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Browsing by Author "Mergenmeier, Andy"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Advancing Pavement Surface Evaluation to Support Engineering and Investment Decisions
    Daleiden, Jerome; Burchett, Thomas; Mergenmeier, Andy (2015-05-01)
    The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO's) Pavement Rutting and Cracking Quantification Expert Task Group (ETG) was formed in 2006 with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funding to provide program guidance and assistance in development and enhancement of standards for pavement rutting and asphalt pavement surface cracking. The ETG was formed with subject matter experts to represent AASHTO, FHWA, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Committee E-17 on Vehicle-Pavement Systems, Transportation Research Board (TRB), the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) Program, academia, and industry. Revised data collection and analysis protocols have been produced and evaluations are being initiated to identify how best to continue the development process.
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    Determining Post-Earthquake Pavement Requirements for Christchurch, New Zealand
    Rainsford, Sean; Crofts, Andrew (2015-06-04)
    Christchurch and surrounding areas have been devastated by a series of earthquakes ranging in magnitude from 6.3 to 7.1 since 4th September 2010. The earthquakes caused widespread damage across the city to all state owned asset infrastructure above and below ground. The local council (Christchurch City), in partnership with the national government and surrounding councils, needed to determine the extent and severity of damage to the infrastructure and then the cost to return the network to operational condition for the short term. A key part of the investigation was to determine the duration and cost to return the network to the service levels as they were prior to the earthquakes. This paper will provide the basis of the approach taken to determine the needs of the road infrastructure, with investigations into future investment levels that would bring the network to the acceptable service levels. With the complexity of the investment decisions to be made by the network asset managers, where approximately 35% of the network was affected by extensive damage by the earthquakes, targeted use of investment was essential to ensure that the remainder of the unaffected network is not compromised through reduced investment. The inputs used for the forecast was to use readily available information, including extensive asset inventory information, forecasted demand and asset condition assessments, and measurements. Pavement performance modeling tools were used to analyze the forecasts for various investment levels. The outputs were used by key decision-makers within the council(s) and national government to ensure that the road network would be functional and at an appropriate standard to maintain economic development and social well-being.
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    Innovative Approach to the Development of a Strategic Plan for the Alaska Highway
    Ruck, Gary; St. Michel, Gary R.; Taheri, Alex (2015-06-04)
    The author's consulting company was retained by Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) in 2013 to develop a comprehensive strategic asset management plan (AMP) that outlines the strategy for capital projects and long term management of the 800 km (500 mi) portion of the Alaska Highway through British Columbia. There has been a concerted effort in the past to improve this original road to make it safer, increase capacity, accommodate increasing highway speeds, and permit larger commercial loads. This paper will highlight the key features of this project focusing on the benefits derived by PWGSC, namely: The development of a GIS for the Alaska Highway; Development of a strategic AMP concentrating on improving safety, preserving existing assets, upgrading the highway and bridges/culverts where necessary; Identification of major asset works for 50 years using life cycle cost analysis; Development of engineering economics to include as benefits the reduction of: accident costs, user delay costs, user detour costs, user vehicle operating costs, environmental costs associated with greenhouse gas emissions at current carbon trading rates and cost of risk for bridges/culverts; Development of risk assessment and mitigation measures; Perform life-cycle cost analysis comparing multiple pavement preservation, geometric upgrades and bridge/culvert works, and; Development of a risk based Bridge Management System. The work described in this paper represents a methodology for corridor or network wide cross asset optimization where the benefits of renewal or preservation of each asset class can be fairly compared in terms of the combined agency and road user financial benefits.
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    Network Level Structural Evaluation With Rolling Wheel Deflectometer
    Wilke, Paul W. (2015-06-04)
    One of the primary purposes of pavement management systems (PMS's) is to select maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) treatments at the optimum time during the life of each pavement in a network of roads. The M&R selections are typically based on surface condition and other available historical data. Surface distress data provides a good indication of the functional condition of a pavement and some distresses (example - alligator cracking) provide an indication of structural problems. However, assignment of M&R treatments could be improved if pavement structural capacity was considered in the evaluations. A falling weight deflectometer (FWD) is a common non-destructive testing tool used to assess structural capacity of pavements. However, the relatively slow rate of testing and the need for traffic control often precludes its use on a broad network level. In response to the need for rapid collection of structural data on a network level, the Rolling Wheel Deflectometer (RWD) was developed. The RWD is an innovative device that uses a series of lasers mounted beneath the bed of a custom-built 53-foot (16 meter) semi-trailer to measure a continuous profile of pavement deflections under the trailer's 18-kip (8,164 kg) single axle load while traveling at traffic speed. This paper presents the results of a study that evaluated the structural capacity of a sampling of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation's (PennDOT's) roads using the RWD and compares the results to other conventional methods. The use of structural data from the RWD for network level PMS is also demonstrated through the study.