Proceedings of the 12th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management (2019)

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1 Conference Overview Nearly 500 transportation asset management practitioners came together at the Westin Hotel in San Diego, California, for the 12th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management (TAM). The conference was sponsored by Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Transportation Asset Management and the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). In addition to the 2-day conference held on July 16–17, 2018, several preconference activities were scheduled on July 14–15, 2018, including the following: • A peer exchange sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and AASHTO, • Six technical half-day and full-day workshops, • Several TRB committee meetings, • A joint meeting between the TRB Committee on Transportation Asset Management and the AASHTO Asset Management Subcommittee, • Several Pooled Fund activities for state transportation agencies, and • A Transit Asset Management Roundtable sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). A total of 487 participants representing a variety of organizations attended the conference, as shown in Figure 1. The largest number of attendees represented state departments of transportation (DOTs), but many local and regional practitioners also attended. Included in the list of attendees are many transit agencies representing several different types of organizations, including other federal agencies, state DOTs, and local or regional government agencies. Although the majority of attendees were from the United States (93.6%), representatives from nine other countries, including Australia (n = 1), Canada (n = 15), Costa Rica (n = 2), Ireland (n = 1), Japan (n = 2), Mexico (n = 3), South Africa (n = 1), Ukraine (n = 1), and the United Kingdom (n = 5) participated in the conference activities. Conference Tracks and Sessions The conference program was organized around the following five tracks: Track 1: Analyzing and Optimizing Investment Options. This track showcased methods and tools used to support the development of integrated investment decisions within an uncertain financial planning environment. Track 2: Data Systems to Improve Decisions. This track featured presentations on the development and implementation of data systems, best practices in data collection, methods used to estimate the expected return on investment, and strategies for communicating results.

2 Figure 1. Participant distribution by employer. Track 3: Implementation. This track highlighted best practices and lessons learned from TAM implementation efforts, including agency experiences in addressing changes to business processes, implementing innovative practices to support TAM, and delivering results effectively. Track 4: Organization and Workforce. This track provided a forum for practitioners to share organizational transformations and key strategies for building an effective TAM workforce. Track 5: TAMPs—Setting the Course for Compliance and Beyond. Presentations in this track focused on the development and maturation of agency transportation asset management plans (TAMPs) by exploring lessons learned through initial development and future plans for enhancing the TAMP and integrating it into agency operations. In addition to the five technical tracks, two cross-cutting tracks on transit and risk and resilience were established to help ensure that each technical track included material relevant to these two cross-cutting topics. The result was a well-integrated conference program that contained sessions addressing the range of interests represented by a diverse audience. The sessions seamlessly integrated transit and resilience issues into each session and illustrated the common needs of transit and highway participants and the importance of incorporating extreme weather events and resilience into asset management planning. The conference featured several different types of sessions to provide a range of opportunities for the participants. The conference began with an opening session that included a distinguished panel of experts who discussed several asset management challenges for today’s transportation community. It ended with a closing session that

3 provided an opportunity for the track leads to share examples from the conference presentations that illustrated ways in which asset management is evolving and moving toward a more sustainable, multidimensional, and evolved program. Both the opening and closing sessions were plenary sessions for all conference participants to attend. In addition to the two plenary sessions, there were 30 breakout sessions organized around each of the five tracks. The majority of the breakout sessions featured presentations from practitioners, but several were organized as discussion sessions or rapid-fire sessions. The discussion sessions provided opportunities for peers to exchange experiences through facilitated question-and-answer sessions. In the rapid-fire sessions, many speakers were provided an opportunity to introduce technologies in 5 minutes or less. Participants interested in any of the technologies presented could then interact with the speakers during the poster session or breaks. The poster session, which was held in conjunction with a reception, featured four posters related to data systems to improve decisions and three posters featuring examples for analyzing and optimizing investment options. The poster session format provided an opportunity for conference participants to interact with the authors directly in a relaxed setting. Preconference Workshops Immediately prior to the conference, several preconference workshops were offered to participants free of charge. The workshops were well attended and represented a range of topics relevant to practitioners, from those just getting started in asset management to those who have years of experience. These topics included the following: Bridge Management Applications for Your TAMP (1.5 hours). Presenters in this workshop provided examples of how bridge management systems can be used to support asset management. Paul Thompson (Consultant) provided an introduction to bridge management that was followed by examples from the Indiana (Louis Feagans), Michigan (Dave Juntunen), and New York State (Steve Wilcox) DOTs. Using New Tools and Processes to Enhance TAM (3.5 hours). This workshop featured products that emerged from several recently completed research projects of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), as follows: • Guidance on leading practices (William Roberts, Spy Pond Partners, LLC); • Data for civil integrated management, TAM, and transportation performance management (TPM) (Frances Harrison, Spy Pond Partners, LLC); • Metrics, benchmarking, and target setting (Joseph Crossett, High Street Consulting); • Resource allocation (William Roberts, Spy Pond Partners, LLC); and • Communication and diagnostics with portals and dashboards (Hyun-A Park, Spy Pond Partners, LLC). Asset Management 101 (3.5 hours). This workshop provided a foundation for TAM so participants could better understand its role in their organization. An opening presentation

4 by Carlos Chang (University of Texas at El Paso) set the stage for a panel discussion that included representatives from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (Theresa Rommel), the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (John McCormick), the City of Seattle, Washington (Terry Martin), and the Nevada DOT (Anita Bush). What We Learned from the TAMP Development Process (3.5 hours). Several months before the conference, state DOTs submitted their initial TAMPs to their FHWA Division offices for review. This workshop provided an opportunity for panel members to discuss how their experiences would shape the development of their fully compliant TAMPs and for workshop participants to discuss their successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Facilitators included Michael Johnson [California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)], Hyun-A Park (Spy Pond Partners, LLC), Brad Allen (Applied Pavement Technology), and Gordon Proctor (Proctor and Associates). Panel members in the financial planning discussions included Craig Newell (Michigan DOT); Matt Haubrich (Iowa DOT); Locke Craig-Mickel (Washington State DOT). Panelists for the life-cycle planning discussions included Dawn Foster (Caltrans); Trisha Stefanski (Minnesota DOT); and Andrew Williams (Ohio DOT). The risk management panel included Locke Craig-Mickel (Washington State DOT); Chad Allen (Vermont DOT); Travis McGrath (Idaho Transportation Department); and Karen Riemer (Connecticut DOT). The final panel, which focused on successes and challenges, included Brad McCaleb (Arkansas DOT) and Tammy Haas (New Mexico DOT). Use of Pavement Management Systems for Asset Management (1.5 hours). During this workshop, several pavement management practitioners shared how their systems are being used to support asset management. Presenters included Alan Kercher (Kercher Group), Andrew Williams (Ohio DOT), Tammy Haas (New Mexico DOT), and Steve Wilcox (New York State DOT). How to Use TAM Information to Grab the Attention of Executives (1.5 hours). This workshop panel shared ideas for how to take data from an asset management analysis and turn it into a useful decision-making tool. The panel members shared approaches that work as well as some that do not work. The panel included William Johnson (Colorado DOT), Paul Degges (Tennessee DOT), and Julie Lorenz (Burns and McDonnell). Conference at a Glance An overview of the conference program is provided in Figure 2.

5 Figure 2. Conference schedule at a glance.