Modeling Implementation Barriers to Integrated Multi-Infrastructure Asset Management in Municipal Maintenance, Rehabilitation, and Reconstruction Projects

Integrated multi-infrastructure asset management (IMAM) is crucial for coordinating interdependent infrastructure systems, such as road, water, sewer, and drainage systems, and mitigating cascading effects in maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction (MRR) projects. Although IMAM offers significant value to municipalities in cost savings, resource optimization, and improving resilience, its practical implementation has been hindered by numerous barriers. This study aims to identify and model the key challenges hindering the adoption of IMAM in municipalities. A literature analysis and expert input systematically categorize 40 identified barriers into five thematic groups: policy/strategy, human resource/organizational, data/information systems, work process, and funding barriers. Using survey data collected from municipal infrastructure professionals, the study applied both relative importance index (RII) and structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the perceived severity and influence of these barrier categories. Additionally, comparative analysis was conducted to reveal how these barriers differ in impact across municipalities of varying sizes. The study found that all five barrier constructs significantly impact the IMAM implementation. Findings revealed that policy/strategy barriers have the highest impact, with a path coefficient of 0.694 ( p < 0.001 ), followed by data/information system, work process, organizational/human resources, and funding barriers, with policy barriers also exhibiting significant indirect effects through other barrier categories. Comparative SEM analysis between small and large municipalities further demonstrated that the strength and significance of these impacts vary, underscoring the role of municipal size as a contextual factor in IMAM implementation. Grounded in the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework and Institutional Theory, this research contributes to existing literature by validating a five-construct barrier framework and providing a theoretically informed explanation of how barriers interact to influence IMAM implementation. Moreover, the findings support municipalities’ IMAM implementation efforts by offering a priority-based barrier ranking and size-specific insights, enabling practitioners to design more tailored and effective IMAM implementation strategies.