The use of the right pavement preventive maintenance (PM) surface treatment at the right time on the right road can improve the condition level and extend the service life of a  pavement structure.  When properly applied or constructed, they optimize performance of the pavement.  By monitoring the timing, placement, and performance of PM treatments through applied research, the optimal timing for placement can be determined and performance grading specifications developed, improving overall pavement performance.

This pooled-fund study will support state highway agencies (SHAs) and other Local Public Agencies (LPAs) by improving the application and quality of PM treatments on their pavements under live traffic conditions.  The study will also provide guidance and funding to SHAs and LPAs in an effort to standardize or harmonize treatment strategies, address implementation efforts, and develop best construction practices utilizing their existing specifications or available AASHTO standards.  For the study to be valuable, documentation of pretreatment pavement condition is critical along with monitoring of post treatment performance.  The study will use established and proven data collection procedures such as those from the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program to monitor the PM treatments. This data will be available to the public through an online system (e.g. LTPP InfoPave™ web portal).

This pooled-fund study is being developed to assist SHAs and LPAs in reviewing and developing pavement PM treatments which can advance their pavement preservation programs.  This study is also supplementing ongoing data analysis of existing pavement test sections in Minnesota (NRRA-MnROAD) and Alabama (NCAT) and support continued implementation activities established.  Combining these efforts will establish a national construction and data collection effort of pavement PM treatments applied to roadways at the direction of the study’s Technical Advisory Committee (TAC).  Participation in the study is being encouraged by SHAs, LPAs, FHWA, Federal Lands Highway Division, academia and industry representatives.  Collaboration with experts from these groups will help set criteria for identifying PM construction practices and data collection requirements, discuss optimal timing for placing of PM treatments and establishing the minimum number of pavement sections required for each type of PM treatment used for statistical analysis.  Non-financial participants can provide technical knowledge and input; however, financial contributors will make final decision on treatments to be constructed.

Using the outcome from the above collaborative activities, the study partners will initiate and monitor State, local, and Federal PM treatments and projects to develop preventive maintenance solutions (i.e. decision trees, toolboxes, etc.).  Implementation of practical research results from other PM cooperative projects (i.e. NCAT, MnROAD, NCPP) will be used to access the impact of preventive maintenance treatments on extending service life of pavements.  Lessons learned will be documented and shared along with information to assist in the updating of the national pavement preservation research roadmap.

The scope of this project consist of several tasks including; project administration, identifying selecting pavement sections/projects, constructing PM test sections incorporating established AASHTO standards to validate and verify existing construction practices.  The tasks of this study will build off the success of previous pavement preservation pooled fund projects PG1  TPF-5(267), & PG2 TPF-5(375).

The intent of the study is to assist SHAs, LPAs and Federal Lands by developing guidance and design methods.  With assistance from the SHAs, the TAC will develop the scope of work for the study.  It will also provide the technical knowledge and oversight of the construction and data gathering for the projects.  

FHWA Technical Liaison(s):

Deborah Walker (deborah.walker@dot.gov)

Jason Dietz (jason.dietz@dot.gov) 

Duration

The duration of this study is anticipated to be five years with a targeted  starting date of September 2022.

Funding

This proposed pooled-fund study is aiming for 20-25 States, each contributing a minimum of $50,000 per year for a minimum of three years and a maximum of five years. It is anticipated that FHWA, other agencies, and industry may also participate in the pooled fund.  To initiate this study, a threshold budget of $1,500,000 is proposed.  More funds are expected as States join providing additional funding for additional tasks.

Funding in Federal fiscal years 2022 through 2027 will be accepted for this study.

Timeline

The detailed timeline for the project will be developed by the TAC.  The solicitation will be posted in July 2022 with SHAs being able to contribute shortly thereafter.  Federal FY2022 funds will be committed by September 30, 2022.  This coming winter, a kick-off meeting will be held with contributing SHAs to establish the TAC and begin sharing information on the number and type of test sections to be included in the study.  It is expected the study will be completed within five years with the possibility of a follow-on study.

Partner Requirements

The requirements for SHAs, LPAs, and Federal Lands supporting this new pooled-fund study are as follows:

·        Financial support for the study

·        Regular attendance to in-person, virtual, or hybrid meetings

·        Active collaboration/partnering with all TAC members

·        Serve as champion within the home State and at local and national pavement preservation meetings/conferences (i.e. being a conduit of sharing deliverables and other information about the study)