Infrastructures and life-cycle cost-benefit analysis

The design and maintenance of infrastructures using life-cycle cost-benefit analysis is discussed in this article with special emphasis on users' costs. This is for several infrastructures of great importance such as bridges, highways, etc. Repair and/or failure of infrastructures will usually result in user costs greater than the repair or replacement costs of the infrastructure. For the society (and the users) it is therefore of great importance that maintenance or replacement of an infrastructure is performed in such a way that all costs are minimised – not only the owners' cost.