I just returned from a national conference in which more than 2,000 public works professionals gathered to attend a variety of education sessions. The sessions included everything from wastewater to sustainability to project management to engineering. And, you guessed it, many sessions on pavement management.
I’ve heard (and said many times myself) that pavements are one of the largest assets maintained by public agencies. While pavements may not be as sleek or exciting as a new public works building or water treatment plant, we want to do them better and we want to do them well. The point is clear sitting in these education sessions. The rooms are packed with professionals listening intently, anxious to hear more about how they can better manage their pavements.
So, how can we do that? Below is my top 5 list to successful pavement management:
Create a pavement inventory and understand current condition.
You need to know what you have to make wise, informed decisions. Pavement inventories can be tracked in a spreadsheet, geographic information system (GIS) or a third-party software program. Basic information should include name/location, length/area, pavement type and construction history, and must be updated as changes are made. Once the inventory is established, a review of surface conditions should be performed. There are a wide variety of rating systems out there: manual or automated, qualitative, or quantitative. Whatever system you select, it is important that it is repeatable, objective and can be easily handled by your agency and staff. If the rating system is too costly or time-consuming for your agency, it is not the right one. This also applies to the inventory tool itself. If it’s not user-friendly, it will not get used. Because pavement management tasks can be intermittent, it may make more sense to hire a third party to perform the ratings or manage the pavement management tool for you.
Track changes in condition.
A snapshot of pavement condition is great information to have. But you also need to understand how the condition is expected to change over time. Condition ratings should be repeated every two to three years. Use the changes in pavement condition to develop pavement life cycle curves (age vs. condition). Curves can be developed for each pavement section or for groups of pavements that are similar in nature (traffic loading, soils and construction type). Once the curves are established and future conditions are predicted, capital improvement plans (CIP) plans can be created. Understanding and predicting future conditions allows you to be proactive in the selection of timely repairs which ultimately prolongs pavement life and extends budgets.
Understand the finances.
Pavement management is like home ownership in that it requires an understanding of your finances. What are the monthly utility costs? How much is the mortgage and the taxes? There may be major repairs coming, such as new windows or a new roof. What are those costs and when are they coming? Are you happy with its current condition or do you want to improve the condition? Similarly, to manage pavements, you need to understand the costs – lower costs like crack sealing or sealing, and larger costs like recycling, or reconstruction. A condition inventory enables predictable budgeting because it highlights potential future costs and when they may arise.
Invest in upfront testing.
Many agencies have tight budgets without sufficient funding for necessary projects. The concept of spending additional money upfront, before any project work has even been initiated, can be a tough pill to swallow. The reality is, however, not spending money upfront for testing will likely be more expensive in the long-term. The only way to confirm the right project is being performed at the right time on the right pavement is to test. Testing may include surface reviews, pavement coring and hand auger borings, subgrade sampling and testing, pavement mix designs, ground penetrating radar (GPR) or falling weight deflectometer testing (FWD). Each method can provide valuable information that is useful in the selection of the proper repair. Selecting the wrong method typically means the repair will not extend pavement life and will require additional work in the future.
Expand your toolbox.
Luckily, advances in pavement maintenance and repair techniques are constantly evolving, with far more options than reconstruction and mill-and-overlay. There are a variety of recycling options available including cold in-place recycling (CIR), full-depth reclamation (FDR), hot in-place recycling (HIR) and stabilized full-depth reclamation (SFDR). Pavement preservation technologies such as rejuvenators and stabilizers, and sealing treatments such as cape seals, seal coats, slurry seals, and microsurfacing have also evolved as treatment options. This increase in treatment options improves our roads, but also increases confusion about each treatment, when they should be performed and ideal conditions for a treatment’s success. To find the right combination in achieving high-performance pavement with a high life-cycle return, I recommend reaching out to other agencies to find what has worked well (and what hasn’t) for their roads and working with experienced consultants for assistance with design, testing, and maintenance.
Join us on October 7th for a live webinar, “The Road to Success for Pavement Performance”, with pavement specialists, Amy Grothaus, PE, and Dan Wegman, PE, as they expand upon these tips and discuss what project managers need to know to achieve a successful pavement management network.
