Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment

Introduction

Infrastructure is comprised of physical assets that provide essential services to our community and allow for a prosperous economy. There are many types of infrastructure assets for which the City of Austin is responsible. Growing populations and aging infrastructure are putting pressure on cities to develop more mature asset management practices in order to optimize the useful life of an asset and provide agreed upon levels of service by investing appropriately throughout the asset’s life cycle. Comprehensive infrastructure asset data is needed to facilitate these investment decisions. The Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment (CIA) intends to advance asset knowledge across departments necessary to value assets and calculate replacement cost and remaining life. The City currently defines capital assets as City-owned items with a useful life of more than one year and an individual acquisition cost or value of $5,000 or above.

The City provides services through several systems:

Utilities – includes water, wastewater, drainage, and electric utilities; and telecommunications network nodes
Mobility – aviation; vehicular infrastructure assets, which include streets and bridges; active transportation assets, such as sidewalks, bikeways, and urban trails; and City vehicles
Parks and Recreation Infrastructure – includes recreation centers, playscapes, pools, park trails, and other infrastructure installed in parks;
Green Infrastructure – includes parkland, City-owned undeveloped open space, public trees, and right-of-way vegetation; and
Facilities – includes public-facing facilities and support facilities from which infrastructure services are deployed (e.g. utility repairs and street maintenance), that are also not covered by any of the other infrastructure systems

Note that Austin Energy, fleet, telecommunication infrastructure, and most building facilities are not included in the 2020 Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment. Many of these departments are in the process of figuring out their own asset management processes, capabilities, goals, etc. They would potentially be included in future efforts while the long-term vision for the CIA continues to evolve.

Governing Policies

The City builds, maintains, and renews infrastructure in accordance with adopted policy set by City Council and departmental standards. Additionally, Citywide guiding documents and policies direct the creation of and inform the Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment. The Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan provides the over-arching framework for realizing the vision of being the most livable city in the country categorized in six major priorities (below). Ensuring that the City’s assets are in good or acceptable conditions are integral to meeting the Imagine Austin priorities. These infrastructure assets support all vital activities and are the backbone of the City’s structure.

Austin is Livable
Austin is Natural and Sustainable
Austin is Mobile and Interconnected
Austin is Prosperous
Austin Values and Respects its People
Austin is Creative and Educated

In March 2018, Austin’s City Council adopted the Strategic Direction 2023. The Strategic Direction guides the next three to five years and outlines imperatives to advance equitable outcomes across Austin. It is categorized by six key outcomes for our community; and each sets a vision, challenge statements, metrics, and strategies that will enable the success of that outcome.

High-quality infrastructure assets support all the Strategic Direction outcomes directly or indirectly. More specifically, the Government That Works for All outcome means that the City works effectively and collaboratively to provide high-quality infrastructure assets for the entire community in an equitable, ethical, and innovative manner. Several indicators in this outcome speak directly to the content of the Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment, including “percentage of infrastructure that is classified as poor or failing condition in the Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment”. Beginning in 2020, SD23 metrics will be reported using the City’s Open Data Portal, the CIA condition data. The SD23 Dashboard can be found here.

Vision & Policy to Implementation

What is CIA?

What is the Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment?

The Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment identifies and inventories the City’s infrastructure assets and reports the condition of these public assets. The CIA is a collaborative, continuous, and multi-departmental process. This information is set up in a framework where data is collected and reported across asset classes that enables departments to identify capital, maintenance and operational needs to address infrastructure performance and maximize the lifespan of the City’s infrastructure assets at the lowest cost while also meeting public expectations of service.

For this effort, participating departments provide the data they currently collect relating to their assets’ inventory and physical condition. Different asset types are inventoried and their condition assessed based on the attributes specific to that asset. For example, some assets may be measured by count while others are measured by length or area. Collecting and maintaining asset data is important because it enables departments to assess their infrastructure assets and proactively manage, repair, maintain, rehabilitate, and replace those assets. Infrastructure costs can be mitigated if deterioration is minimized by preventative maintenance and moderate damage or wear is detected early, rather than reacting to poor or failing infrastructure conditions. Unanticipated emergency repairs and replacements are much costlier than work that is planned and budgeted.

