Nationwide, federal, state and municipal transportation agencies invest millions annually in the construction, repair and maintenance of highway and runway pavements. Research to improve design standards, materials and construction specifications and maintenance practices is a constant and expensive feature of the annual budgets of these organizations. Application of the findings of this research is often delayed by the enormous cost and lengthy nature of full-scale field evaluations.

Accelerated Pavement Testing is defined as applying full-scale wheel loads to full-scale pavement structures by either machines or vehicles in a test facility, test track, or in-service pavement for the purpose of determining pavement response and performance in a compressed time period.

Historically accelerated pavement testing has been funded by individual groups with specific goals for each experiment/customer causing a lack of common practice among the practitioners. As the owners of the individual test facilities focused on the solution of very specific problems, each study or experiment has tended to be unique, with study-specific experiment designs, testing regimes, data collection practices and data management protocols.  

Thus, even when studies conducted at two or more facilities may have the same basic objectives, the variation in practice adds unacceptable uncertainty to attempts to merge and analyze data from the various studies. This same variation inhibits truly collaborative studies where two or more facilities might investigate different segments of a shared experiment design. These technical handicaps can only be overcome if a mechanism for the early identification of collaborative opportunities and the development of consensus practices is created and applied.

Each facility is managed independently and little collaboration, coordination or even data sharing has taken place among the facilities. The nationwide investment is sub-optimized and not coordinated. To overcome this, the FHWA and a group of state departments of transportation from 9 of the 15 US facilities have proposed the creation of a joint pooled funded program to encourage coordination among the various facilities and provide resources and management for collaborative studies.

The facility owner/operators recognize the benefits of sharing experiences and working towards the goal of full cooperation on specific experiments. The understanding of each other’s equipment, individual experimental designs, instrumentation and measurement strategies, loading, materials selection and handling, and construction techniques, and the reporting of findings are all areas is complicated and challenging.

The best way to address these issues is to meet continuously and to share knowledge and information. In time, it is hoped that by working together, the facility owners/operators better understand the common process, and work together to collaborate on specific experiments to further improve the speed of the research result delivery and to add more data cells and expand the field of investigation. Once this technology sharing is underway, collaboration on future experiments - recycled materials, asphalt modifiers, warm asphalt, concrete pavements, composite pavements, pavement preservation strategies, drainable bases, performance specifications, tire impacts on pavements, and a host of other topics will be more feasible.  One other component to consider with collaboration, is sharing data management practices among facility owners/operators to convey the results in a cohesive way, with appropriate metadata and processed data tables to allow others to extract the information, understand it, and use it effectively.

The original CAPT pooled fund study focused on ten major areas or tracks that are still true today. They are

1. APT Facility and Equipment (including real-time instrumentation and testing capabilities)
2. Standard Terminology and Test Procedures (A Cross Cutting Track)
3. Construction Site Practices and Procedures
4. Pavement Instrumentation of Surface Layers Bases, Subgrades, etc,
5. Pavement Condition Evaluation Techniques and Frequency
6. Data Acquisition, Storage, and Sharing Methodologies
7. Experimental Design and Loading Methodologies
8. Theoretical Models for Pavement Response and Distress
9. Performance Relationships (linkages to LTPP, RTL, etc.)
10. Training, Education, Outreach, Economic Analyses

From this effort, owners/operators should get a better grasp of APT cost allocation, performance data interpretation and application, a better understanding of pavement performance variability of strategies, and in general and faster implementation of innovation and technology transfer

Accelerated paving testing facilities have used several methods to help aid in the communication of APT operations over the years but currently none of these are fully successful in reaching our full potential.  The transportation research board was used in the past as the central forum for combined efforts and communication but that now has changed.  Here is a short history of the efforts APT facilities have tried to work together.   

2009-2014 1st CAPT Pooled Fund – Consortium of Accelerated Pavement Testing (CAPT) and Technical Exchange Partnership.   This pooled fund TPF-5(070) consisted of participation from Louisiana Transportation Research Center, CA, GADOT, MN, OH, TX.  The outcome of this pooled fund study is in the pooled fund website above.   Part of this new pooled fund requires the new effort/team to identify what was successful from this effort and where it fell short to insure this effort is successful.

