Category: Uncategorized

By Katie Zimmerman, Executive Vice President, Applied Pavement Technology

Have you ever wondered how your pavement management system compares to the systems in other agencies? Here’s an opportunity to find out! NCHRP just recently published a synthesis of pavement management practices in state and provincial transportation agencies. The synthesis documents recent changes in pavement management and explores current practices in using pavement management results for activities such as resource allocation, determining treatment cost-effectiveness, program development, and stakeholder outreach. Case examples showing innovative uses of pavement management data from the Kansas, Maryland, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington DOTs are also included.

The synthesis is available here: http://www.trb.org/main/blurbs/175607.aspx or here: https://www.nap.edu/download/24682

Announcement and Call for abstract (deadline March 13, 2016)

Pushing the evolution of transportation infrastructures: let’s shape the future of pavement and asset management!

The European Pavement and Asset Management Conference (EPAM) and the International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets (ICMPA) are joining forces for the World Conference on Pavement and Asset Management WCPAM2017 which will be held in Italy from 12 to 16 June 2017. The event will take place in the enchanting lakeside town of Baveno, on the amazing Maggiore Lake, at short distance from Milano Malpensa international airport.

“Politecnico di Milano, the leading Italian Technical University in Architecture, Design and Engineering, is especially honored to be hosting this Conference. The Conference is intended not only for academics and researchers, but looks also at practitioners, companies, authorities, associations, engineers and technicians dealing with everyday tasks and responsibilities related to transport infrastructures, pavement and asset management, in particular.”, stated Maurizio Crispino, Chairman of the Conference and Full Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Politecnico di Milano (Italy).

The topics of the Conference include road and airport pavements and other assets:

• maintenance, preservation and rehabilitation activities;
• Pavement Management Systems;
• data monitoring and performance assessment;
• economic, environmental and political strategies;
• life-cycle cost analysis and life-cycle assessment;
• safety and risk management;
• innovative design methods and materials;
• smart infrastructures and Intelligent Transportation Systems;
• bridge and tunnel pavements.

The conference includes an extensive technical program: parallel podium/poster sessions, technical tours, tutorials, plenary sessions with presentations by leaders in the field of pavement engineering, young professional and student events, exhibits of international companies driving innovation and quality in pavement engineering, construction and maintenance techniques.

The Call for abstract is now open!

Please, submit your abstract before 13^th March 2016 by following the conference website instructions at www.wcpam2017.com. The abstract should be at most 250 words, and it must clearly state the purpose, the methodology and the significance of the work. The conference proceedings will possibly be indexed by major databases, such as SCOPUS.

For more information regarding the conference or sponsorship opportunities and benefits, please visit the website www.wcpam2017.com

or contact the organizing committee at wcpam2017@wcpam2017.com (segreteria@studioesse.net for Sponsorship & Exhibition packages).

Brochure

 

Article written by WCPAM²⁰¹⁷ Organizing Committee

With the Transportation Research Board (TRB) 95th Annual Meeting behind us, it’s time to focus on the future a little bit.

The Annual Meeting always leaves a strong feeling – besides bewilderment, particularly if it’s your first time.  For me this feeling is a sense of urgency.  This comes from a sense that the state of knowledge in our field is advancing rapidly and that there are too many innovations to take stock of and implement in the time I have available between Annual Meetings. Nevertheless, I also find an underlying optimism in thinking that if we (continue to) share our experiences and advances, we can bring the state of the practice forward.

But let me get back to the sense of urgency for a moment. Our next international conference, which has been named “WCPAM2017” (World Conference on Pavement and Asset Management 2017), will take place in June of next year. And working the calendar back to the present, there is but a short window of time in which to prepare abstracts to submit for consideration. The deadline – March 13, 2016 – is only about five weeks away.

One of the unique features of this conference is that it represents the coming together of two groups that work on pavement and asset management but which do not normally have many chances to carry on a fluid conversation about advances in our field: The European Pavement and Asset Management (EPAM) group and the international community that gathers around the TRB North American and international activities.

So I urge all of you – all of us – to consider sharing innovations, approaches to solving pavement management problems, in short, to seriously think about submitting an abstract to WCPAM2017. The opportunity for exchange is unparalleled and each group will benefit from learning about activities of the other.

Instructions and conference information are all available at http://www.wcpam2017.com.

 

Look forward to your participation!

 

Sincerely

Ed

Edgardo D. Block

Chair, TRB Standing Committee on Pavement Management Systems (AFD10)

Two Post Scripts:

First, if the above is not sufficient incentive to submit an abstract, please consider the conference venue as an opportunity to do all the knowledge exchange in a one-of-a-kind location. Look at the Conference -> Venue tab on the conference web site to see.  Or simply search for “Baveno, Italy” on any image site on the internet.

Second, this unique gathering of pavement and asset management professionals presents a unique opportunity for exhibitors. There is information at www.wcpam2017.com on how to participate as an exhibitor as well.

I’m excited about the upcoming start to the 9^th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets that begins Monday, May 18^th in Alexandria, VA. This conference represents “the event” for pavement management practitioners around the world, bringing together individuals involved in all aspects of pavement management. The conference is generally held every three to four years and it typically rotates between North America and the rest of the world. The last time it was held within the continental United States was 2001, so I am particularly excited about the opportunity for US-based states, local agencies, and airports to hear about practices in other countries.