The physical condition of infrastructure is an important factor that infrastructure managers weigh when making decisions about capital investments. Infrastructure condition depends on multiple variables, including: intensity and frequency of use, type and severity of weather, environmental conditions in which assets operate, frequency of regular and preventative maintenance, age, human factors such as accidental damage, and system inter-dependencies such as reliance on the electrical or roadway system.

The City has modeled its approach to represent conditions across asset types on the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) condition grade scale. This system allows for a relative comparison between asset types, despite varying methodologies and calculations to reach the condition rating/grade.

City of Austin Condition Ratings

Besides physical condition, factors such as risk, criticality, resilience, age, expected useful life, acceptable level of service, desired performance, and capacity are important considerations in identifying capital, maintenance, and operational infrastructure needs (see Appendix A for definitions of these terms). While these factors are important criteria for infrastructure management, many are not consistently available for every asset type and thus are not included in this report. Data analysis and gaps will be discussed in the Conclusions and Next Steps section.

The following sections present information on each of the five infrastructure systems previously identified. Information in the graphics identified as “condition unknown” indicates that the responsible department is in the process of or is anticipating obtaining that information.

Assessment by Type

Assessment by Infrastructure Type

Utilities

The City of Austin owns four public utilities: Austin Energy (electric), Austin Water (water, wastewater, reclaimed water), Watershed Protection (drainage), and Communication and Technology Management (telecommunications network nodes). These utilities provide public services and are standardized by local, state, and federal regulations. Telecommunication network nodes will not be discussed in this report.

Austin Energy provides retail electric service in its 437 square-mile service area across Travis and Williamson counties, including 272 square miles within Austin city limits. Austin Energy manages a variety of infrastructure assets to generate, transmit, and deliver power to its customers. The utility uses a mix of generation sources, including renewable energy sources. Austin Energy owns two local power plants, Decker Station and Sand Hill Energy Center, both of which are powered by natural gas. Austin Energy also has a partnership interest in two plants outside of Austin: the coal-powered Fayette Power Project and the nuclear-powered South Texas Project.

Austin Water provides retail water and wastewater services to over one million customers inside and outside of the Austin city limits in a 540 square mile service area. Austin Water also provides water and wastewater services to wholesale customers such as the communities of Rollingwood, Sunset Valley, Manor, Westlake Hills; two water control and improvement districts; and several water supply corporations and private utilities. The utility operates three water treatment plants Davis (1954), Ullrich (1969), and Handcox (2014)) and three wastewater treatment plants Walnut Creek (1977), South Austin Regional (1986), and the Hornsby Bend Biosolids Management Plant (1950s).

The Watershed Protection Department (WPD) serves as the drainage utility for the City of Austin. WPD manages infrastructure that conveys, stores and treats stormwater runoff within the City of Austin’s full-purpose jurisdiction. This infrastructure includes the storm drain system, the open channel network (natural creeks and engineered channels), stormwater control measures (ponds), and certain shared maintenance responsibilities of creek crossings (culverts and bridges). These drainage assets serve the community by reducing the impacts of adverse flooding, water pollution, and erosion.

Utilities

Condition Assessment for Water, Wastewater, and Reclaimed Water Assets

Austin Water recently completed a total re-imagining of their facility asset management program. A new data structure was developed starting in 2016 and in 2017 an initiative was started to physically inventory every asset and perform a condition assessment; this was completed in 2018. In 2019, AW began the effort to upgrade the CMMS system and deploy the new data structure and condition data; this was completed in July of 2020. These efforts have enabled a more detailed and accurate level of reporting asset condition.

Condition Assessment for Stormwater Management Assets

WPD has adopted detailed inspection methods based upon recommendations from the 2018 Stormwater Control Measures Asset Management Plan. Condition is assessed based on annual physical inspections which have resulted in a change in percentage from excellent to good. Additionally, recently added ponds have not had an inspection to date, which results in a larger percentage of unknown status.

Mobility

Several infrastructure networks provide mobility options for Austin residents and customers, including the Austin Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA), streets, bridges, sidewalks, bikeways, and urban trails.