TRB pre-2018, AFD40 (Full Scale Accelerated Pavement Testing) committee focused on facility communications around the world.  It included two subcommittees: AFD40(1) focused on international conferences listed below and AFD40(2) provided APT facilities to share yearly updates at TRB and online monthly for APT facility updates and exchange of information.  

Past APT international conferences included:

• 1999 Reno, NV (Westrack)
• 2004 Minneapolis, MN (MnROAD)
• 2008 Madrid Spain (Cedex Test Track)
• 2012 Davis, California (Pavement Research Center APT)
• 2016 Costa Rica
• 2020 France
• 2025 NCAT (formed though AKP40)

TRB post-2018, AKP40 (AKP40 Committee: Pavement Structural Testing and Evaluation) which combined two committees (accelerated pavement testing and structural evaluation of pavements) into one committee.  Current members are looking for more focus for APT related efforts and thus the need for this pooled fund.

National Cooperative Highway Research Program

• Synthesis of Highway Practice 325: Significant Findings from Full-Scale Accelerated Pavement Testing
• Synthesis of Highway Practice 235 (1996) Application of Full-Scale Accelerated Pavement Testing
• Report 512 (2003) Accelerated Pavement Testing: Data Guidelines.
• Proposed 2025 Synthesis - Data Management Practices for Accelerated Pavement Test Facilities has been prepared and is being sent to NCHRP agencies for voting.  This is also noted in the proposed tasks if it is not funded.  Proposed by FHWA and MnDOT.

TRB

• Long Term Pavement Performance Committee: Letter report dealing with the use of accelerated pavement testing as a complement to full-scale, long-term pavement performance studies (2004).
• Circular E-C004: Report On Apt Data Survey Transportation Research;
• Full-Scale/Accelerated Pavement Testing: Current Status and Future Directions: Transportation in the New Millennium (2000).
• Committee AFD40 Full-Scale and Accelerated Pavement Testing (various documents)

The goal of this pooled fund is to provide a forum for the exchange of technical information on accelerated pavement testing facilities. The main objective is to focus discussions, studies and knowledge exchange on the entire operation process, including experimental design, sensor selection and installation, data collection and analysis, monitoring processes, and database documentation and data storage with best data management practices, and disseminate research results and the road map for APT research.

This will be done through formalized online meetings, face-face operational meetings, and one online international conference once during this pooled fund.    A consultant will be hired to help document the desired outcomes of this pooled fund. APT operators and agencies will also be held responsible for full participation to make this effort successful.  Currently there is no “common” way for all facilities to coordinate with each other than individual partnerships between facilities.  Members of this pooled fund could include test tracks like (MnROAD/MnDOT, NCAT/Auburn, Florida, Virginia Smart Road, …) and linear vehicle simulators (LVS) like (FHWA Turner Fairbanks, University California Davis, University of Illinois, CRREL, ERDC- Waterway Experiment, Purdue University, Texas, Florida, ……) along with international partnerships from Sweden, Japan, China, France, Spain, ….).

The proposed efforts that are planned for this pooled fund include the following 8 proposed tasks assuming and 8 agencies at 35K per year equaling a $1,400,000 (8 agencies*$35,000/year*5 years = $1,400,000) effort.   

The tasks will ultimately be determined by the funding members, and they will make the final decisions based on needs and the dollars that are available.  It is anticipated a consultant would be hired to accomplish the proposed tasks below.  

Task 1 – International Pavement Conference 

This task will allow this pooled fund to hold the next conference in 2030 and could allow 5 travelers per agency to attend and if international members participate more discussion is needed.  This will be coordinated with the current TRB committee but run out of this pooled fund.  Additional funds will be raised by the registration fees for the non-pooled fund attendees.  The consultant will coordinate the travel and associated expense reimbursement.   

