A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering NCHRP 20-7(223) AASHTO Joint Technical Committee on Pavements Dan Dawood, P.E. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation July 15, 2008

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering The NCHRP 20-7(223) was initiated to identify major challenges and opportunities which would serve as the basis for a strategic plan for pavement engineering These “grand challenges”, if overcome would result in significant advances in pavement engineering

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering A panel was formed with the members from the following groups to identify the major challenges and opportunities: AASHTO JTCOP members FHWA Academia Consulting Firms ACPA & NAPA

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering The Workshop’s purpose was to identify, evaluate, and prioritize research problems to ensure that the overall effort was aligned with a quality based research program.

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Through the consensus building process seven grand challenges were identified: Managing the Network Optimizing Functional Service Ensuring Quality Pursuing Sustainability Managing Knowledge Fostering Innovation Elevating Status and Outreach

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Each grand challenge was defined by a brief statement of importance and our current preparedness in dealing with the specific challenge A list of important research activities was generated with benchmarks set: Short term (2-3 years) Mid term (4-5 years) Long term ( > 5 years)

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Through the consensus building process seven grand challenges were identified: Managing the Network Optimizing Functional Service Ensuring Quality Pursuing Sustainability Managing Knowledge Fostering Innovation Elevating Status and Outreach

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Managing the Network Planning for implications of decisions throughout the pavement life cycle on overall quality, safety, and longevity of the network ( implications of preventive maintenance and rehabilitation) and integrating pavement management into asset management decisions

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Anticipated Outcomes: Extended pavement life through timely use of preservation & rehabilitation Optimizing allocation of funding through more accurate measures of funding needs Improved data integration and enhanced performance data to facilitate improved ME models and designs

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Through the consensus building process seven grand challenges were identified: Managing the Network Optimizing Functional Service Ensuring Quality Pursuing Sustainability Managing Knowledge Fostering Innovation Elevating Status and Outreach

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Optimizing Functional Service To address pavement functional characteristics and to develop guidelines for achieving acceptable safety, noise and smoothness characteristics

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Anticipated Outcomes: Guidelines focused on functional characteristics of pavements and the design and construction of practices for achieving acceptable and optimum safety, noise, and smoothness levels (implementation of noise reducing pavements, FHWA Traffic Noise Model, surface characteristics, methods to evaluate splash and spray, etc)

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Through the consensus building process seven grand challenges were identified: Managing the Network Optimizing Functional Service Ensuring Quality Pursuing Sustainability Managing Knowledge Fostering Innovation Elevating Status and Outreach

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Ensuring Quality To achieve better performing pavements by using performance specifications and construction quality assurance programs in which acceptance measures accurately characterize quality

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Anticipated Outcomes: Enhanced performance related specifications which consider relationships among key performance factors Improved quality control and assurance Improved contracting and construction

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Through the consensus building process seven grand challenges were identified: Managing the Network Optimizing Functional Service Ensuring Quality Pursuing Sustainability Managing Knowledge Fostering Innovation Elevating Status and Outreach

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Pursuing Sustainability To provide long-lasting pavements that make optimal use of available materials and have minimal impact on the environment through understanding of the materials and their impact on performance

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Anticipated Outcomes: A set of strategies to advance sustainable pavements that will incorporate the following: Optimized use of available materials Enhancement of the MEPDG Longer life pavements Cost effective pavements Improve Overall Network condition

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Through the consensus building process seven grand challenges were identified: Managing the Network Optimizing Functional Service Ensuring Quality Pursuing Sustainability Managing Knowledge Fostering Innovation Elevating Status and Outreach

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Managing Knowledge Understanding the existing approaches to management and the dissemination of pavement engineering knowledge and to develop new and effective approaches to emerging technology

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Anticipated Outcomes: Strategies to enhance and cultivate knowledge and dissemination of pavement engineering leading to: Well trained and qualified workforce in sufficient numbers to meet agency and industry needs Effective leaders in pavement engineering Implementable best practices and technologies

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Through the consensus building process seven grand challenges were identified: Managing the Network Optimizing Functional Service Ensuring Quality Pursuing Sustainability Managing Knowledge Fostering Innovation Elevating Status and Outreach

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Fostering Innovation To foster innovations in pavement engineering practice that will lead to advancements in design, contracting, construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation techniques

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Anticipated Outcomes: Innovations in all aspects of the pavement that would occur during its service life resulting in: Improved pavement performance Improved service and safety for highway users Reduced vehicle operating and delay costs Reduced agency costs for maintenance and rehabilitation

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Through the consensus building process seven grand challenges were identified: Managing the Network Optimizing Functional Service Ensuring Quality Pursuing Sustainability Managing Knowledge Fostering Innovation Elevating Status and Outreach

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Elevating Status and Outreach To communicate to legislators and the public the importance of pavements to the nation’s infrastructure and to aid transportation officials and high level decision makers make informed decisions

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering Anticipated Outcomes: An effective outreach program that will: Improve awareness of challenges in the pavement area Help transportation officials make better informed decisions Support adequate and consistent funding Support establishing an AASHTO Highway Subcommittee on Pavements

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering This list of business needs was developed to indicate the range of topics of interest to pavement engineers. Details on this effort can be found in: NCHRP Research Results Digest 276, Business Needs for Pavement Engineering

A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering A Strategic Plan for Pavement Engineering