In general, tunnel owners are finding that age related maintenance needs are increasing regardless of maintenance strategy. They believe that their current maintenance program is effective, although ensuring adequate maintenance funding is an issue.
AKDOT&PF: AKDOT&PF considers its current maintenance program to be very effective.
Caltrans: Caltrans’ equipment maintenance issues, money, and resources are always increasing,
regardless of the maintenance effort. In general, relamping projects, SCADA upgrade projects, and ventilation fan drive rehabilitation projects are keeping up with maintenance repairs, technology advances, and rehabilitation projects.
A group of Caltrans tunnel structures fits the definition of tunnel (with equipment for fire/ life safety) but have no CO environmental and air quality demand to activate the ventilation equipment. These structures receive a lower priority for maintenance resources; on the other hand, they do not require as much ongoing maintenance. Discussions are ongoing with local maintenance staff regarding code enforcement and liability versus effective use of limited maintenance resources.
most systems is inevitable. To help minimize downtime, CDOT has taken a proactive approach to replacing some of the equipment as it reaches its life expectancy. It has also employed the use of a maintenance management program to aid in performing preventive maintenance and regular inspections on all its equipment and systems. By performing regularly scheduled maintenance, CDOT has been able to identify minor defects before they become major, thus prolonging the life of the equipment.
District DOT: DDOT maintenance strategies have reduced or at least kept in check the age
related tunnel maintenance issues.
MassDOT: MassDOT issues Preventive Maintenance Work Orders and Corrective Maintenance
Work Orders via its maintenance management information system (MMIS). The Corrective Maintenance Work Orders describe the work packages needed to fix or repair identified deficiencies, including routine repairs due to normal wear and tear or accidents. Both types of work orders are in general increasing each year due to the increase in the number of facilities. The current estimated cost to maintain the tunnels is $1.7 million each year for every lane mile.
PennDOT: PennDOT’s tunnel maintenance budget of $6 million a year allows it to wash
the tunnels every three weeks and check electrical and mechanical equipment monthly. It has planned a capital investment of $61 million for Liberty and $50 million for Squirrel Hill and spent $20 million for Ft. Pitt in 2002. Routine and in depth inspections are identifying conditions that are prioritized against PennDOT’s maintenance budget, which allows it to keep up with operational needs.
PANY&NJ: The PANY&NJ believes it has adequate funding for its tunnel maintenance
strategies. The maintenance issues, money, and resources are being monitored and are not changing dramatically.
VA CBBT: The CBBT District is performing an adequate amount of maintenance, allowing items
to be replaced as they wear out instead of when they fail. The CBBT District believes that this practice is crucial. However, even with good maintenance and adequate resources, a 45-year-old structure will require an increasing amount of maintenance over time.
VDOT: Maintenance strategies have not decreased VDOT’s maintenance effort, regardless of the
resources expended.
WSDOT: WSDOT deals with issues of obsolescence by installing used parts or swapped parts from
other equipment. Adequate maintenance funding and resources are issues for WSDOT. 2.2.3.3 Definition of Good Repair and the Process for Deferral of Maintenance
Tunnel owners define good repair as being fully operational without the need for continual repair and lasting 15 to 20 years at a minimum for large repair projects. Many tunnel owners must defer maintenance due to budget or other issues and evaluate priorities and risks to not defer maintenance on items that affect life safety.
installation. It has some deferred maintenance, but only on non-critical items or those that do not affect safe operation of the facility.
Caltrans: Caltrans is always deferring maintenance due to budget or other issues, evaluating
priorities and risk analysis are constant concerns, and Caltrans walks a fine line when fighting for resources. Inspection reporting and attention to effective recommendations for maintenance is an art form. Inspection reporting must report the facts and market the work to be done to communicate the need, urgency, and ramifications of “put off for now.”
Colorado DOT: CDOT defines good repair as a fully operational system without deficiency.
Routine maintenance is not deferred due to budget. Major capital improvements to systems, however, are deferred.
District DOT: DDOT does not defer maintenance of assets with risk to the public. It established
asset condition standards in the performance-based contract. Good repair is defined by the performance standards specified in the contract.