Cost ~ $150,000 (~10% budget)

Task2 – 18 Month Operations (in-person) Meetings

This task could allow 5 travelers per agency to attend this in-person meeting at three different APT facilities around the United States.  The consultant will organize the travel and develop the agenda from member’s input. 5 travelers per participating agency can attend and if international members participate more discussion is needed.  The consultant will coordinate the travel and associated expenses.   

Cost ~ $225,000 (~15% budget)

Task3 – Online Working Meetings 

Three online meetings will be held each year to discuss APT facility needs.  The focus would be working on Tasks 5-8 as listed below.  Expect these meetings to be 2-3 hours of duration.   Part of this new pooled fund initial effort will also require the members of this new pooled fund to learn from the past to identify what was successful and where the past CAPT effort fell short to insure this user group is utilized to its fullest potential.

Costs ~ Consultant time for coordination wrapped into tasks 5-8.

Task 4 – Monthly APT Facility Meetings 

Monthly online meetings will be held to highlight the discussion of APT facility overviews or specific topics in 60-minute durations.  This would replace the TRB efforts done for the last 10 years.

Costs - No costs are associated with this task other than tracking them on our website.

Task 5 APT Instrumentation and Monitoring Standardization 

APT facilities utilize instrumentation to measure specific static and dynamic measurements that require supporting data collection equipment and setups that each contain different calibrations and multitude of variables to collect research quality data.  The goal is to have a forum to discuss these systems and develop a common way to collect data that is documented, proven, and costs less for each facility to do on their own.  A consultant will work with the group to determine priorities on what sensors, systems, monitoring processes to then write up and document on our website.  Related to instrumentation, common practices could include: (1) sensor selection, (2) sensor installation (including planning, procurement and installation processes, data logging systems and installation), (3) sensor calibration, (4) data conversion procedures, (5) data collection (including data loggers and programming), and (6) data management (including storage, metadata definitions) will be discussed in this task.   Monitoring standardization is also beneficial for APT facilities and will be worked on.  

Task 6 – APT Data Standards

Data standards will be developed that could be used by each facility but might be an accepted standard on how the data is shared and what documentation should be attached to each type.  It is understood that each facility has its own way of storing its data but there should be a “common” output to share the data.  As part of the data preparation and standardization protocols, the tasks with their respective milestones/timeframes need to take in account the level of preparedness to incorporate these practices, clear responsibilities to ensure that quality data is provided. This would ease the use of different APT facilities with individual researchers.  

Task 7 – National APT Database 

Each test facility has its own way of storing data from its experiments from spreadsheets to databases.  This task attempts to use the common APT standard monitoring and data standards to help develop a common database for all APT facilities.   The consultant will look at what is developed and suggest a system to use for the CAPT2 members.  MnROAD and FHWA have common systems that could be helpful to track experiments performance and results.   FHWA has an online version called InfoPTF that was introduced December 2024. This portal could serve as a reference point for other APT facilities since it discloses metadata such as table and data dictionaries. It will also disclose relevant data management practices documentation that other facilities can use as appropriate.   MnROAD exports data into InfoPTF (InfoPave) though specific data dumps and it is working well to date.  Also note since most facilities utilize public dollars (SPR, State, ….) the data should be available to all.  This could be the biggest and hardest task to complete. 

Task 8 – APT Website (Test Tracks and LVS)

A common APT website is needed to organize and track facilities around the world.

The proposed budget covered in the scope of work will cover the cost of meetings, travel, hiring a consultant to document the outcomes of this pooled fund.   

Each agency will provide funding of a minimum of $30,000 each year (5-year period totaling $150,000) per agency for FHWA fiscal years 2026 (October 2025) through fiscal year 2030 (October 2030). 

Members of this pooled fund are expected to include:

• Test tracks like MnROAD/MnDOT, NCAT/Auburn, Florida, Virginia Smart Road, …) 
• Linear vehicle simulators (LVS) like (FHWA-Turner Fairbanks, University California Davis, University of Illinois, CRREL, ERDC- Waterway Experiment, Purdue University, Texas, Florida, ……)
• International partnerships from Sweden, Japan, China, France, Spain, ….)