PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OVERVIEW - MTU

1 2-1 MODULE 3 PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Module ObjectiveThis module describes the basic components of a PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT system , aswell as provides some historical perspective on the evolution of PMS over the last 20years. In addition, it will discuss how the products of that system can be used as toolsto aid in the development and decision making process for the PAVEMENT maintenanceand construction completion of this module the participants will be able to: Describe the basic components of a PMS Understand the evolution of PMS since the 1970 s List and describe some of the more prevalent products of a basic PMS Be able to describe in some detail the current state of practice in Importance of the Transportation SystemThe United States has the largest transportation system in the world (1).

2 It serves 260million people and 6 million businesses. The sheer physical size of the transportationsystem is difficult to comprehend. There are over million km (4 million miles) ofroads. In 1995, cars and light trucks the vast majority of personal vehicles weredriven over trillion km ( trillion miles) in the United States. Or in personalterms, the distance an average car traveled in 1995 equaled a journey nearly halfwayaround the is a major component of the economy, accounting for nearly 11% of thegross domestic product (GDP). It provides links between businesses, industries andconsumers.

3 Transportation and related industries employ million people in theUnited States a little more than 7% of the total civilian labor economic importance of the transportation system goes well beyond thenation s borders. It affects the ability of businesses to compete in the expandingglobal economy. Over time, international trade has grown in importance as acomponent of the economy. In 1995, total exports and imports of goods andservices amounted to almost 25% of the dominate the nation s freight transportation system , especially for shippingdistances under 800 km (500 miles).

4 Trucks moved nearly three-quarters of the valueand almost billion metric tons (6 billion tons) of freight of all shipments. Growth intruck traffic has been dramatic. According to the Census Bureau (1), the number oftrucks increased by 24% from 1982 to truck fleet appears to be getting heavier and traveling further. Between 1982 and1992, the number of trucks with operating weights above 36,000 kg (80,000 pounds)increased by 180%. The total number of vehicle-miles traveled in this class also rose by193%. Multiple-trailer combination trucks, which doubled in number, traveled thefurthest, averaging 126,000 km/vehicle (79,000 miles/vehicle) in MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OVERVIEW2-2 The highway system in the United States is composed of :n Interstate highways more than 73,000 km (45,774 miles)n Other NHS* roads almost 180,000 km (111,237 miles)n Other roads over 6 million km ( million miles)* NHS = National Highway SystemGovernments spent $ billion on transportation in 1993.

5 The federal share wasabout 31%, which included grants to state and local governments. Of the total, 60% ofthe expenditures was for revenues from gasoline taxes and other transportation-related taxes andfees totaled $85 billion, covering 73% of all transportation expenditures in 1993. Statescollected about half of all revenues, the federal government a third, and the remainderis collected by local governments. 70% of the revenues were generated by relationship between economic growth and transportation infrastructure isreciprocal. Historically, transportation has played an important role in determining theregional structure and spatial character of the economy and continues to do suggests that public investments in highways and other transportationinfrastructure reduce the costs of transportation and output, and contribute to economicgrowth and productivity.

6 At the same time, changes in the economy affect the use oftransportation facilities and services by households and recent years, a good deal of research has been conducted on the contribution ofpublic investment in transportation to economic growth and productivity in the Amajority of these studies conclude that public investment in highways reduces the costsof transportation and production, and makes a positive contribution to total economicoutput. Similar studies in Europe and Asia produced comparable results. In particular,these studies suggest that the return on the investment of a dollar in highwayinfrastructure generally has been greater than the return on a dollar of private , the benefits of the transportation system come with costs accidents,pollution, congestion and so on.

7 Although safety, energy efficiency and emissionscontrols have improved, transportation policies, regulations, and technologicaladvances are still racing to keep up with the continual growth in travel and ability of the transportation system to meet our logistical and mobility needs with aminimum impact on our pocketbook, our safety and the environment depends oninformed decisions by public agencies, private enterprise and individuals. Becausetransportation and the world it serves are constantly changing, informed decisionsrequire continual updating of our understanding of the transportation system , how it isused, what it contributes, and what it snapshot captures a wide range of information on the transportation systemand its influences.

8 But the picture is moving. As awareness of the unintendedconsequences has grown, ways are being sought to measure the direct and indirectPAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS OVERVIEW2-3 costs of transportation and combine those measures into a framework that supportspublic decision-making. An understanding of both costs and benefits is necessary toenhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the transportation system , to reduce thenegative side effects, and to consider equity the distribution of benefits and burdensamong groups in the population in public Importance of Pavements in Transportation SystemFrom the previous section, it is apparent that transportation has an enormous impact onthe economy, and on the lives of its residents.

9 Pavements are just one part of thetransportation system , and yet it is by far the most important component. Passenger-miles per person grew to 27,500 km (17,200 miles) by 1995. In terms of absolutedistance traveled, the automobile overshadowed all other modes, growing by over passenger-km (1 trillion passenger-miles) between 1970 and 1995 (1).The growth of trucks is of special importance to PAVEMENT engineers and managerssince one major cause of PAVEMENT deterioration is truck traffic. (This is furtherdiscussed in Module 7.)It is also true that all pavements deteriorate over time due to traffic and is a curve that has often been used in presentations on pavementmanagement SYSTEMS (PMS).

10 It shows the average rate of deterioration for an agencyand the change in repair costs as the PAVEMENT deteriorates. It is evident from that if the earlier treatments were to be applied more often, the overall costs will besmaller if the PAVEMENT is repaired earlier rather than Effect of treatment timing on repair costs (2).Analysis by the Utah Department of Transportation indicates that it costs an agencyless to have good roads than bad roads, if the roads are kept at any reasonable level ofserviceability (2). This is based on the assumption that pavements will respond topreventive maintenance.