 2008/09 7% 21% 2009/10 6% 20% Condition Indicator 35% 30% 25% 20% 15% 10% 5% 0% Category 1 and 2 Footway Condition Indicator Results (2005/ /10) 2005/ / / / /10 Actual Target From 2011/12 onwards we will monitor the condition of all our footways and cycleways using the new Footway Network Survey (FNS). The FNS is carried out on foot by inspectors. Each section of footway and cycleway will be categorised into one of the four condition levels described in Table 1 below: Table 4.4: Footway Network Survey Condition Categories Condition Level Condition Label 1 As New 2 Aesthetically Impaired 3 Functionally Impaired 4 Structurally Unsound 4.4 Construction / Asset Acquisition New assets are typically acquired from either adoption or from taking over improvement works completed by contractors on behalf of the council. This is normally managed by the development control team using Section 38, 278 or 106 legal agreements. 4.5 Operate and Maintain (incl. Routine Maintenance) Routine Maintenance treatments are undertaken to ensure the asset is maintained at a minimum service level. Defects are identified through customer complaints and the Highway Inspection Regime as detailed in the Highway Safety Inspection Code of Practice. Safety inspectors are responsible for identifying and assessing any defects which reduce the safety of the road user. Investigatory Levels are the point when a risk assessment should be conducted. Section 2.2, Highway Safety Inspection Code of Practice provides a list of investigatory levels for the main defects for guidance. In P a g e 9

50 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n this section investigatory levels are identified standards which we know could cause injury to the user. Table 4.4 shows the Footway / Cycleway Investigatory Levels. Table 4.4: Footway / Cycleway Investigatory Levels Feature Defect Investigatory Level Pothole 20mm depth Trip 20mm level difference Rocking slab / blocks 20mm vertical movement Footway Open joints 20mm width x 300mm length (depth 20mm) Sunken / raised ironwork 20mm level difference Cellar covers etc. 20mm level difference Tree root damage 20mm level difference Cycle Route Pothole 20mm depth Trip 20mm level difference Rocking slab / blocks 20mm vertical movement Open joints 20mm width x 300mm length (depth 20mm) Sunken / raised ironwork 20mm level difference Tree root damage 20mm level difference The Safety inspector is required to complete a risk assessment when an inspection item is imminently approaching, has reached or is in excess of the investigatory level. This process is detailed in HSCIP. Based on the risk assessment each defect is then allocated a Response Category (see Table 4.5), which are based on Highway Maintenance Code of Practice. The type of treatments selected will differ according to the urgency of repair. Table 4.5: Safety Inspection Responses Category / Defect Response Cat 1 / Def 1A Make the defect safe at the time of inspection (i.e. sign and cone off) and summon a maintenance crew to break off their existing work to carry out immediate repairs. Cat 1 / Def 1B Request a maintenance crew to make the site safe or carry out repairs within 24 hours Cat 1 / Def 1C Maintenance crew to make the site safe and make arrangements for permanent repairs to be carried out within 28 days. Cat 2 / Def 2 Make safe or repair in 7 calendar days Cat 2 / Def 3 Repair within 28 calendar days Cat 2 / Def 4 Carry out repair during next available programme Number of Defects Footway (Category Breakdown by Year) Number of Defects Cycleway (Category Breakdown by Year) Cat 1 Cat 2 / Def 2Cat 2 / Def 3Cat 2 / Def 4 Cat 1 Cat 2 / Def 2Cat 2 / Def 3Cat 2 / Def 4 Response Categories by Year Response Categories by Year Figure 4.1: Footway, Footpath and Cycleway Safety Inspection Defects (2008 & 2009) P a g e 10

51 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 4.6 Planned Maintenance: Renewals Table 4.6 details the planned maintenance options for footways and cycleways. The cost and design life information is used to calculate long term cost projections which are explained in more detail in Section 5.2. Table 4.6: Unit Rates for Footpaths and Cycleways Treatment Thickness (mm) Cost ( ) Design Life (Years) Reconstruction Recycle Resurface Surface Dress Slurry Seal Overlay Figure 4.2 details the process for creating the Annual Planned Maintenance Programme. Additional information referred to in Figure 4.2 is shown in Figure 4.3 and Table 4.7. The result of the process is a final list of schemes to be completed in the following financial year. This is inserted into the Annex of this lifecycle plan once approved. A second list of schemes is also identified which are on standby for situations where additional funding may become available or one of the initial schemes can t be completed. This is an annual process and each year all uncompleted identified schemes, new and old, will be prioritised equally. This ensures that the schemes most in need of completion are inserted into the following years Planned Maintenance Programme. P a g e 11

52 F oo t w a y, F oo t p a t h an d Cy cleway L i f ecy cle Plan D ecem b er Planned Maintenance Programme Process Step 1: Identification of Scheme Hotspots Step 2: Field Inspection Step 3: Prioritisation The initial identification of potential maintenance schemes called Scheme Hotspots are undertaken by the Pavement Engineers using an automated process as depicted in Figure 4.3: The process assesses the main condition data collected throughout the year and outputs a list of work schemes. Pavement Engineers visit all sites identified from the following sources and assesses the condition of the pavement and the validity of the suggested treatment Scheme Hotspots POEMS Customer complaints for the last 12 months Five Year Programme Road Management System Output Category Four Sites identified within the last 12 months. Schemes cannot be prioritised on defects alone due to roads being very similar in regards to deterioration. If the Pavement Engineer agrees that the site warrants treatment, a Value Management process is completed using the prioritisation factors in Table 4.8. Step 4: Economic Prioritisation Economic Prioritisation Factor representing Value for Money is calculated using the following formula. Total points x Life of Treatment Economic Prioritisation = Area of Scheme x Cost of Treatment (Value for Money) Prioritisation Programme (Year 0 to Year 5) Figure 4.2: Planned Maintenance Programme Process P a g e 12

53 F oo t w a y, F oo t p a t h an d Cy cleway L i f ecy cle Plan D ecem b er Hierarchies are surveyed at different intervals Generally over a 12 Month Period April to March UKPMS Surveys Defined by Department for Transport UKPMS Data processing Producing the PI & Condition Indices Other Surveys Defined by Asset Management Countywide data repository of footway condition Approx 0.5 million defect lengths All condition data is Analysed by the Pavement Management section June - September The processing delivers approx 1800 Potential schemes of varying length and expense DVI Survey Initial prioritised list of preventative maintenance schemes based on survey data Initial prioritised list of structural schemes based on survey data Figure 4.3: Creation of Schemes Hotspots Process P a g e 13

54 F oo t w a y, F oo t p a t h an d Cy cleway L i f ecy cle Plan D ecem b er Table 4.7: Value Management Factors Attributes Score Collision Rates 1 collision 2 collisions >3 collisions 1 KSI >1 KSI Carriageway Shape Good Average Poor Category 1&2 Defects <10 Number <20 Number <30 Number <40 Number >40 Number Contribution to LI No Yes Drainage +ve drainage is present and working +ve drainage is present and NOT working No drainage & standing water HGV Traffic Values Low <10% Medium <20% High >20% Maintenance Hierarchy Hierarchy 5&6 Hierarchy 4 Hierarchy 3 Hierarchy 2 Hierarchy 1 Ride Quality Good Average Poor Scheme Efficiency <50% >50% >60% >70% >80% Scheme Length <500m >500m >1000m >1500m >2000m Scheme Score from Site or UKPMS <20% >20% >40% >60% >80% Urban or Rural Rural Urban Winter Maintenance / Bus Routes No Yes Contribution to Sustainability Schools, Shops, Other Town Centre Industrial Estate Church etc P a g e 14

