Maintenance is an often overlookedaspect of appraisal. The effective treatment of maintenancewithin an appraisal is, however, fundamental to informingthe decision regarding the optimum investment strategy. Thisis because the nature of the maintenance strategy can havedirect implications on operating costs and other benefits(e.g. travel time savings). As such the impact ofmaintenance within an appraisal extends far beyond a simpleconsideration of its financial cost. The first Section ofthis Note introduces the importance the correct treatment ofmaintenance has with respect to an economic appraisal.Following Sections present the primary components ofmaintenance costs, and introduce the notion of whole lifecosting and the fact that there is a risk that maintenancemay not occur. Next, the Note discusses the issuesassociated with deriving future maintenance costs, andfurther discuss the need for inclusion within the appraisalof, first, delays to transport users during maintenanceworks, and second, of the amount of induced and re-assignedtraffic. The final Section presents a summary of the keypoints that should be borne in mind with respect to thetreatment of maintenance within an economic appraisal.
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