1. Network Definition
The first step in creating a successful program is knowing precisely what you have! This process involves identifying ALL of the roadways your agency is responsible for and splitting them into logical maintenance sections. Within each section, gather as much information about the section as possible. Typical items include:
ID, From, To, Length, Width, Additional Area, Total Area, Surface Type, Rank Classification, Curb Type, Number of Lanes, Date of Last Construction, etc.
2. Network Imagery or Video
Establishing the roadway network inventory is good, but expanding on this by viewing high-resolution imagery or video is excellent!
Imagine having the ability, in the office, to access Google Earth, click on a point, and stream high-definition video of that roadway section right within your desktop. Powerful capability, for sure!
3. Standardized Condition Assessment
With a well-organized inventory of your roadway network complete, the next step is to determine the condition of each section within the network and the average condition of the entire network.
There are many condition indices and methodologies in this day and age to determine surface conditions: PCI, PCR, OCI, PASER, etc. When selecting which condition assessment approach to leverage, you will want to make sure that the criteria and measured results align with the goals and objectives of your pavement management plan.
There are four options available for performing your condition assessment:
Manual
Semi-Automated
Fully Automated
Artificial Intelligence
When selecting the process for condition assessment, you will want to consider the costs associated, the timeline for completion, the condition index used aligns with your plan, and the software selection (Key 7 Below).
Companies like Pavement Management Group combine experience with ASTM condition assessment standards and AI to produce cost-effective and objective PCI ratings.
4. Needs Analysis
This process involves creating your maintenance and repair decision tree, gathering unit costs for selected treatments, and correlating conditions with treatments.
For example:
Roadways that are in Excellent Condition may be slated for a Rejuvenator application at the cost of $.15 per square foot.
On the other end of the spectrum, roadways in Failed condition may be slated for a Full Depth Reclamation at the cost of $5.00 per square foot.
Once established, correlate each treatment and cost fit each section within the roadway network, add it all up, and voila! You've got the current needs and costs for the entire roadway network.
5. Budget and Target Driven Analysis
Finally, a successful pavement management program must be able to project future roadway conditions and/or costs over extended periods.
This information is the communication piece between your public works department and public officials and is the key to measuring the impact and ROI of your maintenance policies.
For example, if you spend $1 million yearly on maintenance and repair, and your current network condition is a 70 PCI, what will the projected condition be each year over the next five years?
Questions like this will allow you to measure and project how your current program is currently performing and expected to perform in the future.
Are you projecting condition drops?
This opens the forum in a data-driven first to discuss allocating more funds to the program openly.
Funding shortfall?
Let's beef up the maintenance and preservation efforts to stabilize conditions until more funding is available.
These are the countless "What If" scenarios that can be achieved to determine current and future budgets or targets necessary to reach your goals.
This is how you genuinely begin to maximize your general fund and taxpayer dollars while optimizing the conditions of your roadways, all at the same time.
6. GIS Integration
To effectively communicate with the citizens, council, and public officials, you've got to be able to create map-driven deliverables!
They say a picture is worth a thousand words...
In my experience, this statement is worth its weight in gold when I'm explaining the results and impact of the maintenance and repair plan through detailed GIS maps.
This establishes a connection between distress, condition, budgetary, maintenance, and repair data, and physical maps that all can relate to and understand.
7. Pavement Management Software
To develop a robust pavement management program, you will need specific software equipped with various tools and features.
The software will serve as the foundation of the entire program, providing access to current and historical data while offering a series of analysis, predictive, reporting, and mapping capabilities.
Fortunately or unfortunately, there are a variety of applications in the marketplace today.
Some are stand-alone pavement management systems, while others are offered within an asset management system suite.
Software selection can certainly be a task all within itself! When going down this "road," do your homework upfront.
Identify implementation and ongoing costs, ask about upcoming features, inquire with other agencies who are active and long-term users, ask for a complete demo, highlight all of the keys referenced within this article, and identify the support services available.
Use value-based partnerships from trusted firms and products such as Pavement Management Group to maximize your investment. IN the case of PMG, there is no additional software license or system required on your part! PMG manages the entire effort for you and publishes your data to our GIS and web-based platform, RoadINsights.
Summary:
Developing a turn-key pavement management program can appear expensive, timely, and daunting experience, but it doesn't have to be!
While all of this is achievable in-house, it may make sense to leverage the experience and services of professional services or engineering firms.
Many firms within the industry today can provide everything your agency needs to establish a successful pavement management program in a timely and budget-friendly manner.
I often summarize pavement management with the following phrase:
"Identifying the right treatment to apply to the right roadway, and at the right time".
When we simplify this definition, we can understand the actual value of a turn-key program that combines the seven keys mentioned...
Maximizing our tax dollars, extending the life of our roadways, and optimizing roadway conditions within our local communities.