Decision Support Framework for Infrastructure Maintenance Investment Decision Making

Public infrastructure management agencies in the United States are facing multiple challenges, including aging infrastructure, reduction in capacity of existing infrastructure, and limited funds for the maintenance of infrastructure. Limited funding makes infrastructure maintenance investment decision making a challenging task. Generally, such decisions are based only on physical condition. However, for better utilization of limited funds, multiple decision parameters such as strategic importance, socioeconomic contribution, and infrastructure utilization in addition to physical condition should be considered for infrastructure maintenance investments decisions. Considering this context, a decision support framework for infrastructure maintenance investment decision making is presented in this paper. The framework measures performance of candidate infrastructure [i.e., candidate for maintenance, repair, and rehabilitation (MRR)] based on the previously mentioned multiple decision parameters. Multiattribute utility theory (MAUT), Markov decision process (MDP), and portfolio management approach have been adopted to provide decision support outcomes including performance curves, decision logic maps, and network-level maintenance investment plan. The framework has been implemented through case study on a set of bridges candidates for MRR investment. (C) 2015 American Society of Civil Engineers.