Videotape Portrays Preventive
Maintenance as Key to Long-Lasting Pavements
The success of preventive maintenance treatments such as chip
seals, shown here, prompted Michigan DOT to produce a video promoting
the adoption of preventive maintenance strategies.
Spending a little money today on a well-planned preventive maintenance
strategy can keep pavements in good shape at a much lower cost
than repairing or rehabilitating pavements after they begin to
fall apart. It can be hard, however, to get that message to the
people who hold the purse strings. A new videotape from the Michigan
Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Highway Administration
(FHWA) helps deliver the message.
The 14-minute videotape, Protecting our Pavements: PREVENTIVE
Maintenance, takes a nontechnical approach to its subject.
The videotape defines preventive maintenance and explains how
using the right treatment on the right road at the right time
can significantly extend the service life of a pavementand can
save money in the long run. Repairing or rehabilitating a pavement
costs six to eight times more than using preventive maintenance
treatments to keep the pavement in good shape. The videotape also
points out that preventive maintenance should be part of a highway
agency's broad pavement preservation strategy and should receive
dedicated funding to ensure that maintenance needs are not neglected.
To reinforce its message, the videotape features comments from
five prominent highway agency officials: Gary Hoffman, chief engineer-highway
administration at Pennsylvania DOT; Mike Lackey, assistant secretary
and state transportation engineer at Kansas DOT; Wayne Shakelford,
commissioner of Georgia DOT; Bob Welke, former deputy director
of Michigan DOT's highways bureau; and Gerry Eller, the former
director of FHWA's Office of Engineering.
"The video is intended to introduce the concept that directing
some funds to protect good pavements and correct minor
deficiencies is a much better approach than directing all
funds to reconstruct pavements that are in terrible condition,"
says Michigan DOT's Larry Galehouse, who helped put the videotape
together. "We hope this message will stimulate highway agencies
to develop a strong preventive maintenance program."
A letter from American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials (AASHTO) Executive Director Frank Francois and FHWA
Executive Director Tony Kane accompanies the videotape. In the
letter, they say that "The use of the right preservation
strategy, at the right time will allow us to meet the traveling
public's demands for improved safety and serviceability, given
limited resources and increasing needs." Francois and Kane
recommend using the videotape in presentations to senior management,
legislators, county commissioners, and others who set budget priorities
for State and local highway agencies.
Galehouse says the idea for the videotape came from Michigan DOT's
success with preventive maintenance (see September 1997 Focus).
"Michigan DOT appreciates the value of a comprehensive preventive
maintenance program, so it seemed logical that Michigan should
step forward to produce a video."
In producing the videotape, Michigan DOT received support from
AASHTO, the Foundation for Pavement Rehabilitation and Maintenance
Research (FPRMR), the Lead States team for pavement preservation,
and FHWA. The State highway agencies of Georgia, Kansas, and Pennsylvania
also assisted with the videotape.
Nearly 1,000 copies of the videotape have been distributed to
the highway agencies of all 50 States, the District of Columbia,
and Puerto Rico and to the 57 Local Technical Assistance Program
(LTAP) centers. Copies have also been provided to industry groups
and FHWA offices.
For more information on the videotape or to obtain a copy, contact
Jim Sorenson at FHWA (phone: 202-366-1333; fax: 202-366-9981; email:
james.sorenson@fhwa.dot.gov).
Copies are also available from any LTAP center or FHWA division office.
Additional information on the videotape is available from Larry
Galehouse at Michigan DOT (phone: 517-322-3315; fax: 517-322-3385;
email: galehousel@state.mi.us)
or John Fiegel, executive director of FPRMR (phone: 202-429-5146;
fax: 202-223-4579; email:
john_fiegel@dc.sba.com).
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