This book addresses the long-term maintenance, repair, and replacement of public infrastructure in a practical, cost effective manner-something that is missing in the current literature. Fixing our public infrastructure is essential for public health and safety and is fast becoming a national priority. This title provides an overview of the major public works infrastructure systems (water, sanitary sewer, stormwater, roads, bridges, and railways), including components, operational goals, maintenance, areas where failure can occur, and ways to address failure. Risk and vulnerability to these systems are evaluated and guidance on how to create a condition index (assessment), given limited data, is provided. It also includes statistical methods to make an assessment more robust. Recommendations on budgeting strategies and capital planning are also discussed and designed to bring the risk, vulnerability, and condition indices together into a thorough decision-making process. It is a must read for anyone involved in public infrastructure management, including professional civil and environmental engineers, utility managers, local government managers and officials, urban and regional planners, and civil and environmental engineering students.
