Maintenance
Highway maintenance involves all the work necessary to ensure that the highway system is
kept in proper working order. Maintenance is work such as pavement patching, repair, and
other actions necessary to maintain the roadway pavement at a desired level of serviceability.
Maintenance also involves record keeping and data management for work activities and
project needs, as well as analyses of maintenance activities to determine that they are carried
out in the most economical manner. Scheduling of work crews, replacement of worn
or damaged signs, and repair of damaged roadway sections are important elements of
maintenance management. The work of the civil engineer in the area of maintenance involves
redesign of existing highway sections, economic evaluation of maintenance programs,
testing of new products, and scheduling of manpower to minimize delay and cost.
The maintenance engineer must also maintain an inventory of traffic signs and markings
and ensure that they are in good condition.