Office of Operations
21st Century Operations Using 21st Century Technologies

Applying Transportation Asset Management to Traffic Signals: A Primer

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United States Department of Transportation logo.

U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
Office of Operations
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov

FHWA-HOP-20-048

January 2022


Table of Contents

[ Notice and Quality Assurance Statement ] | [ Technical Report Documentation ] | [ SI Modern Metric Conversion Factors ]| [ List of Acronyms ]

Chapter 1. Introduction

Purpose

Primer Structure

Chapter 2. Background

Transportation Asset Management

Transportation Systems Management and Operations

Transportation Performance Management

The TSMO, Transportation Asset Management, and Transportation Performance Management Relationship

Emerging Themes in Traffic Signals Asset Management

Chapter 3. Asset Identification

Asset Definition

Asset Attributes and Hierarchy

Asset Inventory Management

Key Actions

Define and Collect Asset Attributes for Traffic Signals

Define and Collect Asset Attributes for Traffic Signal Components

Chapter 4. Management Systems for Assets

System Functionality

Location-Specific Functionality

System Interfaces and Integrations

System Implementation and Adoption

Key Actions

Identify Management System Requirements, Gaps, and Interfaces

Develop a Stakeholder Engagement Plan for System Implementation

Chapter 5. Performance Measures and Targets

Asset Reliability/Condition

Asset Maintainability/Serviceability

Reporting Framework for Performance Measures

Key Actions

Develop and Set Asset Management Performance Measures/Targets

Develop Reporting Framework and Processes

Chapter 6. Maximizing Performance—Lifecycle Planning

Maintenance Management Approaches

Condition-Based Maintenance Management

Interval-Based Maintenance Management

Reactive Maintenance Management

Reliability-Centered Maintenance

Lifecycle Planning

Building Information Modeling as a Tool to Inform Lifecycle Planning

Key Actions

Understand the Outcome from Alternative Maintenance Management Approaches

Chapter 7. Resource Allocation—Financial Plan, Investment Strategies, Performance Gap Analysis

Informing Resource Allocation

Asset Valuation

Communicating an Investment Strategy

Traffic Signal Management Plans

Key Actions

Develop a Process to Inform Resource Allocation Decisionmaking

Utilize Asset Valuation

Communicating Investment Strategies

Chapter 8. Summary

Asset Identification

Key Actions

Management Systems for Assets

Performance Measures and Targets

Key Actions

Maximizing Performance—Lifecycle Planning

Key Actions

Resource Allocation—Financial Plan, Investment Strategies, Performance Gap Analysis

Key Actions

References

List of Figures

Figure 1. Diagram. Integration of Performance Management and Transportation Asset Management.

Figure 2. Diagram. Asset inventory definitions framework.

Figure 3. Rendering. Traffic signal assets level of detail.

Figure 4. Graph. Connecticut Department of Transportation condition ratings.

Figure 5. Graph. Statewide system condition of traffic signals for Utah Department of Transportation.

Figure 6. Graph. Asset deterioration curves.

Figure 7. Graph. Condition-based maintenance management.

Figure 8. Graph. Interval-based maintenance management.

Figure 9. Graph. Virginia Department of Transportation condition of ancillary structures.

Figure 10. Graph. Reactive maintenance management.

Figure 11. Flowchart. Maintenance Approach Decision Tree.

Figure 12. Diagram. Caltrans physical asset model for lifecycle assessment.

Figure 13. Diagram. Resources allocation decisionmaking process.

Figure 14. Graph. Connecticut Department of Transportation traffic signals performance projections.

Figure 15. Diagram. Colorado Department of Transportation traffic signal asset valuation 2016.

List of Tables

Table 1. Alignment of themes to transportation asset management plan elements.

Table 2. Common traffic signal components, items, and attributes.

Table 3. Potential functionality of management systems for traffic signal assets.

Table 4. Traffic signals and intelligent transportation system performance measures for Utah Department of Transportation.

Table 5. Seattle Department of Transportation asset measures and results.

Table 6. Highways England maintainability metrics (selected items).

Table 7. Maintenance management approaches for traffic signals.

Table 8. Predicting performance of traffic signal assets.

Table 9. Austroads reliability-centered maintenance process.

Table 10. Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic signal lifecycle planning scenarios.

Table 11. Caltrans asset gap analysis outcomes.