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APPENDIX A
SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE
QUESTIONNAIRE
NCHRP Project 20-5
Synthesis Topic 37-07
Use of Bridge Management for Transportation Agency Decision making
All state departments of transportation (DOTs) have a bridge management process or system in place and
in use. The extent to which these processes are used in network level planning and programming
decisions may vary significantly from one agency to another. It will be beneficial for state transportation
agencies to know how other agencies use and benefit from their bridge management processes in making
resource allocation decisions relating to bridges.
This synthesis is gathering information on current practices that agency senior decision makers use to
make network level funding decisions for their bridges, and the use they make of their bridge
management processes for these decisions. Also, information is being collected on future plans for
upgrading and better utilizing bridge management processes. The focus is on both funding allocations for
bridges within the overall agency programs, and allocations within the bridge program for replacement,
rehabilitation, and maintenance needs.
This is a three part questionnaire to elicit different perspectives regarding the bridge management process:
Part I. To be completed by the Chief Bridge Engineer responsible for the bridge management process
within the State. If the Chief Bridge Engineer or the person(s) he or she delegates can complete all three
parts, please do so, otherwise have the following individuals complete the remaining two parts concerning
budgeting and planning.
Part II. Head of budgeting with significant responsibility in helping the CEO make decisions concerning
the allocation of funds across different programs including bridges.
Part III. Head of State transportation planning.
Please return all three parts of the completed questionnaire by April 10, 2006 to:
William Hyman E-mail: bhyman@ara.com
Principal Investigator Phone: 410-540-9949
Applied Research Associates, Inc. Cell: 301-593-7842
7184 Troy Hill Drive, Suite N Fax: 410-540-9288
Elkridge, MD 21075
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QUESTIONS FOR THE CHIEF BRIDGE ENGINEER
Respondent Information
Bridge Engineer
Name:
Title:
Agency:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Phone: Fax: e-mail:
To make effective decisions regarding the bridge program, to your knowledge does the Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) and his or her management team use each of the following types of information with
regard to bridges throughout the State? Please respond by using the following rating scale:
1 Currently uses
2 Uses with significant data manipulation
3 Would like to use, but limited by the capabilities of the Bridge Management System
4 Does not or is unlikely to use.
Information on Bridge Condition and Performance
1. An overall measure of the current condition or health of bridges. Rating:
2. A measure of the condition of key components of bridges that involve significant expenditures
(e.g., bridge decks). Rating:
3. Key bridge safety problems that should be addressed such as piers subject to scour, bridges that
could be exposed to hurricane storm surges, and bridges potentially affected by seismic activity.
Rating:
4. The number of bridges that are currently structurally deficient. Rating:
5. The number of bridges that are currently functionally obsolete. Rating:
6. Progress in achieving bridge condition performance targets set in the prior year. Rating:
7. A measure of the future condition or health of bridges. Rating:
8. The target level of maintenance required that would be consistent with the requirements of the
Governmental Accounting Standards Board. Rating:
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Programming and Budgeting
9. Future bridge expenditure needs for bridge preservation and improvement over the forthcoming
budget cycle assuming no budget constraints. Rating:
10. Short-term (15 year) projections of future bridge expenditure needs under alternative budget
assumptions. Rating:
11. Mid-term (610 year) projections of future bridge expenditure needs under alternative budget
assumptions. Rating:
12. Long-term (1150 year) projections of future bridge needs under alternative budget assumptions.
Rating:
13. A single recommended bridge budget for the forthcoming budget cycle. Rating:
14. Analysis of choices and tradeoffs regarding expenditures within the recommended bridge budget
or program--maintenance, rehabilitation, replacement, and major projects. Rating:
15. A breakdown of the recommended bridge budget by main or important types of structures.
Rating:
16. Breakdown of the recommended bridge budget by in-house work versus contract work. Rating:
17. Descriptions, locations, and costs of candidate and recommended major bridge projects. Rating:
18. A breakdown of the recommended bridge budget by political jurisdiction or administrative unit.
Rating:
19. A breakdown of major bridge projects in the recommended budget presented by political
jurisdiction or administrative unit. Rating:
20. Reports and graphics showing the results of changing the resource allocation between the bridge
program and other program areas such as pavements and operations. Rating:
Economic Criteria Used in Resource Allocation
21. Network level benefit-cost ratios for alternative bridge programs. Rating:
22. Network level estimates of life-cycle costs. Rating:
23. Network level estimates of avoidable road user costs (accidents, travel time, vehicle operating
costs). Rating:
24. Benefit-cost ratios of major bridge project alternatives. Rating:
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District-Level Information
25. Does the CEO and management team generally use the same type of district-level analysis and
information as you checked above for the state? Check a box: Yes No. If no, please
explain:
For each of the following identify the organizational unit, level, or decision maker(s) where bridge
program decisions are made:
26. The allocation of funds among different assets (e.g., pavements, bridges, maintenance
appurtenances, transit)
27. What the performance measures will be.
28. What the performance targets will be.
29. The split of funds for bridge preservation, rehabilitation, and replacement.
30. The major bridge projects that will be funded.
31. Who picks the state-owned bridges that will receive some action in a certain year?
32. Local bridges outside metropolitan areas that will receive funding.
33. Bridges in metropolitan areas that will be funded and which are included in a metropolitan
Transportation Improvement Program.
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In regards to each of the following statements, describe how your agency uses your computerized
bridge management system. Please use the following rating scale:
1. Based primarily on the Bridge Management System
2. Manipulation of BMS data occurs outside the BMS
3. Not used or seldom used
Performance Measures for Needs Assessment and Resource Allocation
34. Calculates a measure of the current condition of each bridge (e.g., condition rating, sufficiency
rating, health index). Rating:
35. Identifies current condition of each bridge on the network and key sub-networks such as districts
or Interstate bridges (composite index, health index). Rating:
36. Projects into the future the condition of each bridge in the inventory. Rating:
37. Calculates a composite index of the projected network level condition of all bridges in the state
(e.g., network-level health index). Rating:
38. Determines the depreciated value of the bridge inventory or uses the modified procedure for
public reporting under the Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement 34. Rating:
Needs Analysis
39. Identifies bridge needs (maintenance, rehabilitation, improvement and replacement) that can be
used as input to the statewide budgeting and programming process by using engineering
judgment and basic bridge data (e.g., inventory and inspection data, condition ratings, sufficiency
ratings, whether a bridge is structurally deficient and/or functionally obsolete, and safety or other
serious problems that are flagged in the data base). Rating:
40. Identifies major project needs. Rating:
41. Uses project level analysis to identify options (candidates) as input to the network level analysis.
In other words, analysis of network level needs is derived from project options for each bridge
stored in the bridge management system data base. Rating:
42. Determines network level needs unconstrained by budgets by using benefit-cost analysis or other
similar techniques. Rating:
43. Determines multi-year, network level bridge needs subject to annual budget constraints by using
benefit-cost analysis, optimization, or other procedures. Rating:
44. Produces reports useful for building a recommended bridge budget for each organizational unit
responsible for some portion of the bridge inventory (e.g., districts). Rating:
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Resource Allocation and Tradeoff Analysis
45. Has a network level dashboard for communicating the effects of different budget levels on
various factors of concern to bridge managers (e.g., a health index for bridges on the network, the
benefits in relationship to the costs that can be achieved for a given budget levels). Rating:
46. Has a project level dashboard for communicating the effects of deferring bridge work on the
condition of bridge elements, life-cycle costs, etc. Rating:
47. Provides network-level analysis to help allocate funds for all agency bridges. Rating:
48. Provides network-level analysis to help allocate funds among organizational units within your
agency (e.g., districts and possibly lower levels of the organization). Rating:
49. Provides network analysis to help allocate bridge funds by functional class, corridors, or other
sub-networks of the highway system. Rating:
50. Produces reports useful for allocating the bridge portion of the budget approved by the governor
and legislature to each organizational unit responsible for some portion of the bridge inventory
(e.g., districts). Rating:
51. If your bridge management system has most of the capabilities listed above, do you use them to
help the CEO and top management team do planning, programming, and budgeting, especially
resource allocation within the bridge program? Yes No
If your answer is no, check each box that provides part of the explanation:
52. The recommended actions from the bridge management system are too different from the
actions our bridge inspectors and engineers recommend.