The Aviation Department maintains all infrastructure assets at ABIA, which opened in 1999 following the closure of the old Robert Mueller Municipal Airport. The three major systems related to the airport’s infrastructure are: Airside, Landside, and Terminal. Within each system, there are several networks, which are assets operated and maintained by the Aviation Department.

Airside system includes the runway lighting, taxiway lighting, airfield signage, and special fixtures networks.
Landside system includes all assets within the airport that are not related to aircraft infrastructure, such as the video management, public address network, elevators, water, wastewater, lighting, fire extinguishers, fans, heaters, and many other asset classes.
Terminals system includes all assets within the terminal, including HVAC, fire alarms, public address network, elevators, lighting, and more.

Other mobility infrastructure systems and networks, typically within the City’s rights-of-way, are provided by both the Austin Transportation Department (ATD) and the Public Works Department (PWD). In addition, the Corridor Program Office (CPO) manages development, design, and construction of certain corridor improvements authorized under the 2016 Mobility Bond. ATD, PWD, and CPO work closely to maintain and expand infrastructure asset networks that allow people of all ages and abilities to move around Austin safely.

The Austin Transportation Department (ATD) maintains infrastructure assets that facilitate the movement of vehicles and people around the city, including signs, markings, parking meters, parking pay stations, and bikeways. Many of the department’s assets are various types of signage. Signs are expected to last about ten years on average; this varies based on cardinal direction of signage and material of sign film. The department is in the process of collecting data on other asset types such as traffic signaling equipment (cabinets, poles, mast arms, signal heads), traffic calming devices, and fiber-optic cable.

The Public Works Department (PWD) maintains streets infrastructure assets that allow multi-modal movement around the city. PWD is responsible for streets, bridges & structures, sidewalks, urban trails, and trees/vegetation in the right-of-way. PWD manages 7,920 lane miles of pavement; approximately 1,700 bridges & structures (462 are major bridges, which are 20 feet or longer); approximately 2,700 linear miles of existing sidewalk; and more than 55 linear miles of urban trails. In addition to managing existing mobility infrastructure, PWD is also responsible for expanding the current sidewalk and urban trail networks. Both networks have Master Plans that identify criteria to prioritize where the networks need to be expanded. There are approximately 2,200 miles of absent sidewalk, and approximately 375 miles of absent urban trails to be constructed in order to complete the respective networks. Note that some projects constructed by other departments, agencies, and private development include the construction of sidewalks and urban trails.

The Corridor Program Office manages the Corridor Mobility Program funded by the 2016 Mobility Bond, which dedicates $482 million to corridor improvements. The Corridor Mobility Program has two primary areas: Corridor Construction Program on nine corridors, comprising 50 miles of roadway and the development of preliminary engineering reports and design work on eight additional corridors/critical arterials, comprising 37 miles of roadway. Construction of many projects including intersection safety improvements, bikeways, and sidewalks have been constructed. Construction on the corridors is slated to begin in 2021.

Condition Assessment of Existing Mobility Assets

Mobility

Sidewalk condition data standards are based on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); a sidewalk is considered “Functionally Acceptable” if it can be used by almost all users. Currently, of the sidewalks that have been assessed, 9% are functionally acceptable. Sidewalk assessments are conducted using on-site visual inspection and measurement which is a very labor and time intensive process.

Master Plan Priorities for Absent Mobility Assets

Parks and Recreation Infrastructure

Park infrastructure refers to assets in public parkland, whereas parkland itself is classified in the Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment under Green Infrastructure. The Austin Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) owns and manages 300 parks that cover approximately 20,000 acres. In those parks, PARD maintains and manages around 100 different types of assets, including swimming pools, sports courts and fields, splash pads, and playgrounds. PARD’s Long Range Plan for Land, Facilities and Programs was adopted in November 2019 and much of the data from this effort is rolled up into the asset categories below. Individual park assets and overall park health was assessed and summarized in scorecards. Parks building facilities were also assessed and the condition assessments are summarized in the City Facilities section below.