55 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 4.7 Disposal The disposal of footway, footpath or cycleway assets is relatively rare from the perspective of a council disposing of an entire section of footway, footpath or cycleway. However there have been a few occasions where the enforced redundancy of a length of footway, footpath or cycleway due to the introduction of a new route, for example, has resulted in a stopping up order being invoked with the footway, footpath or cycleway and its ongoing maintenance liabilities reverting to the responsibility of the adjacent land owners. 5 Investment 5.1 Historical Investment Table 5.1 below details the amount of investment in the maintenance of the footway over the last 5 years. Table 5.1 Footway Works Expenditure 2006/07 to 2010/11 Year Work Description Revenue (000) Capital (000) Total (000) Structural , , Preventative Total , ,031.6 Structural , , Preventative Total 1, , ,281.6 Structural , , Preventative Total 1, , ,326.4 Structural , , Preventative Total 1, , ,036.6 Structural , , Preventative Total , , Forecasting Financial Needs A financial model has been developed that predicts the future budget required to achieve predefined conditions as measured by DVI data. The detail of the approach followed is documented in the WDM Limited report Use of a Model for Estimating the Budget Required for Staffordshire County Council to achieve Predefined Pavement Conditions on their Road Network completed in P a g e 15

56 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n The following four Scenarios were assessed: 1. Determine budget to maintain current condition for the next 10 and 25 years (Steady State). Results are shown in Table 5.2. Table 5.2: Scenario 1: Average Annual Budget Required to Maintain Steady State over 10 and 25 Years Class of Road Budget Required to Maintain Current Condition Result at 2019 Result at 2034 Local Indicator Budget Required to Maintain Current Condition Local Indicator Footways 2,052, % 2,052, % 2. Determine the budget required to reduce all defect values to zero in 1 year. Table 5.3 shows the results of Scenario 2. Table 5.3: Scenario 2: Reduce Defects to 0% Over 1 Year Class of Road Total Cost Footways 12,420, Determine the budget required to achieve the proposed service levels of 4% for Principal roads, 5% for Non-Principal classified roads, and 6% for unclassified roads over 10 and 25 years. Table 5.4 shows the results of Scenario 3. Table 5.4: Scenario 3: Achieve Proposed Service Levels over 10 and 25 Years Class of Road Average Annual Total Cost Result at 2019 Result at 2034 Local Indicator Average Annual Total Cost Local Indicator Footways 2,905, % 2,642, % 4. Determine the service levels achieved after ten years if an additional 30m is invested in the network over the next four years.. This uses the steady state information obtained in Scenario 1 and adds the additional budgets for the first four years as shown in Table 5.5. Table 5.6 shows the results of Scenario 4. Table 5.5: Scenario 4: Proposed Budget (2009/ /13) Road Type Current Budget Add. Bud. 2009/ / / /13 Tot. Bud. Add. Bud. Tot. Bud. Add. Bud. Tot. Bud. Add. Bud. Tot. Bud. Footways 2, , , , , , ,578.8 Table 5.6 highlights the significant improvements in the Local Indicator over the next ten years when adding the additional funding. Table 5.6: Scenario 4: Achieve Proposed Service Levels over 10 Years after Additional 30m Investment in first four years Class of Road Results at 2019 Average Annual Total Cost Local Indicator Footways 2,319, % P a g e 16

57 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n Financial Model Scenarios Summary Table 5.7 shows a breakdown of the results of the four scenarios assessed. Scenario 1 provides a steady state standard where the level of condition remains the same throughout the 10 and 25 year periods. This is the minimum that we strive for and to provide that would require an additional 0.21% per annum for the next 10 years. We have chosen the Scenario 4 model for the next 10 year period. This provides an average increase in funding over ten years of 13.23% for a condition improvement of 2.8%. To achieve the target condition level of 5.0% as considered in Scenario 3 would require an average increase in funding over ten years of 41.85% which we cannot realistically obtain at this time. Table 5.7: Summary of Financial Model Scenarios Scenario Average Annual Cost Values at 2019 Values at 2034 % Incr. from Current Budget Effect on Condition Average Annual Cost % Incr. from Current Budget Current 2,048,200 NA 9.5% NA NA 9.5% 1 2,052, % 9.5% 2,052, % 9.5% 2 12,420, % 0% NA NA 3 2,905, % 5.0% 2,642, % 5.0% 4 2,319, % 6.7% NA NA NA *Budget for one year only Effect on Condition 5.3 Valuation The 2009/10 Footway Gross Replacement Cost of Staffordshire footways, footpaths and cycleways is million. This has been calculated in accordance with the Code of Practice for Transport Infrastructure Assets and the published timetable for Whole of Governments Accounts. Note: The 2010/11 Whole of Government Accounts return will also require the Depreciated Replacement Cost (DRC) and Annualised Depreciation Cost (ADC). 6 Forward Works Programme 6.1 Existing Programmes Staffordshire County Council currently has three works programmes: 1. Existing Programme the value of the initial years programme equals the allocated budget. The selected schemes are compiled of the top scoring sites following the Value Management Process. P a g e 17

58 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 2. Year 2 Programme a list of schemes valued at the same budget as the Existing Programme is compiled from the rolling programme which consists of the remaining top scoring sites from the Value Management Process. 3. Year 3 to 5 Programmes All remaining schemes assessed using the Value Management Process are grouped together to be completed between Year 3 and 5. Individual years aren t allocated to these schemes as it is not currently possible to predict how condition will be affected in the future. 6.2 Option Appraisal The identification of the appropriate treatment required at an individual location is based at present on pavement investigation results and the engineering judgement of a professionally qualified engineer. P a g e 18

59 F oo t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d Cy cl ew a y L i f ecy cl e P l a n D e cem b er Risk Risk management is a systematic approach to identifying and dealing with the risks that threaten our plans and projects and impact upon the continuation of service delivery. 7.1 Risk Control and Reporting A risk register has been developed for the Transportation Asset Management Plan with individual asset risk registers also having been developed. Table 7.1 details the risks identified for the footways, footpaths and cycleways asset. The derivation of the Scores within Table 7.1 are shown in Table 2.1a, b, and c of Staffordshire County Councils Asset Lifecycle Plans document, October Table 7.1 Controlled Risk Register (Footways, Footpaths & Cycleways) Risk Limited usage information may mean that prioritisation of works cannot be undertaken appropriately such that available budgets are not used to their best value. Limited condition information may mean that prioritisation of works cannot be undertaken appropriately such that available budgets are not used to their best value. Likelihood Score Impact Score Uncontrolled Risk Score Current Controls In Place Defined Footway Hierarchy (Improvement Action) Revised Likelihood Score Revised Impact Score Controlled Risk Score Analysis of DVI Information P a g e 19

