Overview
There has been a strong interest in what has become known as maintenance quality assurance, or MQA, over the past decade. This interest is driven by both the growing recognition of the importance of highway maintenance in preserving a valuable public works asset, and by the increased focus on performance management and accountability as an effective way of managing and investing in public works. NCHRP Report 422: Maintenance QA Program Implementation Manual defines MQA as:
. . . the planned and systematic actions needed to provide adequate confidence that highway facilities meet specified requirements. Such requirements are usually defined by the highway agency but are intended to reflect the needs and expectations of the [road] user. Source: Stivers et al. (1999, p. 9).