Pontis: A System for Maintenance Optimization and Improvement of US Bridge Networks

Pontis provides a systematic methodology for allocating funds, evaluating current and future needs of bridges and options to meet those needs, and recommending the optimal policy for each bridge in the context of overall network benefits, budgets, and restrictions. After a trial implementation in California and extensive testing in several states, the system was adopted by AASHTO (Association of American State Highway Officials). Currently, over 40 states are implementing Pontis. At the heart of Pontis is a set of predictive and optimization models which derive their information from judgmental, engineering, and economic models and various databases. The predictive models start with engineering-based subjective inputs and update themselves in a Bayesian context as data is collected. The optimization models consist of interrelated Markov decision models and mathematical programming tools and models.