pooled fund Projects
In PROGRESS
Performance Measures for Road Networks - Updated September 2010
| Research Area | Performance measures, asset management |
| Responsible Council / Committee | Chief Engineers' Council Maintenance and Construction Standing Committee Asset Management Task Force |
| Related TAC publications | Pavement Design and Management Guide (1997) Measuring and Reporting Highway Asset Value, Condition and Performance (2001) Performance Measures for Road Networks: A Survey of Canadian Use (2006) |
| Expected Start Date | October 2009 |
| Expected Completion Date | September 2011 |
| Research Agency | Stantec Consulting |
| Status | Work is in progress. |
| Project Funding Partners | Alberta Transportation; Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation; Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure; Transport Canada; Ministry of Transportation, Ontario; Nova Scotia Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal; Northwest Territories Department of Transportation; Ville de Montreal; British Columbia Ministry of Transportation; Yukon Highways & Public Works; Ministère des transports du Québec |
| Staff Contact | Craig Stackpole |
Abstract
Increasingly, performance measurement is being implemented as a core component of management processes in public sector agencies. Defined as a process of assessing progress toward achieving predetermined objectives, performance measurement allows management to evaluate program efficiency and effectiveness and plan improvements where necessary. In transportation departments, performance measurement has long been used as part of pavement management and bridge management systems. Performance measurement is now being extended to applications in construction and maintenance management systems and in operations and safety programs.
In Canada, all provinces and territories use some form of performance measures to evaluate their road networks. However, the type of performance measures used and the implementation practices vary significantly between jurisdictions. A survey was completed under the auspices of the TAC Chief Engineers' Council to determine how provincial and territorial jurisdictions across Canada regarding performance measurement of road networks. To build on that study, a second phase of the work has been recommended by the Maintenance and Construction Standing Committee. This phase would identify performance measures required to effectively manage the rural highway infrastructure, supplemented with general strategies/goals/objectives and asset management principles as appropriate. The new work would identify best practices for roadway performance measurement in the areas of transportation system preservation and safety that could be used by all jurisdictions in the country.