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Common Airport Pavement Maintenance Practices (2011)

Chapter: Chapter Two - Design of Airport Pavement Management Systems

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Suggested Citation:"Chapter Two - Design of Airport Pavement Management Systems." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Common Airport Pavement Maintenance Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14500.
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Page 9
Suggested Citation:"Chapter Two - Design of Airport Pavement Management Systems." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Common Airport Pavement Maintenance Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14500.
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Page 9
Page 10
Suggested Citation:"Chapter Two - Design of Airport Pavement Management Systems." National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2011. Common Airport Pavement Maintenance Practices. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/14500.
×
Page 10

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9This chapter describes the main features of an APMS and its use by airport agencies. It also describes the potential bene- fits of the APMS, and basic steps necessary for the success- ful design of an APMS. More than 80% of airports that responded to the survey reported that they have a functional APMS or are in the process of developing one. The primary technical resource for this chapter is the FAA AC 150/5380- 7A, Advisory Circular on Airport Pavement Management Program. AIRPORT PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT PROCESS An APMS includes all activities connected with pavement infrastructure, including the initial pavement design and construction, and the subsequent pavement maintenance and rehabilitation activities. The APMS is part of airport asset management that includes the management of all core airport assets including pavements, buildings, and guidance systems. The role of an APMS is to support technical, engineering, and management activities of airport personnel responsible for providing pavement infrastructure for safe and efficient operation of aircraft. The pavement management process provides systematic and objective procedures for maintain- ing the inventory of pavement infrastructure, monitoring pavement performance, planning and budgeting of pavement preservation activities, and evaluating the cost-effectiveness of past pavement preservation actions. The main components of an APMS, grouped into seven main activities, are shown in Figure 3 in chapter one. Current Use of Airport Pavement Management Systems The 2003 survey of state aviation agencies indicated that 84% of the state agencies used a PMS, and that agencies using an APMS reported improvements in pavement condition over time (Broten and Wade 2004). The widespread use of APMSs by state aviation agencies was attributed partially, in the Transportation Research Circular E-C127: Implementation of an Airport Pavement Management System (Tighe and Cov- alt 2008), to the passage of Public Law 103-305 in 1994. This law requires a public airport to implement an effective airport pavement maintenance management system to be eligible for federal funding for pavement preservation. Synthesis survey results indicated that 60% of all airports operate an APMS, 23% of airports are developing an APMS, and that about 17% of airports do not have an APMS. Several airports that are developing or do not have an APMS reported that they already carry out periodic pavement condition surveys or that periodic pavement condition surveys are carried out by their state aviation agency. Pavement condition surveys are an important component of an APMS. Of those airports that responded to the survey, the average age of the APMS being used is approximately 9 years. For comparison, Broten and Wade (2004) reported that the aver- age age of the APMS used by state aviation agencies was 10.7 years. The distribution of the age of APMSs is shown in Figure 4. Considering the usage of the APMS and their age, airport pavement management technology can be considered to be mature. Approximately 30% of the airport authorities who already have a functional APMS characterized their system as excel- lent and essential, and about 27% characterized their APMS as functional, but in need of improvement (Figure 5). Approx- imately 34% of the agencies characterized their APMS as accepted and used. None of the agencies reported that their APMS is not useful. MANAGEMENT AND TECHNICAL ASPECTS An APMS design includes the establishment of its manage- ment and technical aspects. Management aspects include deci- sions regarding the overall system operation (e.g., in-house or using outside staff or consultants), securing the budget for the operation of the system, appointing staff, and establish- ing reporting relationships between the APMS staff and other airport agency staff. The successful operation of an APMS requires that it be well-integrated into the decision-making process of the agency and that it be supported by the airport management. Technical aspects are concerned with the establishment of a database for the storage and retrieval of pavement-related data, selecting APMS software, choosing the methodology for pavement condition evaluation, establishing procedures for estimating pavement deterioration, and selecting the most cost-effective M&R treatments. CHAPTER TWO DESIGN OF AIRPORT PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Pavement Management on the Network and Project Levels Brief definitions of the network and project pavement man- agement are provided in the Glossary of Terms. The division of APMS activities between the network and project levels is also shown in Figure 2 (see chapter one). For smaller airports, consisting of only one or two runways and a few taxiways and aprons, the network-level pavement management may include only a handful of pavement sections, whereas large airports may have hundreds of sections. Consequently, network-level management needs and procedures depend on airport size. Pavement preservation at large airports typically uses special- ized pavement management software. Project-level management activities, which concern the design and construction of M&R treatments for a specific pave- ment section, tend to be similar for all airports. The main differ- ence is in the scale and importance of specific M&R projects. For large M&R projects, or for projects with high demand on the reliability of pavement design, advanced engineering design and quality control procedures are typically used to minimize costs and achieve product quality and reliability. Benefits and Costs of an Airport Pavement Management System APMS literature confirms that considerable benefits can be obtained by agencies through the following capabilities of the APMS: 10 • Computerized database—An APMS promotes the development of a computerized database that facilitates the organization and storage of all pavement-related data (such as pavement structural and condition data) in one place and with easy retrieval. • Objective monitoring of pavement condition—The operation of an APMS requires periodic, systematic, and objective monitoring of pavement conditions. This leads to the objective identification of pavement preser- vation needs and enables funding agencies to allocate M&R funds to different airports based on reliable data. • Establishment of pavement deterioration rates—The deterioration rates are used to estimate when maintenance and rehabilitation treatment will be needed. They can be also used to determine the service lives of specific M&R treatments and to identify pavement sections and pave- ment treatments that are deteriorating at abnormally high rates. The life spans, together with costs, are used to cal- culate cost-effectiveness of pavement M&R treatments. • Planning and budgeting—An APMS allows the user to logically select, or even optimize, the list of pavement M&R treatments for a given budget. • Obtaining funding—An APMS facilitates the system- atic identification and documentation of pavement preser- vation needs. The APMS is a prerequisite for obtaining federal and/or state funding for M&R of airport pave- ments, and aids in the justification of M&R funding from upper management. • Flexibility of operation—An APMS fosters the need for thorough documentation of the pavement manage- ment process. The existence of a documented pavement management process enables agencies to adjust to changes, particularly to changes concerning agency per- sonnel and consultants operating the system or provid- ing system support. Figure 6 shows how airports use different features of an APMS. For example, approximately 90% of airports use their APMS system to track the pavement condition and pre- pare budgets. Only about 45% of respondents use the system to determine the performance of past M&R treatments. 0 20 40 60 <2 years 3–5 years 5–10 years 10+ years Age of Pavement Management System Pe rc en t o f r es po nd en ts FIGURE 4 Age distribution of airport pavement management systems. 0 10 20 30 40 Excellent and essential Benefits outweigh costs System is accepted and used Functional but needs improvement Pe rc en t o f r es po nd en ts FIGURE 5 Experience with airport pavement management systems. 0 25 50 75 100 Tr ac k pa ve m en t co n di tio n Pr ed ic t fu tu re pe rfo rm an ce Ev al ua te p as t tr ea tm en ts Pr ep ar e bu dg et s O bt ai n fu nd in g Usage of APMS features Pe rc en t o f r es po nd en ts FIGURE 6 Use of the features and results provided by airport pavement management systems.

