The purpose of this project is to develop a simulation model of an agency’s pavement maintenance system that will be used to analyze various pavement maintenance policies before implementing a policy under real-world conditions. This proposal will focus on the sidewalk replacement program and will serve as a proof of concept for the ability for a discrete event simulation to model the process and help identify areas for improvement.
The proposed project will consist of three parts:
1) Analyze the Historic Data Related to the Sidewalk Repair Program
2) Replicate the Project Queue in a Discrete Event Simulation
3) Simulate different future scenarios that could improve the process
The goal of this project is to develop a system that can be used not only for the sidewalk replacement program, but that can also be expanded to the street and improved alley maintenance programs. The sidewalk replacement program has fewer contractors and linear miles and thus the scope is more suitable to a smaller budget. However, even though the sidewalk replacement program is based on address, it has similar metrics as the repair and replacement programs, so the modeling method, structure, and insights should be translatable to the larger pavement program. The end goal for the model is to create an easy-to-understand simulation tool that will help the City improve the key performance metrics for the sidewalk replacement program and other street and improved alley maintenance programs.