Falling Weight Deflectometer Usage (2008)

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27 shown in Figure 11. The majority of these budgets were pri- marily spent on project-level testing, including forensics. On average, 65% of program budgets were applied to project- level testing, compared with 22% for research and 11% for network-level testing (Appendix B, question 82). ouTsourcinG requireMenTs Although most FWD activity is performed by SHA staff, some work is outsourced. The budgets of three responding states—Florida, New Jersey, and Rhode Island—are domi- nated by outsourcing activities, which respectively make up 75%, 90%, and 70% of each SHA FWD program budget (Appendix B, question 83). Typically, outsourced work must follow the local SHA’s procedures; Florida reported that contractors must “Follow FDOT procedures including training, equipment used, calibration, data quality checks, and deliverables.” Additionally, one state—Alaska—serves as an FWD services provider for other agencies such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Appendix B, question 85). FWD program administration is the discipline of organizing and managing resources (i.e., people, equipment, schedules, and money) in such a way that FWD testing can be com- pleted within the defined constraints of scope, quality, time, and cost. Each SHA program administrator endeavors to work within the limitations of their resources. Among SHAs with an FWD program, an average of 2,194 lane-km (1,363 lane-mi)—with a median of 644 lane-km (400 lane-mi)—are tested annually. Tested lane distances are shown in Figure 10. Additionally, 187 full-time employ- ees work for these programs (Appendix B, question 87). annuaL BudGeTinG From the survey results, the responding SHAs’ expenditures varied widely for their FWD program budgets. Three states— Connecticut, Kentucky, and New Hampshire—stated that no SHA FWD program was in place. On the opposite end of the spectrum, California reported spending $850,000 annu- ally on its FWD program. A histogram of annual budgets is CHAPTER SEVEN FaLLinG WeiGhT deFLecToMeTer proGraM adMinisTraTion FiguRe 10 survey response to Question 87: “approximately what lane-distance does your FWD program test annually?”

28 FiguRe 11 survey responses to question 82: “What is the average annual operating budget—including labor, materials, travel, etc.—for your FWD field testing program?”