The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) began a national initiative in 1995 to create a higher awareness of Asset Management - the cost-effective operation, maintenance, and preservation of transportation systems - and to explain its concepts, importance, and benefits. During this period, we have made noteworthy strides to define and document Asset Management principles and how they relate to transportation agencies.  This Powerpoint presentation provides an overview of asset management and describes some of the activities underway by AASHTO and FHWA to bring Asset Management to the transportation community.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/infrastructure/asstmgmt/assetbrf.htm