Managing road assets in times of multiple extreme flooding events

Position Paper 4 provides the background for NSW Roads & Maritime Services and Queensland Transport & Main Roads escalating maintenance costs related to the effects of flooding from multiple extreme weather events. This escalation puts into question traditional asset management rational choice methodology. The international benchmark of predictive maintenance to conserve road assets becomes impossible to operationalise under the continuing bombardment of extreme weather on the same assets year after year. The Position Paper outlines the ravages of flooding (2009-2013) from Declared Natural Disasters (DND) events in both New South Wales and Queensland. From the statistics available it is easy to understand the extent of the problem. Location-based thinking (LBT) is offered as a solution to the reactive maintenance cost escalation problem. LBT is a fundamental proximity framework that shifts the focus onto service provision as an asset management solution.