Identifying Backlog and Optimizing Your Conditions

Welcome back to the Newsletter! Today we have a great topic to discuss: Identifying Backlog and Optimizing your Conditions.

Optimizing Your Pavement Maintenance Network

As a pavement maintenance firm, optimizing your roadway network is crucial to ensure you're getting the best performance for your budget. But what does optimization truly mean? In this blog post, we'll break down the key points from a recent video on network optimization, backlog, and performance to help you get the most out of your pavement maintenance strategy.

The Backlog: It's Not Just About Miles

Measuring your backlog isn't as simple as looking at the total square miles of pavement and multiplying it by a cost-per-mile figure. To truly optimize your network, you need to consider each roadway's condition and prioritize preventative maintenance and preservation activities accordingly. This starts with a proper inventory and condition assessment of your pavement network.

Performance: The Key Indicator of Success

Optimizing your pavement network is all about getting the best performance for your budget. But how do you measure performance? Start by identifying condition categories based on a 0-100 scale. Then, network with other pavement maintenance professionals, talk to contractors and seek out case studies to determine the most effective preventative maintenance and preservation activities for each condition category.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Optimizing your pavement network requires a data-driven decision-making process. Ask hard questions, look for real results, and measure the impact of each activity to determine the best strategy for your budget. Don't just focus on the short-term results; consider the long-term impact of each preventative maintenance and preservation activity.

Employ All Strategies for Optimization

To optimize your pavement network, you must employ all strategies, including mill-in overlays, rejuvenation, crack fill programs, micro-surfacing, slurry, chip seals, and cape seals. Each activity has its place in the optimization process, and by identifying the breakpoints and measuring results, you can determine the most effective strategy for your pavement network.

Optimizing your pavement maintenance network requires a proactive, data-driven approach that considers each roadway's condition and prioritizes preventative maintenance and preservation activities accordingly. By identifying the breakpoints and measuring results, you can determine the most effective strategy for your budget and get the best performance out of your pavement network.

Author: James Golden, Founder and CEO of Pavement Management Group

Data-Driven Decisions Today, Better Roadways Tomorrow!

In today's newsletter, we delve into our favorite slogan and tagline: "PMGs - Data-Driven Decisions Today, Better Roadway Networks Tomorrow." Let's explore the meaning behind this powerful statement and how it relates to pavement management.

The Current State of American Roadways:

In America, we face the challenge of maintaining approximately 2 million miles of paved roadways. Most of these roadways fall under the jurisdiction of municipalities, counties, townships, and villages. Limited funds are allocated yearly to improve our road networks, resulting in a common practice known as "worst of first." This approach addresses road issues based on subjective assessments and available budget, often leaving many roads untreated.

The Power of Data-Driven Decisions:

Data-driven decision-making is crucial in pavement management because it removes subjectivity from the equation. By utilizing the right filters, metrics, and key performance indicators (KPIs), we can make informed decisions that deliver maximum return on investment (ROI). It's time to shift away from relying solely on community feedback or political motivations and embrace a systematic approach that optimizes our pavement network.

Breaking Free from the "Worst of First" Approach:

Implementing a data-driven approach to pavement maintenance and repair allows us to escape the limitations of the "worst of first" methodology. While roads in poor condition might be suitable candidates for treatment, focusing solely on these areas fails to address the remaining 95% of the network, leading to further deterioration. To truly solve the problem and maximize ROI, we must view our pavement network as an investment and take a holistic approach.

Treating Your Pavement Network as an Investment Portfolio:

Imagine spending significant money each year on your roadway network, just as you would invest in a financial portfolio. Now, consider entrusting that investment to the whims of your neighbors or party attendees. Would you expect positive results? Probably not. Similarly, optimizing your pavement network requires diversification and informed decision-making based on reliable data.

Tools in the Pavement Management Toolbox:

The key to successful pavement management lies in leveraging data-driven decisions. Fortunately, a wide array of tools are available to help us optimize our pavement portfolio. From rejuvenators for high-PCI (Pavement Condition Index) roadways to crack seal programs for good- to fair-PCI ranges and preservation vehicles for lower good-PCI roads, various treatments exist for different pavement conditions. We can maximize our investment by applying the right treatment at the right time.

Empowering Policy Makers and Improving Roadway Networks:

Adopting a data-driven approach empowers us and demonstrates to policymakers that decisions are based on objective information from trusted sources. As we make data-driven choices and implement the appropriate treatments, our roadway network gradually improves in condition. The ultimate goal is to create better roadway networks for tomorrow through the decisions we make today.

By embracing data-driven decisions, we can revolutionize pavement management, maximize our investment, and pave the way for better roadway networks in the future. Stay tuned for more valuable content in our newsletter, coming to you next Wednesday!

Author: James Golden, Founder and CEO of Pavement Management Group

Pavement Management 101

As a professional in the pavement maintenance and preservation industry for almost 25 years, I've connected with many public works directors and engineers, and it's become clear to me that the concept of pavement management needs to be better!

What is Pavement Management?

At its core, pavement management is a systematic approach to the annual maintenance and repair of a pavement network, including roadways, airfields, airport runways, trails, parking lots, and more. The key to pavement management is a systematic approach that maximizes budgetary dollars and identifies the right treatment to apply to the right pavement at the right time.

Why Condition Assessments Aren't Enough

While condition assessments are a part of pavement management, they are only part of the picture. More than simply simply simply identifying the condition of the pavement is required to create a comprehensive maintenance plan. Instead, a systematic approach that includes inventory, assessment, prioritization, and treatment selection is necessary to maximize available resources.

The Importance of a Systematic Approach

A systematic approach is critical to effective pavement management. This approach includes identifying the right treatment, applying it to the right pavement, and doing so at the right time. With a systematic approach, maximizing budgetary dollars and achieving the desired results is possible.

The Key Components of Pavement Management

Pavement management has four key components: inventory, assessment, prioritization, and treatment selection. Starting with an inventory of the pavement network, a condition assessment is conducted to identify areas needing repair. The next step is to prioritize repairs based on the criticality of the pavement section and the available budget. Finally, the appropriate treatment is selected for each pavement section, considering its condition, age, and expected service life.

Benefits of Pavement Management

A systematic pavement management approach can bring a range of benefits, including:

1. Better allocation of resources: By prioritizing repairs based on need and available budget, pavement management allows for better use of taxpayer dollars.

2. Improved safety: By proactively repairing pavement sections needing attention, pavement management helps prevent roadway accidents and injuries.

3. Extended pavement life: By selecting the right treatment at the right time, pavement management can help extend our roadways' life, ultimately saving taxpayers money in the long run.

Pavement management is a critical part of maintaining safe and functional roadways. By taking a systematic approach that includes inventory, assessment, prioritization, and treatment selection, we can maximize taxpayer dollars, improve roadway conditions, and extend the life of our roadways. Let's not take the condition of our roadways for granted but instead invest in a proactive approach to pavement management.

Author: James Golden, Founder and CEO of Pavement Management Group