Virginia DOT is going to co-sponsor (along with Virginia Tech, FHWA, TRB and AASHTO) the 9th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets scheduled to take place in Alexandria, VA in May 2015. VDOT seeks to partner with other interested states in developing the format/program for the conference and participate in related workshops/webinars.

Objectives of the Pooled Fund Project: 1. Provide communication and information sharing regarding pavement management practices and innovation among member states. Discuss research needs and provide research ideas to TRB. 2. Provide a technology and knowledge exchange forum to enhance the practical knowledge of member states concerning pavement management implementation and how to move pavement management beyond the short-term by embracing innovation and addressing sustainability, accountability, and improved performance. 3. Enhance the working knowledge of the pavement management community.

Host Learning Session/TAC meeting – Coordinate a workshop Technical Advisory Committee meeting for member states to learn and review issues associated with implementation of pavement management. Since member states may be at different stages of implementation, this is an opportunity to share best practices and strategies for overcoming certain challenges. This meeting may be planned as a separate webinar or may be held in conjunction with the conference. Deliverables: The conference is proposed for the spring of 2015. Deliverables will include quarterly report updates, at least one planning webinar before the conference and a follow-up webinar after the conference, and a final summary report of the conference. Additional webinars may be provided as funds allow. Host 9th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets (ICMPA9) – Provide a venue for the member states to exchange information on the challenges to pavement management development and implementation. The pooled fund will help support conference state and local participants travel and expenses. The pooled fund will not support private industry personnel travel or expenses. Because the pooled fund will be a primary funding source for the conference and associated workshops and speakers, the number of partner states will directly influence the number of expert speakers and related conference sessions and workshops. It is anticipated that the pool fund will fund at least two conference participants from each member agency. One member from up to six partner states will be invited to serve on the conference planning committee (selected from the initial states making commitments). Active conference planning participation will enable member states to work with experts in the field, shape the conference program, evaluate their agency’s current capacity in all areas of asset management, and help determine priorities for their agencies. Develop and Host Training – Post wrap-up “Strategies for developing and implementing the next generation pavement management approaches and systems” webinar for partner states. Additional webinar training from conference highlights may be provided as funds allow.

Conference Planning Committee: A Conference Planning Committee will be formed under the umbrella of the TRB Committee AFD10(3) Pavement Management Systems International Conference Subcommittee and is proposed to include one member from each of the first six states who post commitments to the project. In addition, each pooled fund partner state will be a member of the pooled fund Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and as such will receive quarterly report updates, meet separately during the conference to discuss collaboration opportunities and be partner to a follow-up training webinar on implementation strategies. This project is expected to have participation of at least eight members. A variable fee depending on the participant’s affiliation and interests may be appropriate. A contribution of $10,000 for state agencies and $3,000 for local agencies is proposed.