6TH
ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Harris County Toll Road Authority
Asset Management & Operations
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
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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 highmast 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 Program
September 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.
Comprehensive
Maintenance Program
Material
Procurement
Routine/
Preventative
Maintenance
Restoration &
Replacement
(R&R)
Three strategies to preserve,
maintain and repair the existing system.
Comprehensive Maintenance
Program
O&M
Material Procurement
Routine/Preventative
Maintenance
Restoration &
Replacement
(R&R)
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’s
Sherwin Williams
Grainger
Fastenal
HD Supply
Routine/Preventative Maintenance
Routine/Preventative Maintenance
Routine/Preventative Maintenance
Typical Program Lifecycle
Evaluate
Report
Plan
Execute
Budget
Schedule
Maintenance Program Lifecycle
Plan
Report
Budget
Evaluate
Execute
Schedule
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 request
Maintenance contractor condition assessment
Bi-annual superintendent section inspection
TxDOT off-system bridge inspections
Annual system inspection report
Evaluate Contract and Material Usage
High 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 Process
Process changes (Facility / Roadway / Tolling):
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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:
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Cost of multiple closures by different contractors
Possibility of multiple disruptions at one plaza location
Uncontrolled working environments
Lost toll revenue
Evaluate Process
Cooperative Preventative Maintenance:
coordinate various contractors’ maintenance closures to occur concurrently
Evaluate Results
O & M Expenditures
682
$30,000,000
634
634
634
634
$25,000,000
Ave. $23.6 M
$20,000,000
Budget
$15,000,000
512
Actual
$10,000,000
Lane miles
$5,000,000
$09-'10
10-'11
11-'12
12 - '13
13 - '14
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
Comprehensive
Maintenance Program
O&M
Material Procurement
Routine/Preventative
Maintenance
Restoration &
Replacement
(R&R)
Maintenance R&R Projects
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Last 5 Years Completed Projects Worth $58.7 Million
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Currently $10.2 Million in Active Projects
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Letting $24.4 Million in Projects by Year End
Unexpected
THANK YOU
Quinton Alberto, P.E.
Harris County Toll Road Authority
Assistant Director- Maintenance & Traffic
Engineering
E-mail: Quinton.Alberto@HCTRA.org