60 F oo t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d Cy cl ew a y L i f ecy cl e P l a n D e cem b er Table 7.1 Controlled Risk Register (Footways, Footpaths & Cycleways) Risk Limited data management procedures and IT systems may mean that existing information quickly becomes unreliable and therefore prioritisation of works cannot be undertaken appropriately such that available budgets are not used to their best value and the objectives of the council are not met. Limited knowledge amongst staff of the efficacy of the different treatment options and their costs may lead to inappropriate treatments being undertaken resulting in budgets not being used to their best value. Limited specifications for treatment options may lead to inefficient and costly works being undertaken. Limited knowledge / use of preventative maintenance treatments may lead to the continuing deterioration of the network and the need for higher cost remedial works in the future. Limited staff resources may lead to long response times regarding public and councillor requests. Limited staff resource may lead to poor delivery of work programmes resulting in loss of efficiency and reputation. Likelihood Score Impact Score Uncontrolled Risk Score Current Controls In Place Revised Likelihood Score Revised Impact Score Controlled Risk Score No current control Training needs assessed as part of Personal Development Reviews Standard treatments applied Knowledge addressed through Personal Development Programme, analysis of higher remedial costs - No Controls Review of staff structure to review dealing with public and councillor requests Review of staff structure to review dealing with delivery of work programmes P a g e 20

61 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 8 Performance Measurement The performance of the Highway division is measured and maintained against the following set of Local Performance Indicators. 8.1 Local Performance Indicators: Those Indicators that are relevant to the footway, footpath and cycleway asset are: Table 8.2:Local Performance Indicator Results 2007/ /11 Local Performance Indicator DSH104: Percentage of footways (Category 1, 1a and 2): Structural maintenance should be planned WM05: Percentage of Category A and B cycle routes: Maintenance should be considered SR05: Percentage of all safety defects (Category 1 to 3) repaired on time SR05a: Percentage of all Category 1 Safety defects repaired on time SR05b: Percentage of all Category 2 Safety defects repaired on time SR05c: Percentage of all Category 3 Safety defects repaired on time SR08a: Percentage of safety inspections completed on time (Highway) CF4: Percentage of items of correspondence responded to in time Note: Data for 2009/10 is based on defect response times which are more demanding than 10 day corporate response VFM06: Cost of defects as percentage of total value VFM07: Percentage of spend on reactive compared to planned maintenance VFM08: Reduce the costs of footway related claims as a percentage of planned maintenance Local Target Year 07/08 Year 08/09 Year 09/10 19% 12% 7% 6% 51% 97%* 98%* 58%* 44%* 55%* 36%* Year 10/11 *Results include all assets. An improvement action to separate above Performance Indicator results into separate assets has been included in Section Future Strategies Our future strategy is to undertake more preventative maintenance treatments on footways, footpaths and cycleways with defects which haven t reached the investigatory level. This will reduce the whole life cost of these assets, as we will be eliminating lengths which would otherwise have deteriorated to a condition requiring more expensive treatments to remain in service. P a g e 21

62 F o o t w a y, F o o t p a t h a n d C y c l e w a y L i f e c y c l e P l a n 10 Improvement Actions This section describes the improvement issues associated with this asset management plan. It is anticipated that improvements will continue to be identified, assessed and programmed on an ongoing basis. Some improvements will be short-term, some may take longer to enact. It is important that the Action Plan captures all of these. Table 10.1: Improvement Actions (Footway, Footpath and Cycleway) Number Action Proposed Implementation Date FW-IA1 FW-IA2 FW-IA3 FW-IA4 FW-IA5 FW-IA6 FW-IA7 FW-IA8 FW-IA9 Develop an asset information strategy to determine the information required to be held, the information currently held, where and in what format, the missing information, the collection methods for the missing information and any proposed changes to the storage method. Develop a process to enable the number of pedestrians and cyclists to be assessed annually. Develop a safety strategy for footways, footpaths and cycleways which targets reducing the number of pedestrian and cyclist collisions and third party claims. Develop a process for grouping third party claim data into separate asset groups. Complete the development and implementation of identified policies Develop a procedure to assess the ongoing maintenance liability of new assets and ensure these figures are included within the design calculations or added to the service plan. Mandatory maintainability audit. Complete the depreciation component of the valuation of the footway asset Develop a long term programme of carriageway works required and link to the financial need projections Identify future management strategies and update the LCP accordingly TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC TBC Responsibility Highway Network Data, Operations Delivery Teams Network Management Operations Delivery Teams Operations Delivery Teams Operations Delivery Teams Operations Delivery Teams Operations Delivery Teams P a g e 22

63 H i g h way S t r u c t u r e s A s s e t M a n a g e m e n t S t r a t e gy F o o t way, Footpath a n d C y c l e w a y L if e c y c l e Plan ( D r a f t ) A u g u s t S e p t e m b e r Highway Structures Asset Management Strategy December 2010 St Peter s Bridge, Burton Upon Trent i

64 H i g h w a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M a n a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Executive Summary This document describes the strategy for managing and maintaining Staffordshire County Council s bridges and other highway structures. All highway structures should be managed to ensure that they are fit for purpose and safe for use. This is to be achieved by adopting asset management techniques to deliver a programme of high standard maintenance at optimum value. The County Council s highway structures asset, consisting primarily of road bridges, footbridges and retaining walls, is managed by the Highway Structures Team, part of the Specialist Highway Services Unit. This asset is summarised below: Structure Group Quantity Road Bridges (inc subways) 1048 Footbridges (on the highway) 132 Retaining walls *Estimated total length 200km* At present predominantly reactive essential maintenance is being undertaken to address known defects and to slow deterioration of the structure stock. The current backlog of outstanding maintenance work is valued at approximately 13 million. A key aim of this strategy is to reduce this backlog, such that a more proactive, preventative maintenance programme can be developed and implemented. The condition of County highway structures is evaluated in accordance with the Bridge Condition Indicator (BCI) procedures as developed by the Association of Directors of Environment, Economy, Planning and Transport, ADEPT (formerly the County Surveyors Society). Using the ADEPT definitions for condition (see Appendix A), on average the current overall condition of County road bridges is classed as fair. A further aim of this strategy is to attain an average BCI score for all highway structures of 90% or above which would give a condition classification of good. This target can be achieved through the use of robust asset management and financial planning to target maintenance works to specific structures and structural elements, provided that investment is at the very least maintained at current levels. The Gross Replacement valuation (or asset value) for all highway structures maintained by the County Council is approximately 1 billion. i

65 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Contents: 1 Current Status Current Issues Current Asset Management Strategies The Asset Inventory Asset Register Asset Growth Service Expectations Customer Perceptions Council Goals and Objectives Use Utility Activity Environmental Considerations Management Practices Policies Inspection Regime Condition Assessment Construction / Asset Acquisition Operate and Maintain Programmed Maintenance Upgrade Disposal Investment Forward Works Programme Existing Programmes Programme Coordination Option Appraisal Risk Works Delivery and Procurement Performance Measurement Performance Measurement Performance Indicators: National Performance Indicators: Local Performance Reporting Future Strategies and Improvement Actions...27 Appendix A Interpretation of BCI scores extract from CSS Bridges Group, Bridge Condition Indicators, Volume 3, 2004 Deleted: 4 Deleted: 4 Deleted: 4 Deleted: 5 Deleted: 5 Deleted: 9 Deleted: 9 Deleted: 10 Deleted: 10 Deleted: 10 Deleted: 10 Deleted: 11 Deleted: 12 Deleted: 13 Deleted: 13 Deleted: 13 Deleted: 15 Deleted: 17 Deleted: 17 Deleted: 18 Deleted: 19 Deleted: 19 Deleted: 19 Deleted: 21 Deleted: 21 Deleted: 22 Deleted: 22 Deleted: 22 Deleted: 26 Deleted: 26 Deleted: 26 Deleted: 26 Deleted: 28 Deleted: 28 Deleted: 28 P a g e i

66 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Issue No.: 2 Status: Final Date: 09/12/2010 Author: C. Plant Approved: D. Burns P a g e ii