During the conference you’ll have plenty of exposure to all kinds of technical subjects, from recent data collection developments to building more sustainable pavements. A number of particularly relevant topics will be covered, including improving data quality and accountability, addressing natural disasters and resiliency, and incorporating innovation into pavement management. The technical program is extremely strong and promises to be worth the investment of time that you will be making.

I’ll be presenting the keynote address on Tuesday morning. My presentation will describe some of transformations that have taken place previously to shape today’s pavement management practices and set the stage for the next transformations that will ensure the viability of pavement management into the future. I hope you will find it to be informative and inspiring.

The conference also provides many opportunities to network with other practitioners during the breaks, at the conference reception on Monday night, and at the gala dinner on Wednesday night. In past years, the social events have been a lot of fun and a great way to get to know attendees in a relaxed setting.

I’ve been able to attend 7 of the prior 8 conferences and have left each conference with new ideas and new friends. Whether this is your first ICMPA conference or your ninth conference, I’m confident that this will be a positive experience for you. I look forward to seeing you!

Katie Zimmerman, President

Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. (APTech)

Katie Zimmerman will be the Keynote Speaker at the upcoming 9th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets

It is being held in a newly developed section of historical Alexandria, VA; only a short distance from the King Street Metro station, an Amtrak train station and the fine architecture, galleries and dining of Old Town Alexandria. Washington, DC is just across the river, a short Metro ride away!

The conference begins on Monday, May 18 with two morning and two afternoon workshops to choose from. In the evening there will be a fun filled reception at the Carlyle Club, literally steps across the street from The Westin Alexandria conference hotel. There will be many excellent plenary and technical breakout sessions beginning Tuesday morning and ending on Thursday afternoon. Not to be missed on Wednesday evening is an innovation themed gala dinner at the US Patent and Trademark Office building, only a few blocks walk from the Westin. It is a light and airy architectural space with an interpretive museum for all to enjoy. There will be a few speakers there to help stretch your thinking too, possibly to help you achieve innovation!

Come to learn and network with 300 hundred fellow professionals, industry exhibitors and poster session presenters! There will also be opportunities to attend a few invitational meetings and optional site visits on Friday, May 22. For more information and details please refer to: http://icmpa9.org/

Stephen Maher

TRB Staff Representative for the Standing Committee on Pavement Management Systems (AFD10)

The 9th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets will be held on May 18 through 21 in Arlington, Virginia. Registration for the event closes on April 17, 2015.

The conference will include a number of workshops, presentations, and interactive poster sessions and address sustainability, accountability, and improved pavement performance.

“It will bring together pavement design and management engineers, consultants, and companies to define ‘next-generation’ methods in road construction as well as road maintenance and upkeep,” said Gerardo Flintsch, director of Virginia Tech Transportation Institute’s Center for Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure.

An executive panel has been selected from worldwide establishments such as Federal Highway Administration, the Virginia Department of Transportation, Brisa Inovação e Tecnologia, and World Road Association. Joining the executive panel are keynote speakers who will discuss a variety of related topics as well as share their innovative ideas regarding pavement developments.

There will also be an innovation-themed gala and dinner held at the United States Patent and Trademark Office on May 20, 2015.

Young professionals and students are also invited to attend and participate in events like the Pavement Management Challenge, a speed networking event, and session monitor assignments.

Gratitude is extended to the conference’s sponsors: Deighton, Fugro, Pathway Services, Inc., Dynatest, AgileAssets, Stantec Consulting, Inc.

For more information or questions regarding the conference, please visit www.icmpa9.org or contact the following committee members:

Gerardo Flintsch, 540-231-9748, flintsch@vt.edu
Tanveer Chowdhury, 804-786-0694, tanveer.chowdhury@vdot.virginia.gov
Brittany Baker, 540-231-9488, brittb3@vt.edu

 

Article written by Maya Chapman, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute Communications  Intern

Hello everyone!

This is a space for conversations about pavement management systems, hosted by the Transportation Research Board’s (TRB) Standing Committee on Pavement Management Systems, “AFD10.”  On a regular basis, we will invite members, friends, and experts to contribute articles with news, questions, ideas, or thoughts on pavement management systems.  And we welcome everyone’s participation in the comments thread (just give us a little time to approve you for comments the first time you post one).

2015 is a big year for pavement management systems at least in the United States, as we all focus on finalizing, or implementing, or complying with, new rules on performance measures for our pavements.  State Departments of Transportation are busy parsing through the rules proposed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), formulating their comments so that the process can move forward, and looking at their own business processes to see what it takes to comply with requirements.  They may be bringing in outside experts on board to help, which means the private sector and academia are also active.

This flurry of activity makes the 9th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets especially timely and attractive as a way to become immersed in the topic, or to catch up on the rapid and major developments happening in the field with perspectives ranging from the local to the global.

And we hope this blog is a useful, lively, and easy way to be connected, and stay connected, to Pavement Management Systems.

Sincerely,

Ed

 

Edgardo D. Block, Chair, TRB Standing Committee on Pavement Management Systems (AFD10)