Traditional maintenance management systems have been in place inmost state highway agencies for more than two decades. These systems have been primarily concerned with the management of maintenance resources such as labor, materials, and equipment. However, because of an environment in highway agency administration that increasingly emphasizes accountability and funding justification, maintenance managers must define the role of maintenance activities in highway facility management. Answers are being sought for the questions such as the following: to what extent does a certain level of routine maintenance extend the life of a pavement? How can an optimal level of maintenance be estimated? How can the delivery cost of such activities as winter emergencies be minimized? How can maintenance decisions bemade consistent throughout the state? How can one justify a maintenance budget request? The rapid development in technologies makes it possible to provide appropriate answers to some of these questions. Recent advances, for example, in information systems, decision sciences, and computer technology can be utilized to improve productivityand reduce costs in maintenance activities. Such advances are also useful in improving recordkeeping practices and in monitoring performance. Some of the new tools and techniques that offer much potential are geographic information systems, fuzzy set mathematics and expert systems, mathematical programming techniques, and computer-aided management systems. These emerging tools and techniques are examined, and their adaptability to state highway routine maintenance management is discussed. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1276, Maintenance management 1990: proceedings of a workshop, jackson, mississippi, july 25-27, 1990.
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