67 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y 1 Current Status 1.1 Current Issues This strategy will utilise asset management techniques to deliver a planned maintenance regime which ensures that the County Council s highway structures are maintained in a condition that is fit for purpose and safe for use. Current issues associated with the implementation of this strategy include the following: An effective maintenance regime requires a comprehensive and accurate asset inventory of items along with known structural condition. For County road bridges the inventory is well established however for other structures assets, further development and improvement will be required. There is a significant shortfall in key asset inventory data for retaining walls. The locations of many walls are still to be identified, delaying the implementation of a full inspection and maintenance programme. The current maintenance programme is predominantly reactive in nature addressing known defects. Better value for money is to be achieved by moving towards a preventative maintenance regime based on the principles of life cycle planning for the various forms of structure. Following the publication of the Code of Practice on Transport Infrastructure Assets Guidance to Support Asset Management, Financial Management and Reporting, by CIPFA, 2010, the associated Highway Structures Asset Management Planning Toolkit which will contain the detailed guidance for highway structures remains to be published. Nationally, this is delaying the adoption of the new financial requirements as set out by the Code. 1.2 Current Asset Management Strategies Strategy aims will be achieved by using effective asset management techniques in line with the principles of Management of Highway Structures A Code of Practice, published by the Roads Liaison Group. Current asset management strategies are as follows: To prevent the deterioration of highway structures by implementing a programme of maintenance work that is delivered through timely intervention and achieves the lowest whole life cost at optimum value. To provide a high standard of maintenance using appropriate techniques that conserve and enhance the environment. To ensure that all highway structures are capable of sustaining the loading requirements of the European 40/44 tonne vehicle. Where, due to social, economic or environmental circumstances, this loading capacity is not required, weight restrictions or reduced access to parts of a structure can be imposed. P a g e 3

68 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y To deliver a programme of measures in partnership with Network Rail to mitigate the risk of errant road vehicle incursion onto the live railway. To minimise congestion and traffic disruption due to unplanned and reactive maintenance. To undertaken a routine and regular programme of Principal, General and Diving Inspections to road bridges. To protect structures from damage by third parties by reviewing applications for the movement of abnormal vehicles, approving works by Statutory Undertakers and providing technical support to others who work on or near County highway structures. Asset management strategies are reviewed periodically to ensure that the management and maintenance of County highway structures is aligned to current national guidance and local requirements. 2 The Asset 2.1 Inventory General For the purpose of this document, the definitions of the County Council s highway structures assets are as follows: Road Bridge: Subway: Culvert: Footbridge: Retaining wall: Maintenance Responsibility A structure with a span of 1.5m or more carrying a public highway providing vehicular passage over an obstacle, e.g. watercourse, railway, road. A structure with a span of 1.5m or more spanning a dedicated pedestrian route. A drainage structure of span less than 1.5m. A structure providing passage for pedestrians only over an obstacle, e.g. watercourse, railway, road. A wall associated with the highway where the dominant function is to act as a retaining structure. Highway structures form an essential part of the public road network allowing obstacles to be crossed and variations in profile to be accommodated. The historical development of the road network has seen the construction of many varying forms of highway structure, many of which are owned and maintained by the County Council. However, a significant number of highway structures are also owned and maintained by other parties P a g e 4

69 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y To ensure the safe use of structures supporting the public road network, the Highway Structures Team liaise with these other owners to ensure that their structures are fit for purpose and maintained in an acceptable condition. Table 2.1 identifies the various agents responsible for managing and maintaining road bridges throughout Staffordshire. Table 2.1 Bridges supporting the County Road Network Structure Owner Total Road Bridges Staffordshire Country Council 1048 Network Rail 187 Highways Agency (Motorways & Trunk Roads) 350 British Waterways 121 Other* 353 Total 2059 * Details of other maintaining agents are held electronically on the Structures Management System database. In addition to those structures maintained by the bridge owners in Table 2.1, alternative arrangements exist for County drainage structures and structures supporting public rights of way and greenways. Drainage culverts passing beneath the highway with a span of less than 1.5 metres are maintained by the Highways Routine Maintenance Team. Footbridges supporting rights of way and greenways are managed and maintained by the Countryside and Rights of Way Team. The Highway Structures Team is available to provide technical support and advice to both the Highways Routine Maintenance and the Countryside and Rights of Way Teams as and when required. Table 2.2 Highway Structure Maintenance Responsibility Asset Class Asset Type Asset Group Transport Structures Road bridge spanning 1.5 metres or greater Subway Highway footbridge Retaining Wall Table 2.2 identifies structures maintainable by the Highway Structures Team with the associated asset classification Asset Classification Table 2.3 describes the composition of County road bridges by asset sub-group as defined in Management of Highway Structures A Code of Practice. Structures within each sub-group will have similar maintenance requirements and, for each of P a g e 5

70 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y these, lifecycle plans will be developed to identify optimum programmes of maintenance. Table 2.3 Road Bridge Asset Classification Asset Sub- Group Primary Structural Form (Deck Element) Primary Deck Material No. Structures % Bridge Stock 1 Reinforced Arch - Solid Spandrel Concrete Concrete slab/arch Reinforced Slab - Solid Concrete Beam / Girder At Or Reinforced Beam - Below Deck Surface Concrete concrete Beam / Girder - Box Pre - Tensioned Beams Concrete Steel Beam / Girder At Or Cast Iron Below Deck Surface Wrought Iron Beam - Beam / Girder - Half metallic Through Steel Beam / Girder - Filler Beam Steel Troughing Steel Culvert / Pipe / 4 Armco Subway - Circular / Corrugated Steel Oval 5 Masonry arch Arch - Solid Spandrel Masonry - Brick Masonry - Stone Slab - Solid Masonry - Stone Culvert / Pipe / Reinforced Subway - Circular / Concrete 6 Culvert/pipe 12.8 Oval Masonry - Brick Culvert / Pipe / Reinforced Subway - Box Concrete Subway NA NA Total The above table shows that 44.8% of the total County road bridge stock comprises masonry arches. This older form of construction includes some structures that are over 200 years old and require experienced craftsmen to ensure that high quality maintenance is achieved. The stock of road bridges varies considerably from numerous smaller structures of 1.5 metre span to Queensway Piled Slab. This is the largest highway structure owned by the County Council comprising 81 individual spans totaling over 400 metres in length. The County s largest structures with individual deck areas over 1000 metres square are shown in Table 2.4. P a g e 6

71 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Table 2.4 Largest County Bridge Assets Gross Deck Area Bridge Code Bridge Name (m 2 Replacement ) Cost* B1683/001 Queensway Piled Slab ,140,860 B1501 Burton ,480,030 B1672/001 Tame Viaduct ,575,300 B1798 St Peter s Bridge ,146,210 B2089 Shobnall Road Railway ,822,461 B1686 Broad Meadows Viaduct ,237,840 B2094 Highwood Road Railway ,520,922 *Based on Midlands Service Improvement Group unit rates (2007) There are 300 footbridges recorded in the structures database of which 132 have been identified as being associated with the highway. The structural form of these structures is shown in Table 2.5. Table 2.5 Footbridge Asset Classification Asset Group Primary Deck Element No. bridges % Bridge Stock Arch - Solid Spandrel Footbridge Beam / Girder Truss Slab Other Total retaining walls are recorded on the structures database of which 249 with a total length of 9.7 kilometres have been identified as being the maintenance responsibility of the County Council. Table 2.6 Retaining Wall Asset Classification Asset Group Supporting Length (km) % Wall Stock Retaining wall Highway Private Land Unknown Total 200* * Total estimated length of retaining wall on adopted highway network Table 2.6 shows that over 90% of retaining walls on the highway network are still to be fully identified, ownership established and condition assessed. The total length of retaining walls supporting County roads or land alongside the highway is estimated to be approximately 200km of which it is estimated that 30km are located on Principal Routes. P a g e 7

