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U.S. transportation agencies have seen the gap between available resources and investment needs widen while demand on infrastructure and pressure to preserve asset conditions have increased. The Federal Highway Administration, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, and National Cooperative Highway Research Program sponsored a scanning study of Australia, Europe, and New Zealand to learn how international agencies have improved pavement management while facing decreased revenues, deteriorating conditions, and increased demand for transportation services. The scan team found that in the agencies it studied, pavement management is integrated into an asset management culture that supports agency business processes and long-term financial responsibilities. The team also observed that agencies help officials be better stewards of transportation assets and that they focus on outcomes and operate as service providers. Team recommendations for U.S. implementation include developing guidelines for asset management plans and long-term financial plans as the foundation for sound investment, improving accountability through the use of program assessments, and introducing the service-oriented approach observed in the international agencies.

This Manual covers the relevant issues related to orthotropic steel deck bridge engineering, including analysis, design, detailing, fabrication, testing, inspection, evaluation, and repair. It includes a discussion of some the various applications of orthotropic bridge construction to provide background with case study examples. It also provides basic criteria for the establishment of a cost-effective and serviceable orthotropic bridge cross section with detailing geometry that has been used on recent projects worldwide. The manual covers both the relevant information necessary for the engineering analysis of the orthotropic steel bridge and the requirements for complete design of orthotropic steel bridge superstructures. Additionally, design details such as materials, corrosion protection, minimum proportions, and connection geometry are addressed as well as basic fabrication, welding, and erection procedures. Portions of the manual also cover methods for maintaining and evaluating orthotropic bridges, including inspection and load rating. Wearing surfaces are also covered in depth. The culmination of all the information is demonstrated in two design examples.

In 2010, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) undertook a study to develop a roadmap for managing pavement assets. Representatives from state highway agencies, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), local agencies, universities, industry, technology transfer centers, and FHWA came together at three workshops to identify issues that were precluding agencies from deriving the maximum benefit from their pavement management systems. They identified research, development, and technology transfer activities that should be undertaken to address those issues. Their recommendations were then presented as 47 problem statements in the Pavement Management Roadmap published by FHWA. As a follow-on to that effort, this document presents a marketing plan with a goal to broaden the awareness of transportation stakeholders to the potential the Roadmap projects hold for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of their pavement management practices and to persuade them to advocate for the development and funding of those projects.

A discussion of Roadway Geometry. Presented at the 9th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management: Making Asset Management Work in Your Organization, April 16-18, 2012, San Diego, California.

Overview of history of and recent improvements to PCFS. A network/probabilitistic spreadsheet-based for forecasting system condition, PCFS started out as BridgeCFS, and was developed initially for MDOT’s bridge strategy in mid-1990s. Presented at the 9th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management: Making Asset Management Work in Your Organization, April 16-18, 2012, San Diego, California.

Architecture of A Sensor-Based and Spatially Enabled Roadway Asset Management System. Presented at the 9th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management: Making Asset Management Work in Your Organization, April 16-18, 2012, San Diego, California.

FHWA’s Vision and Preparation for a Performance-Based Program (PBP). Presented at the 9th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management: Making Asset Management Work in Your Organization, April 16-18, 2012, San Diego, California.

Explores safety performance and how it is impacted by combined asset performance. Presented at the 9th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management: Making Asset Management Work in Your Organization, April 16-18, 2012, San Diego, California.

Discussion of Metrics for Asset Sustainability. Presented at the 9th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management: Making Asset Management Work in Your Organization, April 16-18, 2012, San Diego, California.

Asset Management Perspectives in Vancouver, WA - Presented at the 9th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management: Making Asset Management Work in Your Organization, April 16-18, 2012, San Diego, California.

Introductory Comments for Track on Transportation Asset Management Guide, Volume 2, focus on establishing and executing TAM programs in transportation agencies, with particular attention to highway assets. Presented at the 9th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management: Making Asset Management Work in Your Organization, April 16-18, 2012, San Diego, California.

Overview of FHWA Office of Safety Data Programs. Presented at the 9th National Conference on Transportation Asset Management: Making Asset Management Work in Your Organization, April 16-18, 2012, San Diego, California.