Urban Transportation Management Challenges

IN FR A STR U C TU R E The condition of the nation’s infrastructure has been the subject of several major studies in recent years. As could be expected, Canada has similar problems concerning the condition of the infrastructure. Needs studies undertaken from the late 1970s to the present suggest four major conclusions: the nation’s infrastructure has been maintained unevenly; many public facilities have not been maintained adequately and are in suffi­ cient disrepair to pose risk to public health and safety; the problem is widespread, not confined to a few categories or certain cities or geographic areas; and, the cost of meeting future demands for public infrastructure will be very high. Three major national studies conducted by the Association of General Con­ tractors, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Joint Economic Committee show close agreement on the relative ranking of infrastructure needs, and transportation improvements account for between two-thirds and three-fourths of the required funding. With the interstate system now nearing completion, the transportation professional is changing from a ’’builder of grand monument" of highway engineer­ ing to one who attempts to maintain and rehabilitate the highway system while under duress due to congested traffic conditions and inadequate funding. One of the key issues concerning the condition of the infrastructure is whether to maintain the system or to construct anew. Modern maintenance practices can significantly influence the useful life of infrastructure. For example, pavement management systems have identified recommended preventative measures so that roads will not be allowed to deteriorate to poor conditions. However, the fact that federal and state governments bear a larger share of the replacement cost than of the maintenance cost of infrastructure reduces the incentives for local government to consider cost-effective, life-prolonging maintenance. Similarly, when operating costs are not subject to grant programs but construction costs are, local governments have a strong incentive to choose capital-intensive solutions to infrastructure problems. Thus, one of the major challenges of the transportation professional is the management of the transportation infrastructure under conditions of reduced levels of funding, funding programs that are biased toward new construction or