HDM-4 adaptation for strategic analysis of UK local roads

The UK Department for Transport is concerned to know that long-term investments in maintenance of local roads are contributing optimally to the UK economy, and that road maintenance funds are distributed equitably and provide value for money for the taxpayer. This quest can be accomplished by using decision support tools capable of predicting the long-term performance and costs of maintenance of the UK local road network. This paper describes the development of the World Bank's highway development and management model HDM-4 for use by the Department for Transport at the strategic level. This involved adaptation and calibration of HDM-4 to accurately model pavement performance and road user effects in England, linking HDM-4 with the existing database system used by the Department for Transport in order to facilitate strategic level analysis and investigation of road investment choices, and conducting a trial strategy analysis of the English local road network to quantify long-term maintenance needs and assess the effects of different maintenance funding levels on the condition of the network and costs to road users. The strategic analysis derived optimal capital and recurrent maintenance needs to clear existing maintenance backlogs and thereafter keep the road network in good condition on a sustainable basis.