11 The costs associated with APMS include the initial costs to develop the system, establish a pavement management database, and train the personnel. Subsequent ongoing costs of operating the system include periodic pavement condition surveys, system maintenance, and modifications and improve- ments to the system. Initial Design of Airport Pavement Management Systems The initial design of an APMS is important for ensuring the future use and sustainability of the APMS operation. A com- prehensive summary of design activities for successful imple- mentation and operation of an APMS is provided in Trans- portation Research Circular E-C127 (Tighe and Covalt 2008). Briefly, the design and implementation of an APMS includes the following activities: • Obtain a commitment to establish and operate an APMS and appropriate funding to do so from airport management. • Identify potential users of the system and determine their needs. • Decide who will develop and operate the system (inter- nal staff, consultant, or a combination of the two). • Select APMS software. • Develop a database including sectioning of the network and initial pavement condition evaluation. • Customize software to reflect local input values such as pavement deterioration rates, M&R policies, typical unit costs of M&R treatments, and agency-specific prefer- ences and priorities concerning the selection of M&R treatments. • Customize software to incorporate agency preferences regarding data analysis and reporting, such as network condition analysis and the incorporation of geographic information systems (GIS). • Provide initial and ongoing staff training. • Construct a follow-up plan to ensure that data are updated (e.g., periodic pavement condition evaluation and updating the database to record new M&R activities) and that the software keeps pace with new developments.

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TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 22: Common Airport Pavement Maintenance Practices explores how airports implement a pavement maintenance management program, including inspecting and tracking pavement condition, scheduling maintenance, identifying necessary funds, and treating distresses in asphalt and concrete pavements.

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