6TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE. Asset Management & Operations Harris County Toll Road Authority Presented to the Association for the Management and Operations.

6TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE

Asset Management & Operations

Harris County Toll Road Authority

Presented to the Association for the Management and Operations of Transportation Infrastructure Assets

Harris County Toll Road Authority

The Toll Road Authority was created by Harris County Commissioners Court in 1983 after Harris County voters approved a referendum to release $900 million in bonds to construct toll roads in the rapidly growing Greater Houston Metropolitan area.

Harris County Toll Road Authority provides a transportation option to help address regional growth that is independent of State planning or funding, which cannot support the mobility needs of that region.

The toll rate is the funding mechanism used by the HCTRA to construct, operate and maintain the needed infrastructure.

Summary of System Assets• 120 Centerline miles (682

lane miles)*• 191 Bridge structures• 10 Mainlane toll plazas• 80 Ramp toll plazas• 10 Pump stations• 6 EZ Tag storefronts• 208 Overhead sign structures• 6,000+ Small signs• 3,257 Roadway + 63 high-

mast lights• 1,023 acres of right-of-way

(ROW)

* Coming Spring 2015: Tomball Tollway (6.74 centerline miles)

A major challenge for a transportation agency is solving how to maintain aging infrastructure to accommodate growing or densely populated regions. The condition of infrastructure will influence the commerce, growth, and standard of living in a region.

Comprehensive Maintenance ProgramSeptember 2014

Both Moody’s and Fitch released credit rating reports on U.S. toll roads.

“Toll-paying users expect a high rate of service and that the assets will be maintained in a good state of repair.” - Moody’s

Three strategies to preserve, maintain and repair the existing system.

Three strategies to preserve, maintain and repair the existing system.

Material Procurement• Supply and store all utilized material• Established 140 material Purchase Order (P.O.)• Harris County is able to utilize its size to acquire

contracts with major material supply vendors:

Lowe’sSherwin WilliamsGrainger

Fastenal

HD Supply

Routine/Preventative Maintenance• HCTRA Maintenance Department (24 hrs/365 days)

1 Maintenance Operation Manager

10 Maintenance Section Supervisors

• Roadway Maintenance Contract (Jorgensen)

108 Contract full-time employees

• Facility Maintenance Contract (ICA)

25 Contract full-time employees

• Utility Service Contracts

Pump stations

Generators

Lift stations

Water wells

Sanitary holding tanks

Routine/Preventative MaintenanceRoutine Roadway Maintenance Contract (Jorgensen)

$12.5 million annual contract (defined cycle work and manpower)

Cycle: Sweeping, mowing, landscaping, litter pickup, lane cleaning and system lighting

Manpower: potholes, guardrail and barrier rail repair, inlet cleaning, sign replacement, etc.

Routine/Preventative MaintenanceFacility Maintenance Contract (ICA)

$2.5 million annual contract (defined cycle work and manpower)

Maintain: 10 mainlane toll plazas

80 toll ramp plazas

3 administration buildings

HVAC and utilities hub buildings at unmanned toll facilities

Typical Program Lifecycle

Plan

Budget

ScheduleExecute

Report

Maintenance Program Lifecycle

Evaluate

Evaluate• Evaluate costs:

Quarter-to-quarter Year-to-year

• Evaluate contracts: Year-to-year

• Evaluate manpower utilization: Month-to-month Year-to-year

Evaluate the condition:Monthly service requestMaintenance contractor condition assessmentBi-annual superintendent section inspectionTxDOT off-system bridge inspectionsAnnual system inspection report

Evaluate Contract and Material UsageHigh material costs:

• Paint: cut paint costs in half• From $225k annually• Roller vs. spraying• Shifted to night schedule

• Delineators: cut costs in half• Type and location

Manpower utilization:• Raised Pavement Marking (RPM) installation

More effective to perform with maintenance contract labor• Short-load concrete:

Self-batch trailer mixer with maintenance contract labor• Fabricate toll booths

Cheaper and more efficient to fabricate in-house

Evaluate ProcessProcess changes (Facility / Roadway / Tolling):

• Closures for preventative maintenance/ to repair booth HVAC system & lighting

• Closures to replace delineators and maintain REACTs

• Closures to clean lanes & repair pavement

• Closures to replace / maintain toll equipment

Impacts:

• Cost of multiple closures by different contractors• Possibility of multiple disruptions at one plaza location• Uncontrolled working environments• Lost toll revenue

Evaluate ProcessCooperative Preventative Maintenance:

coordinate various contractors’ maintenance closures to occur concurrently

Evaluate Results

09-'10 10-'11 11-'12 12 - '13 13 - '14 $-

$5,000,000

$10,000,000

$15,000,000

$20,000,000

$25,000,000

$30,000,000

O & M Expenditures

BudgetActual

512

634 634 634 634

682

Lane miles

Ave. $23.6 M

Evaluate Condition

By satisfying the senior lien revenue bond indenture, the Annual System Inspection Report is the basis of the yearly Restoration and Replacement Maintenance Projects (R&R Projects) budget forecast.

The Annual System Inspection Report identifies system-wide deficiencies within the existing facility and roadway infrastructure, and outlines a two to five year implementation plan.

HCTRA Maintenance then determines whether to correct these deficiencies by either incorporating the repair into the Routine / Preventative Maintenance Program (O&M), or acquiring additional engineering consulting support to develop future Restoration and Replacement Maintenance Projects on an annual basis.

Evaluate Condition

Maintenance R&R Projects

• Last 5 Years Completed Projects Worth $58.7 Million

• Currently $10.2 Million in Active Projects

• Letting $24.4 Million in Projects by Year End

Unexpected

THANK YOUQuinton Alberto, P.E.Harris County Toll Road AuthorityAssistant Director- Maintenance & Traffic EngineeringE-mail: [email protected]