Condition Assessment of Existing Parks and Assets

Parks and Rec

Green Infrastructure

includes: Parkland, Wildlands, Public Trees, Riparian Zones, and Urban Agriculture

Green infrastructure, as defined by Imagine Austin, is “an interconnected system of parks, waterways, open space, trails, green streets, tree canopy, agriculture, and stormwater management.” The diverse elements of Austin’s green infrastructure serve multiple purposes and thus are represented within multiple asset systems. For the Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment, green infrastructure assets include those that are not already included in the other asset systems: City-owned public lands (such as parkland, preserves, and wildlands), public trees, riparian zones, and urban agriculture. Additional green infrastructure elements are captured by other asset systems in this report. Waterways and green stormwater infrastructure (e.g., rain gardens) are classified as components of the drainage system under Utilities. Urban trails and green streets are captured as part of Mobility.

Green infrastructure provides a wide range of community benefits, collectively known as ecosystem services. The most visible of these benefits relates to how we experience the outdoors and providing safe access to green space and recreation for all Austinites. The benefits to the environment are numerous and include improved air and water quality, urban heat island mitigation, reduced stormwater runoff, lower energy costs, enhanced habitat and biodiversity, and carbon sequestration. Green infrastructure is also essential to creating healthy human habitats. The presence or absence of nature has pervasive and consequential effects on human social, psychological, and physical well-being. Imagine Austin called for the use of green infrastructure to “protect environmentally sensitive areas and integrate nature into the city.” To help accomplish this objective, green infrastructure assets are included in various types of city programs and projects, such as Land Acquisition or the scope of work of individual projects (such as including street trees in street reconstruction projects).

The City has launched a new web portal to introduce the concept of green infrastructure and connect people with a wide range of resources, programs, and ways to get involved. To learn more about what Austin is doing to protect our environment and integrate nature into the city, please visit www.austintexas.gov/atxgreen.

Green Infrastructure

Parkland

Parks and public spaces play a central role in how Austinites experience the city. They bring people together, offer recreational opportunities for residents, and improve the quality of our air, water, and soils. Extensive research documents the varied benefits provided by public spaces, including improved physical and mental health, increased community cohesion, additional economic benefits, and elevated environmental services. Parks also have a critical role to play in providing a living laboratory for communities to learn more about nature and the environment.

The Parks and Recreation Department (PARD) owns developed and undeveloped parkland. Developed parkland includes parks such as pocket parks, neighborhood parks, and the metropolitan parks. Undeveloped parkland includes dedicated parkland that does not have major improvements. PARD maintained/unowned properties include easements, properties owned by other city departments, and properties that are not protected parkland. These lands may be developed or undeveloped and are maintained by PARD.

Parkland Inventory Table

Wildlands

The City of Austin's Wildlands provide benefits to our entire community. They are not parks, but rather public lands held in trust for a specific purpose based on the mission of the program under which they are managed. Those managed under the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP) Program conserve habitat for eight endangered species and 27 species of concern. Those managed under the Water Quality Protection Lands (WQPL) Program optimize the quantity and quality of water recharging the Barton Spring segment of the Edwards Aquifer.

Wildlands Conservation Division Properties

Public Trees

In 2016, researchers estimated that there are 33.8 million trees in Austin (public and private), which are valued at $16 billion and save approximately $19 million in annual residential energy costs (https://tfsweb.tamu.edu/content/article.aspx?id=23475). For the purposes of the Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment, public trees are trees that are located on City-owned property including right-of-way. The overall number of trees in Austin is much greater than represented in the following table, as trees on private property are not included in the data.

Several City departments either manage or track Public Trees: Development Services Department (DSD), PARD, PWD, and WPD. The Urban Forestry Program within DSD tracks and provided data related to three tree groups: street trees, park trees, and preserve trees. The data shown below is an extrapolation of a sample size.

The acceptable useful life for trees varies by tree species and depends on human and environmental factors. According to the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Urban Forest Inventory and Analysis, over 42% of public trees are less than five years old. Considering trees are the only asset that have the capacity to increase in value over time, this young tree population has yet to reach its full potential.

There are recommended “acceptable levels of service (ALOS)” for all three tree groups. Regarding the ALOS for street and park trees, staff recommends that trees are replaced on a one-for-one basis when removed, and additional trees are planted in order to increase total canopy over time. The ideal goal for street tree planting is to have trees planted in 50% of available planting sites by 2038. The ideal goal for park trees is to increase the number of trees per developed parkland acre from 22 to 35 by 2038. It is additionally recommended that street and park trees are proactively managed on a 7-year maintenance cycle. It is recommended that 100% of preserves are actively managed. (References for the data in the table below include: City of Austin’s Urban Forestry Gap Analysis Report FY16 and My City's Trees.)