72 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y 2.2 Asset Register The highway structures asset register is held electronically on the Structures Management System (SMS) by WDM Ltd which is an electronic database within the Integrated Highways Management System (IHMS). This system is used to store the following information: Inventory details (identification, location, structural composition) Inspection records (defects, element condition/severity, historical inspections) Assessment details (load capacity, weight limits) Work programmes Asset valuation Condition reports A report generator is available within the SMS to collate and present data in various formats that can be exported into other systems. The SMS allows users to access information by inventory search or by graphical selection. 2.3 Asset Growth Section 2 of Staffordshire s Transport Asset Management Plan estimates that the carriageway asset will increase by 20km per year over the next five years, an annual growth of around 0.3%. It is fair to assume that, depending on the economic climate, the percentage increase in the highway structure stock will be similar. However, the number of County road bridges recorded in the asset register has actually fallen from 1114 in 2000, to 1048 at present. This reduction is due to improved inventory data, including the re-classification of several structures as footbridges as opposed to road bridges and the removal of decommissioned structures from the inventory. Recent additions to the number of County road bridges have been due to the detrunking of routes A34 and A449, and the construction of both Lichfield Southern Bypass and Rugeley By-pass. The Government is currently considering the transfer of British Waterways from public ownership to charitable trust status. As part of this consideration, there is potential that the Department for Transport will request Local Highway Authorities to take over ownership and responsibility for all road over canal bridges currently owned by British Waterways (BW), amounting to some 1800 bridges in England and Wales. The impact for Staffordshire County Council would be that the 121 bridges currently owned by BW within the County would transfer. Many of these bridges are in relatively poor condition and could represent a significant demand on available resources. P a g e 8

73 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y 3 Service Expectations 3.1 Customer Perceptions No general customer survey has been undertaken regarding the management of highway structures. Post scheme customer satisfaction surveys are undertaken for some maintenance projects. 3.2 Council Goals and Objectives 3.3 Use The 2010/11 Staffordshire Highways Service Plan describes the aims and outcomes required to achieve Staffordshire Highways Vision. In summary Staffordshire Highways aims are: Aim 1 Aim 2 Aim 3 Aim 4 Aim 5 Aim 6 Customer focussed Safer roads Well maintained highways Economic growth Value for money Successful joint venture The strategies described in this plan fully support Staffordshire Highways Vision. Further details of the above aims are available in the 2010/11 Service Plan Historical Use Historically, the demand on the performance and capacity of highway structures has been to support increasingly heavier vehicles and axle weights. Below is a summary of the increasing performance requirements of the County s road bridges. Design and assessment codes have also evolved to take account of these increasing traffic loads. Table 3.1 Historical Performance Requirements Max Permitted Max Permitted Gross Year Axle Weight Vehicle Weight tons 32 tons tons 32 tons tons 32 tons tons 32.5 tons tonnes 38 tonnes tonnes 40 (44) tonnes Over the years, a series of assessment programmes have been undertaken by the owners of all highway structures to assess capacity against revised highway loading P a g e 9

74 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y requirements. The last significant programme commenced in 1985 and was instigated by EC Directive 85/3/EEC (superseded by 96/53/EEC) which required member countries to allow 40/44 tonne vehicles and 11.5 tonne axle weights onto their road networks. The UK obtained a derogation to this Directive which delayed its implementation until This allowed time to undertake asessments of all bridges with a span greater than 1.5 metres and built before 1975 to determine their capacity for carrying these increased loadings. Where required, structures of insufficient capacity have now either been strengthened or have interim restrictions in place Current Usage Requirements The regulations below limit free usage of the highway to vehicles up to 40/44 tonnes gross weight (depending on axle configuration) and to a maximum of 2.9 metres width. The Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (C&U Regulations) The Road Vehicles (Authorised Weight) Regulations 1998 (AW Regulations) The Road Vehicles (Authorised Weight) (Amendment) Regulations 2000 Vehicles in excess of these criteria are considered to be abnormal vehicles and managed in accordance with the procedure described in Section Management of Abnormal Loads The routes most frequently requested for use by hauliers of abnormal loads have been reviewed and a basic in-house administration system to manage these requests has been developed. Those recognised abnormal load routes have been assigned a maximum axle weight and gross vehicle weight, dependant upon whether the vehicle is a conventional lorry or mobile crane. For the small number of abnormal loads not travelling on recognised routes, these requests are assessed on an individual basis by a structural engineer. Further details of this procedure are contained in the Staffordshire Highways guidance document, Management of Abnormal Loads. Staffordshire Highways is currently trialling the Highways Agency s Electronic Services Delivery of Abnormal Loads procedures known as ESDAL where notifications are received and responded to electronically through an internet application. ESDAL will be adopted for use should the trial prove successful though, at present, relatively few hauliers are choosing to use this system. 3.4 Utility Activity Road bridges provide strategic access routes over many obstacles and are frequently used by Statutory Undertakers to support their apparatus. New structures are designed to cater for utility equipment and the apparatus owner will be consulted as P a g e 10

75 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y part of the design process. Many older structures also support utility apparatus but damage to these structures has often resulted from the installation of Statutory Undertakers apparatus without approval from the County Council. The New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) and Traffic Management Act 2004, empower utility companies to undertake streetworks including works on and around highway structures. Section 88 of NRSWA places special requirements on utility companies to consult structure owners before any works are permitted. The Highway Structures Team encourage early communication with utility companies to discuss their proposals and offer technical support. 3.5 Environmental Considerations Structural Heritage The County s highway structures have evolved over many years and include structures still in service and supporting County roads that are over two hundred years old. The maintenance of heritage structures often requires a different and more costly approach than modern structures due to the many restrictions and controls on the type of works that can be undertaken. Often specialist materials and craftsmen will be required to undertake traditional repairs. Like for like repairs are generally permitted, but modifications require approval from English Heritage. The number of heritage structures maintained by the County Council s Highway Structures Team is shown in Table 3.2. Table 3.2 Heritage Structures Conservation classification No. of road bridges Ancient monument (1) 7 Grade 1 Listed (2) 1 Grade 2 Listed (2) 66 Grade 2* Listed (2) 2 Located within a conservation area (2) 130 (1) Ancient Monuments and Archeological Areas Act 1979 (2) The Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 When planning significant maintenance works to heritage structures, specialists are always consulted, including English Heritage and the County s Historic Environment Officer ensuring that suitable solutions are developed that are acceptable to all parties Environmental Protection The maintenance of highway structures regularly requires access remote from the carriageway in protected and sensitive environments, including: Protected species and habitats P a g e 11