53. The bridge management system gives too much emphasis to economic considerations relative
to other considerations, especially conditions we observe in the field.
54. The economic assumptions are not accurate.
55. The bridge management system is perceived by too many managers as a black box--it uses
analytic procedures we really do not understand
56. Management's capabilities include the ability to assess current and future needs. A bridge
management system detracts from the bridge manager's prerogatives.
57. We have found it difficult to implement a bridge management system, train personnel, and
obtain buy-in from managers that must depend upon it.
58. We have had problems with reliability (software, data, and/or analysis)
59. Other:
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Additional Questions
60. Is there anything--perhaps something distinctive or unique-- about your bridge management
process or your computerized bridge management system that significantly helps, hinders or
constrains bridge decision making in regards to the following:
a) Choices and tradeoffs within the bridge program concerning expenditures on maintenance
activities, rehabilitation, and replacement.
b) Choices and tradeoffs between the bridge program and other programs such as pavements,
operations, and the broader set of maintenance activities.
61. Do you have any future plans to upgrade and allow top management to better utilize the bridge
management process (including analysis from the computerized bridge management system)?
62. Please provide examples of the most useful reports, tables, charts, maps, PowerPoint
presentations, screenshots, or other material you provide to the CEO and management team
for purposes of bridge decision making. (Mail them to William Hyman, the Principal
Investigator, at the address shown on the first page)
63. OPTIONAL BUT DESIRABLE. Please provide documentation on your bridge management
business process. How resource allocation decisions are made within the bridge program area
and between the bridge and other program areas is of primary interest. You can satisfy this
request in one of two ways, the first being much simpler than the second:
c) Provide existing documentation that is already available within your agency. This
documentation may be descriptive material or flow charts and may be found in published
papers, reports, policies and procedures, various types of plans, and completed requirements
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analysis that documents existing business processes for bridge decision making or resource
allocation within and across different types of assets such as bridges and pavements. Your
Information Technology group may have this type of system documentation.
d) Begin from scratch and develop a flow chart or list of steps that describes how key bridge
decisions are made. Identify the title of the person or organizational unit responsible for each
step. Identify which steps involve the use of a computerized bridge management system. In a
flow chart, show key decision points and decision branches.
Whether you provide existing documentation or document the bridge management process from
scratch, please try to address each of the following bridge related decisions:.
x Establishing performance measures and targets
x Determining which bridges warrant some action based upon condition, safety, functional
obsolescence, or economics (i.e. benefits exceed costs)
x Determining those bridges for which actions must be deferred or down-scoped due to
insufficient funds.
x Recommending a funding level for bridges to be incorporated into the budget to the
governor and legislature
x Determining the allocation of the recommended and approved budgets among
maintenance, rehabilitation, and capital expenditures including replacement, new
construction, and major projects
x Determining the allocation of the recommended and/or approved budget between bridges
and other program areas (e.g. pavements and operations)
x Determining local and metropolitan bridges that will be funded.
x Adjusting performance targets based on periodic review and feedback
(Please mail your documentation of the bridge management process to William Hyman, the Principal
Investigator, at the address shown on the first page)
64. What information do top decision makers require for funding and programming decisions that
are not being provided by your bridge management process?
65. Other comments:
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QUESTIONS FOR HEAD OF BUDGETING (IF NOT COMPLETED WITHIN THE OFFICE OF
THE CHIEF BRIDGE ENGINEER)
BACKGROUND
All state departments of transportation (DOTs) have a bridge management process or system in place and
in use. The extent to which these processes are used in network level planning and programming
decisions may vary significantly from one agency to another. There may also be great variation in the
familiarity of senior decision makers with the basic assumptions underlying the bridge management
process and with its potential to produce useful reports regarding bridge condition, performance, and
resource allocation needs. It will be beneficial to all transportation agencies to know how other agencies
use and benefit from their bridge management processes in making resource allocation decisions relating
to bridges.
This synthesis is gathering information on current practices that agency CEO's and senior decision
makers use to make network level funding decisions for their bridges, and the use they make of their
bridge management processes for these decisions. Also, information is being collected on future plans for
upgrading and better utilizing bridge management processes. The focus is on both funding allocations for
bridges within the overall agency programs, and allocations within the bridge program for replacement,
rehabilitation, and maintenance needs.