MassDOT: This is an open ended question. MassDOT Tunnel Inspection and Testing policy
requires that all life-safety systems be fully tested and verified as functional for various emergency modes once every six months as a minimum (local fire codes require more frequent inspection and testing for some systems). Malfunctioning life-safety systems are repaired or replaced as soon as possible, preferably with original equipment manufacturer components, to maintain consistent, standardized maintenance procedures. Maintenance is performed based on a rigorous preventive maintenance schedule dictated and recorded by an asset management system for these systems. So far, maintenance is keeping up with the decay rate; however, a trend of increased corrective work orders issued versus time can be observed. Historical trends from some of the older MassDOT tunnels indicate a need to dedicate $1.7 million for every lane mile of tunnel structure every year, with significant variation depending on complexity. Items that are not deemed critical life-safety systems (e.g., structure conditions, pavement, wall appearance, and certain traffic appurtenances) are deferred as long as practical when budget constraints are imposed.
PennDOT: PennDOT defines good repair as something that will last 15 to 20 years.
VA CBBT: The CBBT District does not believe that a general definition of good repair can be
applied to the vast spectrum of items. Each item is judged on its own merit, with the best safe, reliable, and cost effective result sought. Large procurement repair projects and replacement projects are typically expected to have at least a 20-year lifespan.
VDOT: VDOT defines good repair as repaired systems that function correctly. Due to limited
budget, issues are prioritized and monies are allocated based on the priority.
WSDOT: WSDOT defines good repair as systems that function appropriately without continual
need for repair. WSDOT does defer maintenance. In general, systems that are beyond their
life-cycle are not replaced if they continue to function. For routine maintenance, fire and life-safety items are maintained and repaired before other, less essential items (e.g., a mechanical system that functions with a minor leak may be deferred).
Major system rehabilitation is covered under the WSDOT Program P3, which funds its
preservation projects to extend the service life of existing assets. For this program, major M&E systems are prioritized for rehabilitation based on need. Systems that impact public and personnel safety if they fail are given the highest priority for rehabilitation or replacement. Other factors for prioritization include imminent failure of a system; components that are obsolete and not regularly manufactured; components that are deteriorated, defective, or damaged beyond repair for routine maintenance; and excessive maintenance cost to continually maintain a system.
2.2.3.4 Most Significant Tunnel Maintenance Problem
The biggest maintenance problems that tunnel owners have include maintenance accessibility while minimizing traffic disruption, obtaining components for obsolete electrical and mechanical systems, water leaks and drainage, structural and electrical system corrosion, lighting and
ventilation, tile replacement, portal doors, damage from over-height vehicles, and maintaining fire extinguishers.
AKDOT&PF: The portal doors.
Caltrans: Water, moisture, and particulates; rodents; maintaining reflectivity of the lining surface
for lighting, tile replacement, and lining painting; drainage.
Colorado DOT: Keeping seep-collection piping free of mineral and scale deposits, maintaining
extensive amounts of heat tracing in the water lines, and maintaining ventilation fans with good belts and bearings. The HLT has had issues with vertical lift doors over the years; this has been reduced by making some changes to the balance and drive systems.
District DOT: Accessibility is a major problem, particularly on the I 395 corridor, where
setting up temporary traffic control is dangerous and time consuming. In addition, damage from over-height vehicles is a major problem.
MassDOT: The biggest maintenance problem for the CA/T is corrosion of conduits and electrical
systems within the traffic and exhaust areas of the tunnels. Water intrusion is a vexing issue as well.
PennDOT: Leaks are by far the highest root cause of all tunnel deficiencies.
PANY&NJ: Corrosion of the reinforcement cover and embedded roadway beams and ring leakage
at the vent shafts.
VA CBBT: Corrosion. VDOT: Corrosion.
WSDOT: For WSDOT, the biggest problem in the existing I-90 tunnels is aging equipment.
Specifically, obtaining electrical and mechanical system components is a problem due to the lack of parts for obsolete systems. Maintaining fire extinguishers is also very time consuming.