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Sustainable maintenance

The challenge

The cost of maintaining and replacing the State’s roads and bridges increases as they age.

To deliver expected customer levels of service, roads and bridges must be maintained and replaced at an optimum rate to avoid rising maintenance costs and reduced average asset condition, safety and functionality.

The age of state road bridges bar graph

The age of state road bridges. Lifespans of bridges can vary but are typically expected to last between 70 and 100 years and are dependent upon the type of construction, effectiveness of periodic maintenance and environmental factors. The average age of state road bridges is increasing and the replacement of bridges will increasingly need to be prioritised based on strategic considerations.

The age of state road pavements

The age of state road pavements shown in terms of length of roads at varying ages. Road pavements typically have an average age of between 40 and 60 years depending upon the history of the road and heavy vehicle usage. The average age of state roads is increasing, meaning the cost of maintenance is increasing and there will be a need for increased road pavement replacements in the future.

The length of State roads, and the amount of assets being managed is increasing. For example, lane length has increased by eight per cent over the last 20 years. This means that long-term maintenance and replacement costs to deliver consistent levels of services continues to increase.

Increase in the length of the State road network since 1998

Increase in the length of the State road network since 1998 as measured in lane kilometres (nine per cent). The increase in assets being managed means that maintenance expenditure also increases.

New infrastructure assets and upgrades come with ongoing maintenance and ownership costs. This can be five times as much as the cost of construction over the life of the asset.

Customer level of service expectations across state road services are increasing, which places more pressure on maintenance budgets.

Investment Plan

Consistent levels of customer service will be delivered by funding:

  • replacement of prioritised bridges at the end of their lifespan, excluding upgrade projects and bridge strengthening
  • replacement of approximately 27 lengths of road at the end of their lifespan, excluding road replaced in the course of road upgrade projects
  • a consistent investment profile over 10 years on replacement of sealed road surfaces and road linemarking
  • ongoing investment on road, bridge and roadside maintenance including emergency response services.

View the program details (PDF 248.7 KB)

For information about the Infrastructure Investment Plan Streams, please refer to the following:

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