David G Peshkin

Pavement Management Perspective on Integrating Preventive Maintenance into a Pavement Management System

Many transportation agencies use pavement preservation programs to manage their pavement assets cost-effectively. One important aspect of pavement preservation is the use of preventive maintenance treatments to improve the functional condition of the network and retard the overall rate of deterioration. Because preventive maintenance treatments are less expensive than resurfacing or reconstruction projects, a preventive maintenance program can provide a cost-effective means of meeting pavement performance goals. Pavement management systems support pavement preservation strategies in important ways. They assist in identifying and prioritizing preventive maintenance needs, justifying funding levels, and evaluating the long-term impacts of various preservation strategies. To date, many agencies have operated preventive maintenance activities in isolation from pavement management programs. However, many potential benefits can be gained from the closer integration of these two activities. A transportation agency that wishes to integrate preventive maintenance and pavement management might be required to make several changes. Specific technical areas in which changes might be needed include condition surveys and condition index calculations, pavement performance models, treatment rules, and program development. In addition, several institutional issues must be addressed to successfully integrate the two programs. Examples from state highway agencies illustrate possible solutions.

Guidelines for the Preservation of High-Traffic-Volume Roadways

This research report documents the state of the practice for preservation treatment on asphalt and concrete pavements. Although the focus of the research project was on treatments suitable for application on high-volume roadways, this report also discusses current practices for low-volume roadways. The information presented is derived from a detailed survey of transportation agencies and a review of national and international literature. In addition, the report provides a general framework for how best practices are identified. Finally, general guidelines were developed on the application of preservation treatments on high-volume roadways. Presented as a separate document, the guidelines consider traffic volume, pavement condition, work-zone requirements, environmental conditions, and expected performance.

Issues in Integrating Pavement Management and Preventive Maintenance

For years, pavement-management systems (PMSs) have been used in highway agencies to improve the planning efforts associated with pavement-preservation activities, to provide the information needed to support the pavement-preservation decision process, and to compare the long-term impacts of alternative preservation strategies. As such, pavement management is an integral part of an agencys assetmanagement efforts and an important tool for cost-effectively managing the large investment in its transportation infrastructure. PMSs have been used by several agencies to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of pavement-preservation programs that include the use of preventivemaintenance treatments. By comparing the long-term effects on pavement condition associated with an agencys current practices with a strategy that includes preventive maintenance, the benefits of a preventive-maintenance program can be demonstrated. However, agencies have had limited success expanding the use of their PMSs to support a preventive-maintenance program because most PMSs have not fully integrated preventive-maintenance treatments into the analysis. The importance of integrating preventive-maintenance treatments into a PMS to support a preventive-maintenance program is addressed, and the most common gaps between maintenance efforts and pavement management are discussed. In addition, current approaches used to integrate these programs and the advantages and disadvantages associated with each approach are presented. Finally, recommendations for improving the integration of preventive-maintenance treatments into an agencys PMS are provided.

Estimating Remaining Life of Airfield Pavements

Currently, there is no universally accepted procedure or approach to performing remaining life analyses for airfield pavements. However, there are several methods that have been employed to estimate the remaining life of airfield pavements, each with advantages and limitations. Airport managers and engineers understand the importance and significance of this concept, and are increasingly interested in seeing reported some measure of remaining life as a part of pavement management and evaluation projects. This paper describes in detail several different approaches that are used to estimate the remaining life of airfield pavements (both bituminous- and concrete-surfaced). These include a design-based or traffic-based approach, a PCI approach, and a mechanistic-empirical analysis approach. The advantages and disadvantages of each approach are discussed. Although it is acknowledged that estimating remaining life is not an exact science, and that the chances of obtaining the same result from different approaches is slight, the information obtained from such analyses is extremely useful as part of an overall evaluation of an airports pavements, as well as in planning and programming pavement rehabilitation activities.

Investigation of Portland Cement Concrete Exposed to Automated Deicing Solutions on Colorado’s Bridge Decks

The Colorado Department of Transportation (DOT) has identified potential performance problems in some portland cement concrete (PCC) bridge decks and approach slabs in the form of pattern surface cracking, spalling, and joint and crack deterioration; these problems are suspected to be materials-related distress (MRD). External factors such as deicing and anti-icing chemicals can initiate and increase the rate and magnitude of deterioration caused by MRD and thereby shorten the life of the structure. This study investigated whether highly concentrated deicer solutions that were applied through bridge deck deicing and anti-icing systems that used fixed automated spray technology disproportionately contributed to deterioration of PCC bridge decks and adjacent concrete approach slabs in Colorado and whether mitigation strategies employed by Colorado DOT addressed the problem. The investigation involved visual inspection techniques, materials sampling, and evaluation of sampled concrete by using petrographic methods. In bridge decks studied, the concrete evaluated seemed sufficiently resistant to damage from the intrusion of deicer chemicals. Where full-depth cracking was present, however, obvious signs of the movement of moisture and deicers through the deck were observed. Also, some initial signs of possible chemical attack from deicers were noted, and continued exposure to highly concentrated deicers may have contributed to long-term durability concerns. However, use of polymer-modified asphalt and fabric membranes in conjunction with a hot-mix asphalt overlay seemed effective in preventing the ingress of chlorides into the underlying concrete deck.

Applying Pavement Preservation Concepts to Low-Volume Roads

As the challenges associated with managing a low-volume road network increase, agencies have realized the benefits associated with the use of pavement management tools for the road network. One of the benefits of the use of these tools is the ability to illustrate quickly and effectively the impacts of various pavement preservation strategies (such as worst-first repair) on overall network conditions. As a result, agencies are in a better position to communicate the needs of the road network to individuals responsible for the allocation of funds. In some cases, agencies have successfully lobbied for additional funds to support their road management efforts. The benefit of pavement management tools in supporting the preservation of the low-volume road network is illustrated by their use in evaluating the long-term impact of various funding strategies, the cost-effectiveness of pavement preventive maintenance programs, and various cost analyses that can be used to enhance road system management. Information from a variety of transportation agencies is used for this illustration. For instance, a summary is presented of the use of pavement management information to compare a worst-first repair strategy with a strategy that includes pavement preservation techniques. Examples are provided of the types of presentations that can be given to top management to illustrate these effects. In addition, the cost-effectiveness of pavement preservation programs is illustrated by showing the reduction in life-cycle costs and the overall benefits provided to the agency through the implementation of preventive maintenance programs.

Performance and Benefits of Michigan Department of Transportation's Capital Preventive Maintenance Program

The Michigan Department of Transportations (DOT) pavement preservation program dates back to 1992. In Michigan, pavement preservation is implemented primarily through the Michigan DOTs capital preventive maintenance (CPM) program, in which preventive maintenance treatments are used to protect existing pavement surfaces, to slow deterioration, and to correct surface deficiencies. An overall objective of the CPM program is to postpone major rehabilitation and reconstruction activities by extending the service life of pavements. Results of a study performed to calculate the benefits and costs of various preventive maintenance treatments used in the Michigan DOTs CPM program are presented. With benefit defined as the percentage increase in performance over a do-nothing or untreated pavement performance curve where data were available, benefits were calculated for preventive maintenance treatments. Benefit–cost ratios were calculated by unit cost, and permitted the comparison of the cost-effectiveness of similar treatments. The overall performance of the Michigan DOTs CPM program was also examined by comparing the life-cycle costs of a rehabilitation strategy to a preservation strategy with the use of a simplified approach. The outcome showed that the preservation strategy resulted in agency cost savings of approximately 25% per lane mile over a rehabilitation-only strategy. Findings from this study can be used to help the Michigan DOT improve its CPM project selection, treatment selection, and performance monitoring and modeling practices.

System for Rating Materials-Related Distress of Concrete Airfield Pavements

A new guide has been developed for the field evaluation of concrete pavements affected by materials-related distress (MRD). The guide assists technical personnel in identifying whether a pavement is affected by MRD and, if so, to what degree. On the basis of the observed manifestation of MRD, an MRD rating is calculated and used in the early detection and ongoing monitoring of potential MRD problems. The rating helps personnel identify the need for maintenance, repair, or more-significant rehabilitation of pavement. Although the MRD rating procedure was developed for use on airfield pavements to minimize the risk of aircraft damage caused by foreign objects and debris, it is equally applicable to use on concrete highway pavements. A detailed approach for visual assessment of pavement and calculation of the MRD rating is discussed. Examples are provided for proper identification and recording of observed MRD indicators and computation of the MRD rating.

Accelerated Practices for Construction of Airfield Concrete Pavement: Lessons Learned from Planning Phase

Information and experiences about accelerated or fast-track portland cement concrete (PCC) paving projects from the airport pavement industry are presented. The focus is on steps that can be taken during the planning phase to accelerate airfield PCC paving projects; the presentation is based on detailed case studies that were developed under an Innovative Pavement Research Foundation project. These case studies were developed from an extensive list of accelerated projects compiled from sources within the airfield paving industry, including contractors, designers, owners, and industry representatives. The key to applying accelerated paving techniques for rigid pavements lies in understanding the available strategies and in knowing when and how these strategies should be applied. A range of materials is available for accelerating pavement opening times, which is most often thought of as accelerated paving. However, beyond the simple selection of appropriate materials, many other strategies can accelerate an airfield PCC paving or repair project, including thorough planning and coordination of project activities, considering procurement and contract factors, and application of appropriate phasing and scheduling techniques during the project planning phase. Strategies addressing design, construction, and ancillary issues are included in the Accelerated Practices for Airfield Concrete Pavement Construction final documents.

Quality Assurance For Airport Pavement Construction: Planning For Success

This paper describes how, in the past, on a typical airport construction project, the contractor was responsible for construction and the owner agency was responsible for measuring the quality of that construction. Today, on many airport construction projects the contractor is responsible for his own quality control (QC) and the owner tracks quality through a quality assurance (QA) program. This redistribution of responsibilities and resources has led to an uncertainty regarding the different roles and requirements for both contractors and owners on these projects. On a quality control/quality assurance (QC/QA) project, the contractor is now responsible for daily testing to ensure that the delivered product meets the project specifications and the construction process is in control while the owner is responsible for acceptance testing only. As part of the QA plan, the owner is also required to provide random testing at specified frequencies to ensure that the contractors testing procedures are being conducted within accepted standards. On some projects, the contractor may even be responsible for the acceptance testing. While QC/QA projects are fairly widespread, a thorough understanding of the implications of such projects, especially regarding roles and responsibilities, is not. This paper examines the experiences from several recent projects and presents observations and recommendations that can be used by airport owners, engineers, and contractors, to improve both the QC/QA process and the quality of airfield pavement construction.