Public Trees Inventory Table

Riparian Zones

The riparian zone is the area that borders our creeks, lakes, and rivers. By promoting healthy soils and plants along waterways, riparian zones help maintain good water quality, provide habitat for wildlife, and create greenspaces throughout the city for Austinites to enjoy. The integrity of our waterways and riparian zones is a barometer for our environmental stewardship. Properly managed, they can support critical habitat for wildlife, protect property from erosion, remove pollutants from stormwater, and provide a landscape resilient to floodwaters. Our community is greatly enhanced by opportunities to hike, fish, swim, and relax alongside healthy streams with diverse vegetation.

Removal of the native vegetative community and excessive mowing in these streamside areas degrades water quality and reduces wildlife habitat. By changing maintenance practices, adding “Grow Zone” buffers, and restoring natural plants along Austin’s waterways, we can begin the process of healing our urban streams and providing a greenbelt network for wildlife and future generations. The City of Austin implements riparian restoration projects and the establishment of Grow Zones on City land. In addition, the City provides information and resources for volunteer organizations that implement riparian restoration projects on other public or private land.

The Critical Water Quality Zone (CWQZ) is a waterway setback established by Austin’s Land Development Code that restricts development along waterways to protect water quality. Using this setback as a proxy for riparian zones, 16% of the total CWQZ area within Austin’s jurisdiction is located on City of Austin land. 84% of the total CWQZ area is located on other public or private land.

Riparian Zones by Type

Urban Agriculture

Urban farms and gardens strengthen the local food system by making fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs readily available at the neighborhood scale. Gardens and farms provide green infrastructure to help with microclimate regulation, protect natural habitat, and promote pollination. School and community gardens contribute positively to human well-being by strengthening social connections and access to nature in urban areas. Local food production also supports Austin’s economy and provides Austinites with opportunities for recreation, learning about nutritious food, and connecting with neighbors.

Urban Agriculture by Type

City Facilities

In 2011, the City contracted with a private firm (RSP I-SPACE) to evaluate the condition of some City facilities and use self-assessment information from departments on other facilities. Based on the 2011 evaluation process, the City created a 2012 Strategic Facilities Roadmap, which included scenarios and solutions to reduce overcrowding, improve operational logistics, improve space conditions, reduce reliance on leased space, reduce the City's transportation-based carbon footprint, and address future growth and associated space needs. The City also created a Strategic Facilities Governance process to review department facility-related requests in a strategic context to improve alignment with strategic goals, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of future investments in City facilities. Facility needs may be identified by departments in the Rolling Needs Assessment necessary to continue maintaining acceptable condition or service levels for the City’s basic infrastructure responsibilities. These can include rehabilitation or renovation of existing facilities as well as new or expanded facilities to meet growth demands or department program needs.

Note: Data gaps exist in buildings and facilities inventory and condition assessment; assets represented in the graph are a small fraction of the City’s building and facilities assets.

Facilities

Condition Assessment of Support Facilities and PWD Service Centers

Data Improvements

Infrastructure Data Improvement Highlights

In early 2018, the departments participating in the 2018 Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment initiated a cross-departmental effort for City infrastructure services. This effort focused on creating a strategic and systematic process of operating, maintaining, upgrading, and expanding infrastructure assets effectively throughout their lifecycle. The intent was to focus on implementing the best business and infrastructure management practices available resulting in efficient resource allocation and utilization. This would provide a framework for prioritizing operational, maintenance, and both short- and long-range capital planning. As described above and elsewhere in the Comprehensive Infrastructure Analysis, there continue to be gaps in data related to asset inventory and condition. Future updates of the CIA will work toward providing more complete datasets and analysis as this data continues to develop within the constraints of available resources.

