Best practices to support and improve pavement management systems for low-volume paved roads

ABSTRACT

The most important issue in managing low-volume roads (LVRs) is to define standards and practices applied on roads. In recent years, transportation agencies have dealt with considerable challenges for managing LVRs. These challenges include reductions in maintenance budgets; impact of industrial activities; and ineffective treatments applied on paved roads. The Wyoming Technology Transfer Centre (WYT²/LTAP) conducted online surveys as part of a research project conducted jointly with the Colorado Department of Transportation. The objective of the surveys is to document what the transportation agencies, including state departments of transportation (DOTs), are doing to face these challenges. Four online surveys were sent to the TRB LVRs committee, eight DOTs, local governments in Colorado and the material advisory committee in the Colorado DOT. These surveys have an average of 26 questions dealing with pavement management system (PMS) specifications recommended for low-volume paved roads. Seventy-one transportation agencies responded to the survey. This paper summarises the responses to the survey showing innovative programmes, procedures and products that are successfully meeting LVRs pavement management needs.

KEYWORDS:

• Low-volume roads
• local pavement management system
• pavement maintenance
• pavement condition data
• pavement treatments

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to express their appreciation to all transportation agencies that responded to the surveys.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Colorado Department of Transportation.