Gannett Fleming to Develop National Tunnel Management System
August 9, 2001/Harrisburg, Pa.: Gannett Fleming, an international consulting engineering and construction management firm, is working with the Federal Highway and Federal Transit Administrations (FHWA and FTA) to develop a national Tunnel Management System (TMS) for all highway and transit tunnels in the United States. The system is scheduled to be completed in 2002.
"We can't simply design and build tunnels and expect them to take care of themselves," FHWA Deputy Executive Director Vincent F. Schimmoller said. "Because TMS will be made available to all highway and transit agencies, owners and operators, it will become an invaluable tool in maintaining and preserving our nation's tunnel assets."
The first-ever TMS will be published in a guide that includes an inventory of the nation's tunnels; a historical file for construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation activities and the cost of tunnel repairs; tunnel inspection and record keeping procedures; guidance on tunnel maintenance and rehabilitation techniques; prioritization of defects for repairs; design of managerial reports for future needs; and procedures for integrating TMS into asset management.
The nation's existing infrastructure includes some 400 highway-related tunnels of various lengths in 35 states and 655 miles of transit tunnels across the country. Although some tunnel owners and operators, such as cities and states, have developed their own TMSs, no national guidelines currently exist. TMS is intended to help owners and operators identify potential problem areas within their tunnels and to get them to conduct critical maintenance activities.
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