Highlights from the Ninth International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets: Focus on the Key-Note Addresses

Prepared by Judith Corley-Lay, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)

The ICMPA9 conference was held in Alexandria, Virginia and included three concurrent sessions with 3 to 4 papers in each. The breakout sessions included topics on Innovation, performance curves, measurements and instrumentation, visualization, data quality, decision making, airports, local roads, public private partnerships, and many case studies. 338 attendees participated, including enough members of AFD10 to hold a mid-year meeting.

 
In this blog, I want to focus on the keynote addresses. Katie Zimmerman provided the perfect opening to the conference by describing the “story of pavement management” in chapters. Chapter 1 began with the AASHO road test and the early pavement management systems. Chapter 2 was marked with technological advances that led to today’s more advanced systems. We are living in Chapter 3, with significant improvements in technology (laser sensors, high definition imaging and greatly expanded computing capabilities) that have automated much of our data collection and processing. In the midst of this richness of technology, we face a reduction in funding and concern about the long-term viability of our systems. And of course, Chapter 4 is the future, with its challenges and opportunities. We are looking to a future where asset management and pavement management are essential to preserve or improve system conditions.

 
Dr. Sam Savage, author of “The Flaw of Averages” gave an invited lecture demonstrating the risk that is inherent if we base our decisions on average values. He showed some interesting Monte Carlo simulation capabilities available in Excel that can be used to better describe risk for pavement decision making. In many presentations after this presentation, authors would apologize for the use of “averages” in their papers, so Sam’s presentation successfully displayed the issue.

 
Andre Molenaar presented the final keynote address on Thursday afternoon and it was a fitting way to close the conference. His presentation focused on building in quality during design and construction so that asset performance is better controlled. He also tied building quality into the concept of sustainable pavements. Of particular interest was using construction demolition waste in base layers to minimize material sent to landfills. This concept is used in the Netherlands, where 95% of the construction demolition waste is recycled into road base and sub-base.

 
I will close with a few favorite quotes from the conference:
“Good judgement comes from bad experiences.”
“Perfect is the enemy of good.”

 

 

For more information, contact Judith Corley-Lay at: jlay@ncdot.gov

For Performance Management, is IRI a Better Indicator?

By Sui Tan, Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)

The recent MAP-21, FHWA’s Notice of Proposed Rule Makings (NPRM) have heightened the importance of IRI as one of the performance metrics on pavement conditions that is required in the state DOT’s asset management plan. Why would FHWA pick IRI? For one important reason – this is by far the only national-level data that the state DOTs collect and submit every year for Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) reporting. Many state DOTs have IRI data since 1990 when it was first required by FHWA. So it is reasonable to see why the IRI became one of the performance metrics proposed, and state DOTs will be required to set a target in their asset management plan.

 

Asset Management Plan

FHWA’s NPRM on asset management plan requires state DOTs to establish an asset management plan “to improve or preserve the condition of the assets and the performance” of pavement and bridge assets. This plan shall include, at a minimum, objectives and measures, performance gap identification, life-cycle cost and risk management analysis, and a financial plan with investment strategies. [23 U.S.C. 119(e)(4)].

How exactly will IRI be used in the state’s asset management plan? What is the target to set? FHWA has proposed a minimum of no more than five percent of poor condition, and further identified poor is IRI of 170 inches/mile in area with population fewer than one million and 220 inches/mile in area with population greater than one million. Many state DOTs, including AASHTO, have commented that managing by minimum condition will lead to “worst first” approach.  AASHTO further indicates that ”to use such limited data mined from the HPMS database to establish correlations between system performance and investment decisions is not recommended.”

So I am going to be bold and assume that every state DOT is facing inadequate funding to sustain its pavement asset investment, and hence has accumulated deferred maintenance. To achieve the “state of good repair”, there has to be a way to effectively measure the effort on reducing the deferred maintenance costs. Fortunately, FHWA has already defined the minimum components to be included in an asset management plan as stated earlier. To put it in more of a layman’s terms, the plan will include asset inventory, condition assessment, maintenance and rehabilitation strategies, and proposed plans to achieve the state of good repair. While these components do not directly address contributors to the accumulation of deferred maintenance, if implemented effectively, they could provide a “strategic and systematic” approach to assist DOTs in prioritizing maintenance efforts and benchmarking performance, and provide Congress the data needed to work out long-term funding solutions.

My point is, from an asset management approach, IRI so far has not directly correlated to the reduction of deferred maintenance. My next blog will continue to explore other factors when considering if IRI is a better indicator as a MAP-21 performance metric.

 

For more information contact Sui Tan at:   stan@mtc.ca.gov

A message from Katie Zimmerman regarding ICMPA9

I’m excited about the upcoming start to the 9th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets that begins Monday, May 18th 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

The 9th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets is about to begin!

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)

9th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets Announcement

ICMPA9_v5

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

A blog about pavement management systems

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)