The Development of a Pavement Management Roadmap

The implementation and use of pavement management tools have progressed significantly over the last several decades. A number of transportation agencies have well established pavement management systems that are routinely used to estimate pavement needs, to summarize network conditions, to identify budgetary requirements, and to recommend pavement preservation and rehabilitation treatments. However, the degree to which pavement management information influences decisions varies widely among transportation agencies because of factors such as the reliability of the pavement condition data, the agency’s philosophy for funding pavement improvements, and the agency’s confidence in the pavement management models. Therefore, efforts to increase the use of pavement management information to support agency decisions are dependent on addressing any gaps that exist between the state of the practice and the state of the art. As a means of addressing current gaps in the use of pavement management and to promote a more focused research effort, the FHWA sponsored the development of a “pavement management roadmap.” The ultimate goal of this activity was to guide new research, development, and workforce development initiatives that will lead to improved approaches to pavement management. The roadmap was developed through a series of regional workshops attended by practitioners who helped identify the existing gaps and needs in pavement management. This paper documents the process of developing the pavement management roadmap and the common themes that emerged. It illustrates the importance of involving stakeholders in the development process and serves as guide for future efforts in this area.