The Real Benefits of Public Infrastructure Maintenance or the Real Cost of Failure?

Is public infrastructure maintenance worth the investment? As governments consider where to best allocate financial resources, this question is being asked.

As budgets tighten due to our ailing economy, governing bodies are tempted to consider cutting funds for maintenance activities. Due to the absence of information that would help them understand the consequences, many may make mistakes that will lead to major problems.

Maybe another way to think of it is; what are the costs of failures?

Often, we only think in terms of the repair costs. But, really, this is only a portion of the cost.

Consider the I35 bridge collapse in the Twin Cities a few years ago. What was the true cost of that failure?

The repairs only tell a part of the story.  People were killed.  Many more were injured. And countless lives were affected by the trauma of that day.  In addition, the bridge was out of service for over a year, resulting in a real cost to the communities in the surrounding area — commutes took longer, businesses were impacted, and fuel consumption increased. Lawsuits and insurance claims added to the cost.  And trust in government further eroded.

All told, the true costs were staggering.

Obviously, this is an extreme example. But, nonetheless, it’s an example everyone can learn from, as it vividly illustrates how the potential cost of negligent maintenance practices goes well beyond simple act of repair.

Why then do we tend to only consider the repair costs when a water main fails, a sign or signal is knocked down, a major pothole shuts down a lane of traffic or any number of other failures that occur every day?

In many cases it is because the data required to make the case for true costs is not available or difficult to assemble. Organizations may be so entrenched in silo mentalities that data cannot be brought together.

Finally, some data may have to be estimated and while the federal government seems to be comfortable predicting the future ten years out, local government doesn’t seem to be comfortable estimating the cost of shutting down a lane of traffic.

What can be done to help head-off the potential high cost of cutting back on regular maintenance?

I respectfully submit a few concrete steps that can be taken:

1. Make sure data is being collected on the real costs of repair and maintenance work. We all know that, when done well, routine maintenance costs less in the long run than just reacting to failures. The lack of data allows people to act counter to this wisdom.
   
   
2. Break down the silos in your organization so that you can bring meaningful data together. Good data management tools can interact with each other.
   
   
3. Network with others to make sure you have well thought out, return on investment based preventative maintenance plans. Don’t just keep doing what you have always done.
   
   
4. Figure out the estimated costs related to typical consequences of reacting to failures. Include those in your justification for continuing appropriate preventative maintenance. Estimate the costs of:

• Lane Closures
• Detours
• Higher Risk of Accidents
• Lawsuits and Insurance Claims
• Service interruptions and detours impacting businesses
• Increased Fuel Consumption
• Other impacts...

Being more proactive and having data to back your case up usually leads to less stress both at budget time and in day-to-day operations. Don’t wait. Get started today.