76 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Sites of biological importance Watercourses The preparation of maintenance schemes initially involves consultation with the County s Environment and Countryside Team. Advice is given on mitigation measures to avoid environmental damage, or requirements for further investigation and consultation with the Environment Agency and Natural England. Schemes which either temporarily or permanently affect the flow of watercourses require consent from the Environment Agency in accordance with the Land Drainage Act 1991 and Water Resources Act Large schemes having a significant impact on protected environments require extensive consultation which requires advanced programming and associated budgetary provision. In consultation with the Environment and Countryside Team, a set of environmental guidelines has been agreed for undertaking minor routine maintenance operations. 4 Management Practices 4.1 Policies The principles and policies for the management of highway structures generally follow published national guidance, as this is deemed to represent best national practice, including: Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works - Specification for Highway Works Code of Practice for the Management of Highway Structures Inspection Manual for Highway Structures Code of Practice for Transport Infrastructure Assets Guidance to Support Asset Management, Financial Management and Reporting 4.2 Inspection Regime In line with the national guidance document Inspection Manual for Highway Structures published in May 2007, a pragmatic approach to structural inspections has been adopted. This national guidance has been endorsed and is used by representative agents of all publically maintained highway structures. Structural inspections are a key source of information that feed into the asset management process such that up-to-date condition data can be obtained to evaluate maintenance needs. The frequency of structural inspections is shown in Table 4.1. P a g e 12

77 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Table 4.1 Structural Inspections Type of Inspection Inspection Frequency Routine Surveillance Dependant on classification of route General Inspection 2 years Diving Inspection 2/4 years (1) Principal Inspection 6 years (2) Special Inspection Inspection for Assessment As required As required Acceptance Inspection As required (1) River bridges 2 years, other watercourses 4 years (2) Spans over 9.0m Routine Surveillance is undertaken by County Highway Inspectors who report any defects to the Structures Asset Manager. This is a programmed inspection generally undertaken from a slow moving vehicle, therefore only a limited range of defects on structures are generally visible. General Inspections are undertaken by County Bridge Inspectors who are supervised by a Chartered Engineer. This is a remote visual inspection that reports on the condition of all visible structural elements, notes obvious defects and suggests maintenance requirements. These inspections also report the Bridge Condition Indicator as developed by ADEPT. Diving Inspections (including access to confined spaces) are undertaken by specialist access contractors who employ qualified divers. Principal Inspections require close detailed examination of all structural components, often requiring specialist access to remote elements. Principal Inspections provide a detailed report of structural condition, recommend maintenance works and also report the Bridge Condition Indicator. Currently these inspections are undertaken by experienced bridge engineers to all structures with spans greater than 9.0 metres at six yearly intervals. However, it is intended to develop a risk based approach to the determination of which bridges will be subject to Principal Inspection and the frequency with which they are undertaken. Special Inspections are scheduled where a defect requires inspection at shorter intervals than facilitated by General or Principal Inspection, or in response to the report of a defect which may affect the safety or stability of a structure. Inspection for Assessment comprises a thorough examination of a structure to determine structural condition and also confirm dimensions of elements such that quantitative structural calculations can be undertaken to determine loading capacity. It may also involve sampling and non-destructive testing of materials and components to determine material properties and condition. An Acceptance Inspection is undertaken upon acquisition of an asset, either when a new structure is built and received from the constructor, or when an existing asset is transferred from a third party to the County Council for future maintenance. The P a g e 13

78 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Acceptance Inspection will review structural condition and quantify any maintenance liabilities and associated costs. 4.3 Condition Assessment Road Bridge Condition In July 2002, the then County Surveyors Society (now ADEPT) launched the national Bridge Condition Indicator (BCI) which incorporates robust procedures for ensuring consistency in the measurement and reporting of structural condition. Both General and Principal Bridge Inspections record the Bridge Condition Indicator in accordance with ADEPT guidance. This defines the condition of all elements of a structure by recording the extent and severity of any defects present. The defects are summated to produce two condition factors for the whole structure, critical condition (BCI Crit ) and average condition (BCI av ). The critical indicator only includes elements considered to be of high structural importance, whilst the average indicator includes all components. The Bridge Stock Condition Indicator (BSCI) summates the BCI values of all structures, taking into account deck area to weight scores given the size of individual structures. From this critical (BSCI Crit ) and average (BSCI Av ) condition scores for the whole structure stock are recorded. The ranges of these values are shown in Appendix A - this translation of BSCI Av and BSCI Crit values into a condition description is taken from CSS/ADEPT document Bridge Condition Indicators, Volume 3, Guidance Note of the Evaluation of Bridge Condition Indicators, A summary of the condition of County Council road bridges is shown in Table 4.2. Table 4.2 Condition of County Road Bridges BSCI Score 01/04/2010 CSS Interpretation Target condition score Average Score FAIR GOOD 88% (89 80%) (90%) Critical Score 79% POOR (79 65%) GOOD (90%) CSS commentary Structure stock is in FAIR condition. A few structures may be in severe condition A significant number of critical load bearing elements may be in a severe condition. Some structures may represent a significant risk to public safety unless mitigation measures are in place. It is a strategic aim to attain a BSCI score of 90% or above for both average and critical element condition giving a classification of good for this asset group Road Bridge Capacity Since 1984, the majority of County road bridges built before 1975 have undergone a structural assessment to determine their load carrying capacity, following which a significant number have been strengthened. The current assessed capacity of County road bridges is summarised in Table 4.3. P a g e 14

79 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Table 4.3 Structural Capacity of County Road Bridges Capacity No of County Structures 40/44 tonnes tonnes 159* Less than 38 tonnes 24 Outside assessment requirements 291** Not applicable 3 No assessment done 65*** Total 1048 * Structures previously assessed at 38 tonnes are currently being reviewed to determine 40 tonnes adequacy. **Structures built post 1975 and buried structures. *** Included in 3 year assessment programme. Where a structure is not able to support the full 40/44 tonne vehicular loading, temporary restrictions are imposed, for example weight restrictions or reduced accessibility. The number of County road bridges with restrictions in place is shown in Table 4.4. Table 4.4 Structural Capacity of County Road Bridges Restriction No of County Structures Structural weight restrictions 15 Restricted/prohibited access to traffic 6 Schemes in strengthening programme 3 Interim protective measures to verge and parapet Footbridge Condition The footbridge stock currently comprises 132 structures identified as being owned and maintained by Staffordshire County Council and which are classed as highway structures (i.e. not including footbridges on public rights of way). Their condition is summarised in Table 4.5. Table 4.5 Condition of County Footbridges BSCI Score 01/04/2010 Average Score 83% Critical Score 65% CSS Interpretation FAIR (89 80%) POOR (79 65%) Target condition score GOOD (90%) GOOD (90%) CSS commentary Structure stock is in FAIR condition. A few structures may be in severe condition A significant number of critical load bearing elements may be in a severe condition. Some structures may represent a significant risk to public safety unless mitigation measures are in place. P a g e 15

80 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y It should be noted that the 65% critical score for footbridges is on the lower limit of this classification. 64% represents very poor condition. Again, the strategic aim is to attain BSCI average and critical element scores of 90% or above for this asset group Retaining Wall Condition At present there is not a complete inventory of County retaining walls, therefore, it is not possible to accurately report condition scores. A trial inventory collection exercise was undertaken in 2009/10 to collect missing data for known retaining walls and also to locate previously unknown walls. Each wall was allocated an initial condition score such that general inspections and maintenance works can be prioritised. 4.4 Construction / Asset Acquisition All newly constructed highway structures within the County are required to be designed and built in accordance with the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) and Manual of Contract Document for Highway Works (MCHW). This includes the procedures described by BD02/05: Technical Approval of Highway Structures. These requirement were introduced following bridge failures in the early 1970 s which were found to be attributable to design errors and, most importantly, the absence of robust and independent checking procedures which could have detected those errors. Structures constructed by agreement under Section 38 of the Highways Act 1980, or other relevant sections of the Act, are adopted as highway, usually at the end of the contract maintenance period. Asset acquisition also occurs through transfer of ownership, including de-trunking of primary routes such as the A449 and A34 through specific de-trunking orders. As part of the negotiations associated with transferring the ownership of a structure from a third party to the County Council, a commuted sum may be considered necessary to cover the costs of future maintenance and renewal of the structure. These negotiations will include an Acceptance Inspection undertaken by County engineers. Occasionally, where clear ownership of a structure cannot be readily established, the County Council has as Highway Authority undertaken safety critical maintenance work. This ensures the structure remains serviceable and protects public safety. 4.5 Operate and Maintain Routine maintenance to highway structures typically includes: Removal of vegetation Cleaning of bearings and bearing shelves P a g e 16

