Maintaining the safety and mobility of the state highway network in a cost-effective manner is a top priority for any state department of transportation (DOT). As funding for major new infrastructure becomes scarce and traffic levels steadily rise, maximizing and maintaining the existing highway system becomes increasingly critical. For the Ohio DOT, the task of maintaining Ohio's highways is massive. While only 35th in geographic size, the state of Ohio has the nation's 5th-highest traffic volume traveling on the 4th-largest Interstate network and has the 2nd-largest bridge inventory. Traffic in Ohio has grown by 90% during the last 20 years, and this growth pattern is expected to continue. Ohio's Interstate highways were built in the 1960s and have far exceeded their 20-year design life, creating an even greater need for effective highway maintenance. During the last 3 years, Ohio DOT adopted strategic initiatives to revamp the department's maintenance management methods, improve practices, and optimize resource use. Focused on redefining, prioritizing, and tracking all maintenance resources, the department set out to combine planning, implementation, quality-review, and cost-accounting data into one manageable, easily accessed system. The product of this intensive effort, the Ohio DOT county annual work plans, is revolutionizing the way the department approaches maintenance management. Before the implementation of the work plans in July 2001, roadside conditions and maintenance efforts varied widely across the state. Following the inaugural year of the work plans, conditions were meeting statewide standards, reflecting the state's new focus on more effectively managing Ohio's transportation investment.
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