MPC
Research Projects (2008-09)
Project Title
Regional Pavement Management Workshop for Asset Management
University
North Dakota State UniversityProject Investigator
Denver Tolliver, John MacGowan UPGTI/MPC
Description of Project Abstract
The growing imbalance of increasing demand and static road capacity contrasted with downward pressures on resource availability to build much less maintain the highway system in every region across the United States is well known. How to strategically allocate scarce resources to optimally preserve the critical capital investments in highway infrastructure is well understood, particularly among small urban and rural managers and engineers. Pavement management is the decision-making process that addresses the strategic needs on a network basis to properly balance the what, the when and the how of preserving highway segments.
Pavement management has been practiced in varying degrees probably since Roman times, but only in modern times, since 1956 and the beginning of the American Association of State Highway (now Transportation) Officials road tests, has the science been evolving rapidly. In more recent years Federal requirements coupled with desire and need on the part of state engineers to more wisely maintain their highway system has resulted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to have in place some form of pavement management. However, with many more decisions falling to county, small urban, rural and tribal governmental entities it has become essential that pavement management be practiced at these levels as well. The level of understanding, awareness and practice of pavement management in these entities is uneven and, perhaps, even nonexistent.
A workshop on pavement management in the Mountain-Plains region is imperative to address these technology transfer needs. By providing a workshop for both learning and sharing a practical and theoretical understanding of the fundamentals and advancement of pavement management would not only advance the practice of pavement management among county, small urban, rural and tribal governments but would also create a synergism among them within the region. The benefits of all such agencies within the region for measuring, summarizing, and reporting comparable information would facilitate communications and provide for economies in data collection and analysis of results, the whole of which would exceed the sum of the parts.[1]
Project Objective
The goal of this project is to prepare for and provide a forum for state, county, small urban, rural, and tribal managers and engineers who are charged with the responsibility for fiscal distribution of public funds to the preservation of the pavement infrastructure to come together to update their understandings of the theory and practice of pavement management and share experiences and knowledge that will benefit the common good within the region. Included in this workshop will be the sharing of program information on pavement preservation, how pavement management benefits decision-making, an understanding of how pavement management systems work and their requirements, and how pavement management is related to pavement design.
Project Approach/Methods
A workshop will be held in the Spring of 2009 for state, county, small urban, rural, and tribal managers and engineers who are charged with the responsibility for fiscal distribution of public funds to the preservation of the pavement infrastructure. The workshop will utilize the capabilities of the five universities (Colorado State University, North Dakota State University, South Dakota State University, University of Utah, and University of Wyoming) within the Mountain Plains Consortium University Transportation Center (MPC), as well as Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) Centers located within the region, and state and Federal experts. To maximize participation in the workshop and minimize travel costs, the resources of the Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute’s Transportation Learning Network (TLN) will be used to reach out to the state highway offices which can serve as satellite workshop sites.
Experts selected from among the above-listed organizations will be solicited to address key aspects of pavement management and make presentations about them to the audience. They would also engage the attendees in discourse on specific related issues by prompting them with provocative and thoughtful questions as well as responding to the audiences’ own individual questions. It is envisioned that a new Federal Highway Administration basic pavement management course that is designed for state audiences would be modified to address the more specific needs of the rural practitioners of the region. Further, a generalized, hypothetical pavement management software system would be developed and used as a tool of instruction for attendees so that when the workshop is concluded, they may return to their respective locals with a ready plan for implementation of pavement management.
At the conclusion, workshop materials, key presentations, points raised, and lessons learned will be compiled in a report for distribution to both attendees and others in the region. Also, because the TLN will be used, videos of all segments of the workshop will be available.
MPC Critical Issues Addressed by Research
USDOT Strategic Objective: Infrastructure Management and Environmental Stewardship
Critical MPC Research Issues:
- Traffic Operations and Management (11)
- Infrastructure Financing (12)
- Improved Pricing Strategies (13)
- Improved Infrastructure Design (14)
- Infrastructure Longevity (15)
- Economic Analysis of Investments and Impacts (18)
- Integrated Asset Management Systems (19)
Contributions/Potential Applications of Research
Discussions among experts and practitioners will offer insight for each group in prioritizing activities, defining strategies, setting agendas and pooling knowledge for effective and efficient pavement management.
Technology Transfer Activities
Not only will the respective jurisdictions of the attendees benefit directly from this workshop, but also with the distribution of the concluding report and the availability of the workshop video, other rural and tribal jurisdictions will benefit from the workshop’s results. Much of this extended dissemination will be facilitated through partnering with the LTAP and TTAP centers within the region.
Time Duration
July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009
Total Project Cost
$48,600
MPC Funds Requested
$20,000
TRB Keywords
Pavement, pavement management, asset management, highway system, capital investment, highway infrastructure, preserving highways, preservation, pavement infrastructure
References
Finn, Fred, Pavement Management Systems – Past, Present, and Future. Presented at National Workshop on Pavement Management, New Orleans, LA., July 20, 1997
