The implied consequences of deferring needed highway maintenance are that untreated maintenance conditions will worsen, so that they will become more expensive to correct and increase the adverse impacts on the public. This report presents a study that was made to determine the magnitude of these implied increased agency costs and public impacts and to evaluate alternative maintenance strategies. Chapter 1 introduces the study, states its objectives, indicates its scope, and specifies its research approach. Chapter 2 discusses the findings about the methodologies developed to evaluate alternative levels of maintenance; it considers (1) methodology criteria; (2) methodology implications; (3) the use of microcomputers to support the methodology; (4) methodology for the economic analysis of agency costs for different pavement maintenance strategies; (5) examples of agency cost calculations; (6) bridge life cycle cost analyzer (BLCCA) methodology; (7) impact methodology. Chapter 3 discusses the interpretation, appraisal, applications, advantages, and disadvantages of the methodologies; the applications include: (1) legislative appropriations; (2) budgeting; (3) maintenance management; (4) budgeting and programming; (5) work scheduling. Chapter 4 presents conclusions about (1) data availability; (2) user costs; (3) pavement methodology; (4) bridge methodology; (5) data adequacy; (6) data base development. Chapter 4 also suggests in moderate detail several areas of further research.
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