81 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Clearing drainage and weep holes Checking fixings and fixtures Removing blockages from watercourses The County Council maintains a number of modern multi-span road bridges that incorporate mechanical bearings. These bearings allow the superstructure or bridge deck to articulate independently from the supporting structure. Figure 4.1 shows a typical mechanical bearing which requires routine maintenance. Gaining access to maintain bearings located at remote parts of a structure often requires specialist contractors. Emergency procedures following damage to a structure are initially managed by Staffordshire Police with assistance from Staffordshire Highways emergency call out crews. The Highway Structures Team will then inspect the structure to assess the level of damage and its effects on the integrity, safety and stability of the structure. It will then programme any necessary works to repair the damage. 4.6 Programmed Maintenance Programmed maintenance works are defined as either essential/reactive, dealing with existing defects, or preventative in nature. Maintenance works to an individual structure are packaged together to achieve best value and typically contain items of both essential/reactive and preventative maintenance. A primary aim of our future maintenance strategy is to move away from the present largely essential/reactive maintenance led programme to a more cost effective preventative and steady state maintenance approach. Maintenance works are prioritised by allocating individual defects a priority score based on the likelihood and consequence of failure or poor performance of the affected structural element. This process considers the possibility of structural failure, social and economic importance of the route supported and aesthetic/heritage requirements. Each consideration is given a numerical score which is then used to determine the priority score for a specific maintenance activity ranging from 0 (no defect) to 100 (critical/failure). This information is reviewed by spreadsheet manipulation and judgement of experienced engineers. A deliverable programme of maintenance works is then identified, giving due consideration to risk and availability of budget. P a g e 17

82 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y 4.7 Upgrade The performance requirements of highway structures have evolved over many years. Previous upgrading has included the following work types:- a) Structural strengthening to increase load carrying capacity. b) Widening to improve the width or alignment of the carriageway. c) Parapet containment strengthening. d) Scour protection in watercourses. A programme of vehicle incursion upgrades is currently being progressed for road over rail bridges and parts of the highway network parallel to the railway. The aim of this programme is to mitigate the risk of errant highway vehicles accessing the railway infrastructure. Nationally, joint responsibility for the delivery of this programme is held by railway and highway authorities. Following an initial risk assessment and ranking of all such sites on Staffordshire s road network, a programme of mitigation actions has been jointly agreed and funded by Network Rail and the County Council. This programme is planned for completion by March Disposal Highway structures are removed from the County s list of highway assets predominantly for the following reasons:- Transfer of ownership and maintenance responsibility to another agent. Decommissioning where a structure is no longer required. In both of the above scenarios, the Structures Management System database will be modified to reflect this change. 5 Investment 5.1 Historical Investment Historical capital and revenue investment for Staffordshire s highway structures is shown in Table 5.1. Table 5.1 Historical Investment in Highway Structures ( 000) Income 2003/ / / / / / /10 Capital 2,900 3,300 3,000 2,070 3,110 2,880 3,040 Revenue , ,000 1, Total 3,793 4,298 4,080 3,045 4,110 4,060 3,958 The majority of available capital funding through the 1990 s and 2000 s was required to support the 40 tonne EC vehicle assessment and strengthening programme and P a g e 18

83 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y essentially targeted at primary routes. All other maintenance activities have relied on limited revenue funds which have led to the deterioration of structures on nonprimary routes over the past twenty years. Maintenance and servicing of several major structures built since 1975 has also suffered as a consequence of this essential 40 tonne assessment and strengthening strategy which has created a legacy of major maintenance works now being identified and requiring urgent attention. Although the 40 tonne vehicle strengthening programme is now largely complete, it is essential that current levels of both capital and revenue funding are at least maintained to ensure that deterioration of these structures can be arrested and a steady state preventative maintenance regime implemented over the next five years supported by a robust programme of Principal Inspections to all key structures. 5.2 Forecasting Financial Needs Following the launch of Management of Highway Structures - A Code of Practice in 2005, basic theoretical models have been developed to compare maintenance targets to levels of funding. CIPFA is currently developing a toolkit for highway structures that will enable the managers of highway structures to use a common method for forecasting financial needs. As part of the development of the toolkit, County engineers have worked in conjunction with the Midland Service Improvement Group (MSIG) to review intervention thresholds of maintenance work and compare the lifecycles of structural components. This toolkit is expected to be available in 2011/12. The document Funding for Bridge Maintenance, prepared by the CSS in February 2000, gave alternative methods for evaluating levels of maintenance funding appropriate to highway structures based on a percentage of the cost of replacing the structures asset, i.e. the Gross Replacement Cost. This suggested that a minimum annual investment of 0.5% of this asset replacement value was required simply to sustain a steady state maintenance regime which would not necessarily address any maintenance backlog that already existed. For Staffordshire, with an estimated highway structure asset replacement value of 1 billion, the level of future investment required to sustain this steady state would be 5 million per annum. Additional investment would also be needed to address the maintenance backlog currently estimated at 13 million before a steady state position can be reached. 5.3 Valuation The Chartered Institute for Public Finances and Accountancy (CIPFA) published the Code of Practice for Transport Infrastructure Assets Guidance to Support Asset Management, Financial Management and Reporting in October This guidance document requires the Gross Replacement Cost (GRC) and Depreciated Replacement Cost (DRC) of the asset to be determined for financial reporting purposes. GRC is the admissible cost of replacing a structure with a modern equivalent asset and is determined from the following formula: P a g e 19

84 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y GRC = Dimensions x Unit Rate x Adjustment Factors For both road bridges and footbridges the dimensions required are the length of structure and the average width. For retaining walls the valuation is based on retained area. Where the retained area is not known, this valuation has been based on the estimated length of wall retaining County roads, multiplied by a nominal retained height of 1.5m. To enable comparable valuations between authorities, rates have been determined regionally through the Midlands Service Improvement Group (MSIG). A summary of these rates is shown in Table 5.2. The MSIG group of authorities are working to compile a schedule of unit rates to be used for the financial year 2011/12 when it is expected that the structures financial planning toolkit referred to in section 5.2 and below will also be available. These rates include the replacement of structural components but do not include surfacing the carriageway, Statutory Undertaker costs, diversion routes and land agreement and purchase. Currently the CIPFA guidance provides an overview for the approach to calculating depreciation and impairment for highway structures, however detailed guidance remains to be published in the Highway Structures Asset Management Planning Toolkit. 6 Forward Works Programme 6.1 Existing Programmes Table 5.2 Valuation of County Highway Structures* Asset Type Rate used GRC Road Bridge 4,145/m 2 deck area 449,360,610 Footbridge 2,965/m 2 deck area 16,865,530 Retaining Wall 1,470/m 2 retained area 441,000,000 Total 907,226,140 *Based on MSIG unit rates 2007 Forward three year planned works programmes are available covering both Capital and Revenue expenditure. These programmes are reviewed on a quarterley basis. The planned expenditure for capital and revenue maintenance programmes is shown in Tables 6.1 and 6.2 respectively. P a g e 20

85 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Table 6.1 Capital Investment Programme ( 000) Scheme 2010/ / /13 Principal Inspection and assessment Bridgeguard 3 Assessment and Strengthening (Network Rail) Structural maintenance schemes Vehicle incursion measures Design and other fees Total Capital Investment Table 6.2 Revenue Investment Programme ( 000) Scheme 2010/ / /13 Diving inspection Routine maintenance Subway maintenance Essential maintenance Preventative maintenance Total Revenue Investment The planned investment as shown in Tables 6.1 and 6.2 will be reviewed following budget settlements in early Programme Coordination Programme co-ordination across the Staffordshire highway network is undertaken by the Network Management Unit utilising procedures for the noticing and controlling of works in accordance with New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 and Traffic Management Act 2004 and for applications for Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders. 6.3 Option Appraisal For the creation of a new structure or significant structural modifications to an existing structure, the Council adopts the Technical Approval procedures of BD02/05 as described in Section 4.4. The process of gaining approval in principle for significant works includes considering a range of engineering solutions covering environmental, aesthetic and durability aspects and undertaking a comparative cost / benefit analysis. This considers initial construction costs, lifecycle maintenance and socioeconomic factors including disruption to the highway network. 7 Risk A register of controlled risks associated with the highway structures asset is provided in Table 7.1. P a g e 21

86 H i g h w a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m en t S t r at eg y D e c e m b e r Table 7.1 Controlled Risk Register (Highway Structures Asset) Risk Reference Risk Likelihood Score Impact Score Uncontrolled Risk Score 1 Failure to deliver plan due to insufficient funding 2 Failure to avoid significant network disruption due to maintenance works Current Controls In Place Development and implementation of asset management and financial planning techniques in line with national requirements and guidance. Regular financial and budget reviews. Provision of asset data requested by DfT September Seek other funding opportunities e.g. CIF. Plan for reduced programme in anticipation of outcome of Comprehensive Spending Review October 2010 through prioritisation of maintenance works to target most critical defects Development of a forward works programme and publish future schemes as appropriate. Liaison with Network Management Unit at early stages of scheme preparation and noticing procedures in line with NRSWA 1991 and TMA 2004 complied with. Early contractor involvement at design stage to review scheme proposals. 3 Failure of structure or structural element due to: 3.1 Accidental impact Use of Protocol for Prevention of Strikes on Bridges Over Highways published by CSS/NR/DfT. Provision of advance warning signage of structures. Procedures for the management of abnormal load movements. Bridge widening schemes included in maintenance programme. 3.2 Loss of support in watercourse due to scour/flood Routine diving inspections undertaken to all river bridges at 2 year intervals. Special inspections instructed to vulnerable structures Revised Likelihood Score Revised Impact Score Controlled Risk Score P a g e 22

87 H i g h w a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m en t S t r at eg y D e c e m b e r Table 7.1 Controlled Risk Register (Highway Structures Asset) Risk Reference Risk Likelihood Score Impact Score Uncontrolled Risk Score event 3.3 Overloading of weak or substandard element 3.4 Inadequate inspection of structures Current Controls In Place after flood events. Study to assess river flows and identify bridges at risk of scour. Scour risk prevention measures included in maintenance programme. Rapid response to reports of debris trapped against bridges All structures to be assessed in accordance with BD21 and loading restrictions imposed where required gap analysis undertaken to identify bridges still to be assessed. Regular structure reviews in line with CoP recommendations. Procedures for the management of abnormal load movements Two yearly General Inspection programme implemented and monitored to ensure adherence to programme. GIs undertaken by Bridge Inspectors and all reports reviewed by Chartered Engineer. Six yearly Principal Inspection programme to key structures. Two yearly diving inspections to all bridges with supports in water courses. Ongoing training and development of Bridge Inspectors. Principal Inspections led by experienced Chartered Engineers. All inspections in accordance with national standards i.e. BD63/07 Inspection of Highway Structures and The Inspection Manual for Highway Structures Revised Likelihood Score Revised Impact Score Controlled Risk Score Structural defect Two yearly General Inspection programme P a g e 23

88 H i g h w a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m en t S t r at eg y D e c e m b e r Table 7.1 Controlled Risk Register (Highway Structures Asset) Risk Reference Risk Likelihood Score Impact Score Uncontrolled Risk Score remaining undetected during inspection 3.6 Essential maintenance, upgrading or replacement work not carried out 3.7 Lack of competent experienced staff to undertake analysis, design and assessment of structures Current Controls In Place implemented and monitored to ensure adherence to programme. GIs undertaken by Bridge Inspectors and all reports reviewed by Chartered Engineer. Ongoing training and development of Bridge Inspectors. All inspections in accordance with national standards i.e. BD63/07 Inspection of Highway Structures and The Inspection Manual for Highway Structures. Briefing/training on inspection process and defect identification delivered by Structures Asset Manager to all staff involved in Principal Inspections. Principal Inspections led by experienced Chartered Engineers. Principal Inspection process ensures close detailed examination of all elements of larger key structures Development and implementation of asset management and financial planning techniques in line with national requirements and guidance leading to prioritised maintenance programme. Inspection reports reviewed by Chartered Engineer and maintenance requirements identified Technical skills resource reviewed periodically and training provided. Specialist structural engineering consultants engaged where necessary. Revised Likelihood Score Revised Impact Score Controlled Risk Score P a g e 24

89 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y 8 Works Delivery and Procurement The County s highway service including the majority of the bridges and highway structures maintenance operation is delivered through a single integrated team with the County Councils highway term maintenance contractor, Enterprise plc. The service operates as a Virtual Joint Venture (VJV) and through collaborative working continually seeks to deliver efficiency savings. Occasionally, larger bridge schemes are procured through the Midlands Highway Alliance Medium Schemes Framework 1. These arrangements were put in place to ensure that Staffordshire County Council is able to take advantage of new approaches to local authority procurement of construction works such as joint procurement through regional frameworks. Whilst project specific tendering remains an option, this can incur very significant costs associated with the tendering processes and supervision and management of such contracts. 9 Performance Measurement 9.1 Performance Measurement Performance management and measurement of the highway structures operation includes the reporting of the following indicators: Condition of structures stock, based on national performance indicators developed by the CSS/ADEPT Local indicators relating specifically to the highway structures operation. Measuring and reporting the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery operation as part of the performance management regime within the virtual joint venture with Enterprise. The measurement and reporting of performance is an integral part of the management process for this asset. 9.2 Performance Indicators: National Bridge Condition Indicator As described in Section 4.3, the Bridge Condition Indicator is commonly reported by Local Authorities to assess and compare the condition of highway structures. The year on year condition scores for Staffordshire s overall bridge stock are shown in Table 9.1. P a g e 25

90 H i g hw a y S t r u c t u r e s As s e t M an a g e m e n t S t r a t e g y Table 9.1 County Road Bridge BSCI Scores* Indicator/year 2006/ / / / /11 Average Critical No structures included *Data reported at 1 st April each year This shows that the condition of the bridge stock appears to have deteriorated slightly since However, this should not necessarily be taken as representative of the true underlying trend as the BCI process has taken some time to become established and it is only in the past year that the condition of all of the County s bridges has been reported. Figure 9.1 shows the current range of individual Bridge Condition Indicator average results. Figure 9.1 Average BCI Summary for County road bridges P a g e 26