This is a three part questionnaire to elicit different perspectives regarding the bridge management process:
Part I. To be completed by the Chief Bridge Engineer responsible for the bridge management process
within the State. If the Chief Bridge Engineer or the person(s) he or she delegates can complete all three
parts, please do so, otherwise have the following individuals complete the remaining two parts concerning
budgeting and planning.
Part II. Head of budgeting with significant responsibility in helping the CEO make decisions concerning
the allocation of funds across different programs including bridges.
Part III. Head of State transportation planning.
Respondent Information
Head of Budgeting (if not completed within the Office of the Chief Bridge Engineer)
Name:
Title:
Agency:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Phone: Fax: e-mail:
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PLEASE RETURN THIS PORTION OF THE COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE TO YOUR
AGENCY'S CHIEF BRIDGE ENGINEER WHO WILL SEND IT TO THE PRINCIPAL
INVESTIGATOR, WILLIAM HYMAN, APPLIED RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC.
1. Please rate on a scale from 1(unimportant) to 5(very important) the importance of each of the
following factors in the budgeting process:
a) The budget level for the previous budget cycle. Rating:
b) The budget level for the previous fiscal year. Rating:
c) Giving first priority to bridge preservation projects. Rating:
d) Giving first priority to capital expenditures for bridges replacement and major projects.
Rating:
e) Giving first priority to major bridge projects, with the balance of bridge funds going to the rest of
the bridge program. Rating:
f) The political jurisdictions in which bridge replacement work and major bridge projects occur.
Rating:
g) Bridge needs determined at the district and/or lower levels of the organization, possibly with
input from local government or Metropolitan Planning Organizations. Rating:
h) Documented bridge needs, tempered by engineering judgment, based on results of the
computerized bridge management system. Rating:
i) Quantitative analysis of choices and tradeoffs from the bridge management system regarding the
allocation of funds among bridge maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement work.
Rating:
j) Quantitative analysis of choices and tradeoff from one or more computerized management
systems regarding the allocation of funds between the bridge program and other programs such as
pavements and operations. Rating:
k) Subjective analysis of top managers and professionals concerning the choices and tradeoffs
within the bridge program and between the bridge program and other programs such as
pavements. Rating:
l) An analysis of bridge work that should be performed by in-house staff versus contractors.
Rating:
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2. Does your budget office use your agency's computerized bridge management system to help
support the budgeting process? Yes No
If yes, which of the following features are used?
a) Generate summary information about the inventory, condition, structural deficiency,
functional obsolescence at the network and district level
b) Identify safety or other serious problems such as scour, presence of fracture critical elements
or seismic vulnerability
c) Produce information that can be compared with performance targets set by management
d) Generate alternative scenarios subject to budget constraints for planning, programming,
budgeting and resource allocation
e) Explore choices and tradeoffs for allocation of resources within the bridge program
(maintenance, rehabilitation, replacement)
f) Calculate bridge life-cycle costs and/or minimum component life-cycle costs
g) Calculate avoidable road user-costs (accidents, travel time, vehicle operating costs) as a
function of alternative budget levels
h) Provide information to satisfy public reporting requirements under the Governmental
Accounting Standards Board
i) Provide information helpful in setting parameters (performance targets, budget levels by
organizational unit, other guidelines) to effectively delegate to lower level managers the
responsibility for selecting what work to do on specific bridges on the network
j) Past and planned bridge work by organizational unit or geographic area
3. Of the items you did not check in response to Question 2, would any be useful to you for
budgeting?
