LTPP Keeps Rolling

Accurately predicting performance and durability is critical to improving pavement design. Since 1987, the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program, the most comprehensive pavement research program ever undertaken, has addressed the issues of improving pavement performance and optimizing the Nation's investment in the surface transportation system. This article describes the LTPP program, including its history, goals, successes and future plans. FHWA researchers work in partnership with state and provincial departments of transportation (DOTs) to gather and analyze data from 2,500-plus test sections across the United States and southern Canada. The LTPP program relies on pavement test sections constructed on public roads in all major climate zones and soil types. The main task of the LTPP program is to understand the effects of variations in loading, environment, material properties, construction variability, maintenance, and rehabilitation on pavement performance. A plan has been developed for data collection that links user needs to data requirements and provides guidelines to help transportation agencies and researchers measure data accurately and on a regular basis. The end goal is to develop a knowledge base to help advance management and engineering tools to extend pavement life on the interstates and other roadways. The LTPP program collates and releases an updated database annually and distributes analysis findings via publications and reports throughout the year to help manage existing pavements and inspire research into the pavements of tomorrow. FHWA management has announced publicly its commitment to continue monitoring existing test sections and to be custodian of all LTPP data and information until at least 2015.