This synthesis will be of interest to state department of transportation (DOT) administrators and mid- to upper-level managers; researchers; cost estimators; bridge and general management system engineers; and bridge design, construction, inspection and maintenance engineers; as well as to private industry professionals involved in developing bridge management system (BMS) software and collecting and analyzing BMS cost data. The state of the practice for collecting and managing cost data for BMS is described based on data obtained from a review of the literature and a survey of the state DOTs. This report describes BMS cost data for work done by contract and in-house forces for state and local governments. It includes project-level cost estimation as well as the collection and management of data for network- level cost models. The various cost estimate methods for replacement; maintenance, repair and rehabilitation; and emergency work are analyzed as are the special requirements of user costs and other special economic data.

This study gathers information on current practices that senior managers at transportation agencies use to make network-level decisions on resource allocations for their bridge programs. In particular, the study explores how agency bridge management systems are employed in this process. Information was gathered through a review of literature on U.S. and international bridge management, a survey of U.S. and Canadian transportation agencies, and 15 in-depth interviews with state DOT executive and bridge managers.

Accompanying CD-ROM contains software, Guidance manual, User manual, and appendixes to report.

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 required states to develop and implement 6 systems for managing highway pavement, bridges, highway safety, traffic congestion, public transportation facilities and equipment, and intermodal transportation facilities and systems. In 1995, the National Highway System Designation Act made the systems optional. This report identifies: the status of the states' development and implementation of the transportation management systems; how the states expect to use the systems; and the factors that have facilitated or hindered the development and implementation of the systems.

The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) required states to develop and implement six systems for managing highway pavement, bridges, highway safety, traffic congestion, public transportation facilities and equipment, and intermodal transportation facilities and systems. In 1995, the National Highway System Designation Act of 1995 - often called the NHS Act - made the systems optional, except the congestion management system in certain areas, and prohibited the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) from withholding funds from states that elected not to implement any system. In addition, the NHS Act required the General Accounting Office (GAO) to examine issues concerning the states' implementation of the management systems. GAO agreed to identify (1) the status of the states' development and implementation of the systems, (2) how the states expect to use the systems, and (3) the factors that have facilitated or hindered the development and implementation of the systems.

"Technologies for Improving Safety Data explores new technologies for the acquisition, processing, and overall management of crash, roadway inventory, and traffic operations data. The report examines the current state-of-the-practice and state-of-the-art use of technologies for efficient and effective collection and maintenance of data for highway safety analysis." -- publisher's website.