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4. Please check which of the following organizational units in the department play a key role in
making decisions regarding the allocation of resources within the bridge program and between
the bridge program and other programs in the department. Note that some of these functions,
such as budget and finance, may be found within the same organizational unit.
a) Office of the CEO
b) Budget
c) Finance
d) Planning
e) Programming
f) Construction
g) Bridge Construction
h) Maintenance
i) Bridge Maintenance
j) Operations
k) Computer Services
l) Office of the District Director, District Engineer or similar district head
m) District Office of Planning
n) District Office of Programming/Budgeting
o) District Office of Construction
p) District Office of Maintenance
q) Areas
r) Shops/Garages
s) Other:
t) Other:
u) Other:
5. Please provide examples of the most useful tables, charts, maps, slide presentations, or other
material you provide to the CEO and management team for purposes of budget development
and resource allocation within the bridge program and between the bridge and other program
areas (Please return these materials to the Chief Bridge Engineer to be mailed to William Hyman,
the Principal Investigator)
6. Other Comments:
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QUESTIONS FOR HEAD OF PLANNING (IF NOT COMPLETED WITHIN THE OFFICE OF
THE CHIEF BRIDGE ENGINEER)
BACKGROUND
All state departments of transportation (DOTs) have a bridge management process or system in place and
in use. The extent to which these processes are used in network level planning and programming
decisions may vary significantly from one agency to another. There may also be great variation in the
familiarity of senior decision makers with the basic assumptions underlying the bridge management
process and with its potential to produce useful reports regarding bridge condition, performance, and
resource allocation needs. It will be beneficial to all transportation agencies to know how other agencies
use and benefit from their bridge management processes in making resource allocation decisions relating
to bridges.
This synthesis is gathering information on current practices that agency CEO's and senior decision
makers use to make network level funding decisions for their bridges, and the use they make of their
bridge management processes for these decisions. Also, information is being collected on future plans for
upgrading and better utilizing bridge management processes. The focus is on both funding allocations for
bridges within the overall agency programs, and allocations within the bridge program for replacement,
rehabilitation, and maintenance needs.
This is a three part questionnaire to elicit different perspectives regarding the bridge management process:
Part I. To be completed by the Chief Bridge Engineer responsible for the bridge management process
within the State. If the Chief Bridge Engineer or the person(s) he or she delegates can complete all three
parts, please do so, otherwise have the following individuals complete the remaining two parts concerning
budgeting and planning.
Part II. Head of budgeting with significant responsibility in helping the CEO make decisions concerning
the allocation of funds across different programs including bridges.
Part III. Head of State transportation planning.
Respondent Information
Head of Planning (if not completed within the Office of the Chief Bridge Engineer)
Name:
Title:
Agency:
Address:
City: State: Zip:
Phone: Fax: e-mail:
WOULD THE HEAD OF PLANNING PLEASE RETURN THIS PORTION OF THE
COMPLETED QUESTIONNAIRE TO YOUR AGENCY'S CHIEF BRIDGE ENGINEER WHO
WILL SEND IT TO THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR, WILLIAM HYMAN, APPLIED
RESEARCH ASSOCIATES, INC.
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1. Please indicate which of the following capabilities of a computerized bridge management
system your department uses to help support the planning process? For each item that applies,
place a check in the box.
a) Provide summary reports on the inventory and condition of bridges for the state and
the districts.
b) Provide statewide and district reports on the number of bridges that structurally
deficient and functionally obsolete
c) Identify or flag safety or other serious problems such as scour, presence of fracture
critical elements or seismic vulnerability
d) Provide an overall network and district level condition or health index
e) Provide information that can be compared with performance targets set by
management
f) Explore alternative scenarios subject to budget constraints for planning,
programming, budgeting and resource allocation
g) Identify choices and tradeoffs for allocation of resources within the bridge program
(replacement, rehabilitation, maintenance)
h) Identify life-cycle costs of bridges
i) Identify avoidable road user costs as a function of alternative budget levels
j) Provide information to satisfy public reporting requirements under the Governmental
Accounting Standards Board
k) Provide the CEO and other top managers recommended parameters (performance
targets, budget levels by organizational unit, other guidelines) to effectively delegate to
lower level managers the responsibility for selecting what work to do on specific bridges
l) Identify past and planned bridge work by organizational unit or geographic area
m) Identify past and planned bridge work by political jurisdiction
2. Please provide examples of the most useful tables, charts, maps, slide presentations, or other
material you provide to the CEO and management team for purposes of making planning
decisions regarding bridges. (Please give this information to the Chief Bridge Engineer to be
mailed to the Principal Investigator, William Hyman).
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3. Please describe any recent trends in planning that are likely to help top management make
improved decision making regarding bridges. These trends may concern management theory,
systems, technology, research, organizational development, communications, etc.
4. Other Comments:
