Roger E Smith

INTEGRATING PAVEMENT PRESERVATION INTO A LOCAL AGENCY PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Pavement preservation has become an important topic in the pavement community in the last few years. Preventive maintenance is a vital part of pavement preservation. All state and most local agencies use pavement management systems to assist in making decisions about pavement maintenance and rehabilitation. If pavement preservation is to be used effectively in these agencies, their pavement management decision-making processes must support it. A description is given of how the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Pavement Management System used by several local agencies in California, Oregon, and other states incorporates pavement preventive maintenance and pavement preservation.

Comparison of Automated Pavement Distress Data Collection Procedures for Local Agencies in San Francisco Bay Area, California

Many local agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area in California use manual surveys to collect pavement distress data to calculate pavement condition index (PCI) values for use in pavement management. Many of these agencies then use pavement performance curves and trigger values in their decision trees or matrices based on these resulting PCI values and derived parameters as major components of the agencies’ pavement management decision support systems. Automated pavement distress data collection procedures are available, but all available procedures and equipment do not necessarily reproduce the PCI from manual surveys. These differences in the PCI calculated from different distress data collection methods can lead to substantially different pavement treatment recommendations and fund needs. A 2-year project was conducted for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission of the San Francisco Bay Area to evaluate the effect of the use of different methods to determine the PCI. The study included statistical analyses and comparison of seven pavement distress types for asphalt pavements and the resulting PCI. The methodology, interpretation, and findings from the study are described. Emphasis is given to differences observed in the results and analysis of their causes. Practical recommendations for future use of automated pavement distress data collection procedures for local agencies are given.

Contracting for pavement distress data collection

Many agencies responsible for managing pavements have adopted pavement management systems (PMS) to help manage their pavement networks more cost-effectively. One of the most costly parts of operating a PMS is collecting condition information, especially pavement distress information. Many agencies have started to contract for pavement distress data collection. Some of the agencies have experienced problems with the data collected by contract. A study for agencies in Washington and Oregon to define the accuracy of data needed by the agencies with an evaluation of certain participating vendors using semiautomated data collection methods is described. Issues about quality control and quality assurance faced by agencies considering contracting for automated data collection also are raised. These issues need additional study to develop appropriate guidelines. The initial set provided is based on discussions with some of the agencies currently contracting for pavement distress data collection.

MICROSURFACING USAGE GUIDELINES

Microsurfacing is used as a surface seal to establish skid resistance on pavements, to fill ruts in asphalt concrete pavements and chain-wear depressions on portland cement concrete pavements, to reduce weathering and raveling on asphalt concrete pavements, and to surface bridge decks. Usage guidelines for applying microsurfacing on asphalt concrete pavements were developed while working on a project for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). These guidelines are based on information collected from published literature, personnel experienced in using microsurfacing, TxDOT personnel, industry personnel, and the project staff’s experience developed during the project. Special attention was directed at identifying those pavement types, conditions, and problems that normally could be addressed with microsurfacing. Provided is the following information: a short description of microsurfacing, its use as a surface treatment, its use as a rut filler, the types of pavement problems for which the treatment would be appropriate, the requirements of the pavement for treatment with microsurfacing, recommended analysis procedures to decide if microsurfacing is appropriate for a selected section of pavement, layer thicknesses, and the time of opening to traffic.

Creating asset management reports from a local agency pavement management system

Reporting assets is an essential component of an asset management system. While asset management covers management of the whole range of assets an agency owns, several types of reports need to be produced depending on the types of assets and the purpose of reporting. These reports are used to convince lawmakers and taxpayers to allocate funds needed to keep the assets in a desirable condition. Reports produced from an individual management system, such as a pavement management system (PMS), a bridge management system, or a sewer management system, can be combined to support reporting on all assets combined. A study was conducted to demonstrate the production of asset management reports by using a local agency PMS. The study was conducted by using the Metropolitan Transportation Commission PMS, which is used by many local agencies to support managing pavement networks of cities and counties. It is evident from the study that several useful reports supporting an overall asset management system can be created by using this PMS.

Prediction of Highway Performance Monitoring System's Present Serviceability Rating for Local Agencies Using San Francisco Bay Area Pavement Management System

Several local agencies in the San Francisco Bay Area use the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) pavement management system (PMS) that requires a pavement condition index (PCI) as the primary condition measure. This PCI is based on distress types, severities, and quantities. However, several of these local agencies must also submit present serviceability rating (PSR) data on a sample of their network for use in the Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS). Currently, these agencies use a trained rater to determine a subjective PSR value for each HPMS section to report to FHWA and another set of trained raters to inspect the pavement for surface observable distress from which the PCI is calculated. A study was performed to develop mathematical models to relate the PCI used in the MTC PMS to the subjective PSR submitted by local agencies for FHWA’s HPMS reports. Regression equations were developed to predict the PSR values, as defined for HPMS, from Bay Area PCI values and subcomponents of the PCI. These equations have R2 values that show moderate to strong relationships between the HPMS PSR and the MTC PCI. They provide reasonable values at or near the boundaries of the PSR scale. The local agencies using the Bay Area PMS can use these equations to estimate a PSR value from the inspection required for the PMS without inspecting pavement sections a second time.

MODIFYING LOCAL AGENCY PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM TO SUPPORT GOVERNMENTAL ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD 34 REQUIREMENTS

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission pavement management system (MTC PMS) has been used by many cities and counties in the United States for more than 15 years. MTC PMS was evaluated to determine the extent to which the software can support the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) 34 reporting requirements, established in 1999. A local agency PMS can take information from a pavement network database to produce useful reports, which can be utilized jointly with the information from other assets managed by an agency to support the requirements for a comprehensive asset management system and other reporting requirements. The objective of this study was to elaborate GASB 34 requirements for reporting infrastructure assets, examine the capabilities of MTC PMS in supporting those standard requirements, and recommend any modifications of MTC PMS needed to better support GASB 34. It is evident from the study that MTC PMS has the capability, to some extent, of supporting GASB 34 for reporting on a pavement network according to both the GASB 34 reporting methods: the depreciation method and the modified approach. It partially supports the prerequisites for using the modified approach, which require that the managing agency have an asset management system with certain designated characteristics. Some modifications of MTC PMS software were proposed to make this management system more effective as a tool supporting an asset management system and overall GASB 34 requirements.