This planning framework will allow infrastructure managers and other stakeholders to align definitions and methodologies for determining information for future Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessments such as risk, criticality, resilience, age, expected useful life, acceptable level of service, desired performance, and capacity. While some of this information was provided in the 2014 and 2018 Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment, it is not consistently available for all infrastructure types and methodologies for collecting this information varies; therefore, this information is not included in this report. The multi-year, cross-departmental effort is intended to develop consistent methodologies and shared definitions so that progress in developing this information over time can be measured. This year’s Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment includes the activities outlined in Step 1 of Figure 8.4, which is summarized as conducting quality assessment of existing data. Steps 2, 3, and 4 will be completed as part of the multi-year, cross-departmental effort.

Asset Management - Basic Framework

Several departments have made significant progress toward closing data gaps and improving data collection efforts.

Parks and Recreation
- Transition from MicroMain to Maximo is ongoing
- Completed on the ground asset inventories and assessments at approximately 150 parks
  - Data was captured in the field using ArcGIS Collector and ArcGIS QuickCapture, reviewed by internal staff, and pushed out to authoritative layers in public map applications and internally
    - Many corrections to trails and missing pieces added

Austin Transportation
- Vision Zero Crash Data Management System and Viewer
  - Developed a centralized system for managing Austin's traffic crash data which, among other things, will enable staff to identify appropriate infrastructure improvements for high-need locations. The “Vision Zero Viewer” is now publicly viewable
- Mobility Project Database (aka "Moped")
  - Developing a centralized system for tracking Austin's Mobility Projects.
- Street Sign Data Collection
  - Acquire comprehensive citywide street sign data.
- Data-Informed Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon (PHB) Prioritization
  - developing a new, data-informed framework to identify high-need areas for the installation of pedestrian hybrid beacons (PHBs). This is a multi-variate GIS-based process which considers factors such as traffic crash history, street design, and equity to guide engineers in their evaluation of sites for future PHBs. The majority of technical work has been completed anticipate the use of this new framework to take effect by Dec 2020.
- Parking Inventory Management
  - conducting a complete overhaul of our parking asset data. This effort will improve accuracy, reduce redundant data entry, and facilitate integrated curb management for right-of-way permitting and new mobility technologies. Development of the new data schema is complete and currently working to migrate the existing data to our new data model.
- Signs and Markings Work Management
  - Developed an application for the integrated management of street sign and pavement markings work orders, as well as resident service requests. The system enables field crews to electronically track their work time, installation, and geospatial asset data from a mobile device.
Public Works
- Sidewalk Condition Data
  - Assessments have been completed on the high and very high priority sidewalks - 616 miles worth, or just under one-quarter of all sidewalks. An initial assessment of remaining sidewalks is underway and should be completed by the end of 2021.
- ROW Trees
  - Consultant based Phase I (pilot 78702 zip) field inventory complete (8300 new features) Phase II field inventory (city core) 75% complete. Data and schema reconciliation with previous inventory data complete. Finalizing phase I data for publication to production database.
- Urban Trails
  - Completed rebuild from original consultant dataset for improved accuracy, completeness, reliability. Included national standards for trails and applied schema changes to include maintenance responsibility, links to construction drawings and maintenance agreements. Web map developed for determining maintenance responsibility work group.
- Bridges and Structures
  - Schema update, QC review and cleansing for improved accuracy and completeness and alignment to TXDOT Bridge Inspection Database. Published data collection layer for ongoing review of structures that may qualify for inclusion in TXDOT inventory
- Curb and Gutter
  - Ongoing consultant-based data digitization project. Current deliverable for city core (1500 linear miles) under QC review
- Curb Ramp
  - Ongoing condition assessment data collection project
Watershed Protection
- continued efforts to improve data for infrastructure inventory. Closed Circuit Television (“CCTV”) inspections continue to be performed for the storm drain systems at a rate of approximately 12-15 miles per year and the results are processed in GIS and used for condition, criticality and risk assessments. The digitizing of the WPD existing infrastructure inventory, as part of the Drainage Infrastructure GIS (“DIG”) project, was complete by the Fall of 2018 and maintenance for this information is ongoing. Additionally, an ArcGIS Online tool has been created and is now being used to display the department’s infrastructure and identify the conditions of storm drainpipes, criticality, and risk assessment scores. This tool has been shared with WPD staff and multiple departments within the City.

Conclusions and Next Steps

Conclusions

The City is responsible for many different types of infrastructure that impact peoples’ daily lives. Aging infrastructure and deferred maintenance has been identified as a national issue in the last few years. The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) grades America’s infrastructure every four years in 16 major infrastructure categories. In 2017, ASCE rated the United States' infrastructure D+ overall, indicating that the nation’s infrastructure is in poor condition https://www.infrastructurereportcard.org/. Ratings for individual infrastructure types were also included in the report. In comparison, Texas received a score of C-, which means the state’s infrastructure is in fair condition. This grade represents a slight decline from the previous report card released in 2013, when Texas’s infrastructure grade was a C. As the Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment demonstrates, some of City’s infrastructure categories are classified in poor or failing condition. These include:

Wastewater Treatment Facilities (14% in poor condition)
Wastewater Pipes (11% in poor condition)
Wastewater Lift Stations (26% in poor condition)
Water Treatment Facilities (13% in poor condition)
Water Pump Stations and Reservoirs (15% in poor condition)
Water Pipes (8% in poor condition)
Stormwater Control Measures, Publicly Maintained (7% in poor condition, 1% in failing condition)
Storm Drainpipes, Condition (1% in poor condition, 1% in failing condition, 93% unknown status) (Note: Condition for storm drain pipes has only been assessed for approximately 7% of inventory.)
Drainage Channels (2% in poor condition, 3% in failing condition, 54% unknown status) (Note: Condition for drainage channels has only been assessed for approximately 46% of inventory.)
Streets (17% in poor condition, 8% in failing condition)
Sidewalks (9% in acceptable, 14% in functionally deficient) (Note: Reflects percentage of sidewalks where condition is known. 77% is in unknown condition.)
Landside (17% in poor condition, 2% in failing condition)
Terminal (25% in poor condition)
Airside (25% in poor condition)

The Comprehensive Infrastructure Assessment precedes the Rolling Needs Assessment (RNA), which identifies capital needs to support infrastructure services over the next ten years. It also informs departmental requests for annual budgets for Operations and Maintenance work on various types of assets to extend the useful life of assets and operate them at acceptable levels of service.

In April of 2019, the City adopted the Austin Strategic Mobility Plan to guide decision making that will impact Austin's transportation future for the next 20 years and thereby affect infrastructure planning and management across departments. The vision is for our transportation network to be safe, accessible, and inclusive for all members of our community. A primary goal is to reach a 50/50 mode share goal where 50% of trips are driving alone and 50% are other options including biking, walking, transit, carpooling, teleworking, etc. Achieving this goal will count on a variety of the City’s assets to be maintained in fair and better condition.

The Parks and Recreation Department’s Long Range Plan was adopted in November 2019. The plan responds to unprecedented population growth, increasing reliance on private and philanthropic funding, and the emergence of best practices in sustainable park development and management. A key goal for the planning process was to assess the state of the parks system that includes thousands of acres of parkland, 291 parks, 200 miles of trails, 40 pools and many other facilities. Assessments of the condition and quality of parks will provide data-driven baselines to inform prioritization, development and implementation of capital projects and asset life cycle management.

The City adopted Climate Resilience Action Plan for City Assets and Operations identified four potential key climate hazards that will significantly impact the City’s assets and operations, due to estimated increasing average annual temperatures and changing precipitation patterns that will result in longer periods of droughts mixed with heavier rainfall events. Those potential key hazards are increased temperatures, longer droughts, flooding from heavier precipitation, and greater risk of wildfire. The implications of climate change apply to all infrastructure assets and therefore all infrastructure assets will likely feel a financial impact in the future, necessitating increased and more frequent investment. Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security states that “the robustness of infrastructure systems can be judged by their capacity to accommodate change over time”. (https://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/st-aging-infrastructure-issues-research-technology.pdf)

By collecting asset data across the City, assessing current conditions, and identifying goals, asset managers can make more informed decisions and effectively leverage investment towards operating, maintaining, and renewing the City’s assets. The City will need to continue to balance substantial investments in capital renewal efforts with investments in new infrastructure capacity to meet the service demands of a growing population, as well as strategic investments to further the City’s planning priorities. This requires a long-term approach and exploration of additional funding sources that will allow the City to meet all these important goals while continually providing a high quality of life for our community.