Transportation Asset Management Case Studies
PMS: The Washington State Experience

Conclusions

Washington State has seen dramatic and sustained improvement in the condition of its highway network over recent decades, concurrent with its use of regular pavement condition surveys and the WSPMS for engineering and economic analysis. The system enables WSDOT to forecast future needs, conduct research that contributes to improved pavement performance, and maximize pavement investments by objectively prioritizing highway preservation and improvement projects. In addition, the WSPMS provides a rational basis for communicating with the State legislature and highway users about stewardship of the State's infrastructure.

Although the WSPMS was developed internally and has been refined over several decades to meet the needs of WSDOT, it can serve as a model for other States. The WSPMS has features and benefits that other State departments of transportation could adapt to their specific needs at the project and system levels.

Endnotes

1. "An Assessment of the Benefits of the Washington State Pavement Management System." Linda M. Pierce, Joe P. Mahoney, and Nadarajah Sivaneswaran. Paper presented at the Fifth International Conference on Managing Pavements, Seattle, Washington, August 11–14, 2001.
2. "Mining PMS Data to Evaluate the Performance of New Hot-Mix Asphalt Pavement Design Practices." L. M. Pierce, N. Sivaneswaran, K. W. Willoughby, and J. P. Mahoney. Paper presented at the 6th International Conference on Managing Pavements, Brisbane, Australia, October 19–24, 2004.
3. Washington State Highway Pavements: Trends, Conditions, and Strategic Plan, May 1999. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/biz/mats/pavement/Pavement Plan.pdf. Washington State Department of Transportation, Field Operations Support Service Center, Materials laboratory, Olympia, WA, p. 4.
4. The Gray Notebook. Measures, Markers and Mileposts: The Gray Notebook for the quarter ending September 30, 2006, WSDOT's quarterly report to the Governor, the Legislature, and the Washington State Transportation Commission on transportation programs and department management. p. 53. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Accountability/GrayNotebook/Gnb_archives.htm
5. Washington State Highway Pavements: Trends, Conditions, and Strategic Plan, p. 4.
6. Washington State Highway Pavements: Trends, Conditions, and Strategic Plan, p. 5.
7. Washington State Highway Pavements: Trends, Conditions, and Strategic Plan, p. 14.
8. "An Assessment of the Benefits of the Washington State Pavement Management System."
9. Washington State Highway Pavements: Trends, Conditions, and Strategic Plan, p.14.
10. "An Assessment of the Benefits of the Washington State Pavement Management System."
11. "An Assessment of the Benefits of the Washington State Pavement Management System."
12. Washington State Highway Pavements: Trends, Conditions, and Strategic Plan, p. 6.
13. The Gray Notebook, 2006, p. 54.
14. The Gray Notebook, 2006, p. 56.
15. WSDOT PMS reference material included in the FHWA Demonstration Project 108-A, "Pavement Management-Multi-year Prioritization" reference manual, circa 1996. Washington State Department of Transportation, Olympia.
16. "Mining PMS Data to Evaluate the Performance of New Hot-Mix Asphalt Pavement Design Practices."
17. "Mining PMS Data to Evaluate the Performance of New Hot-Mix Asphalt Pavement Design Practices."
18. "A Statistical Analysis of Factors Associated With Driver-Perceived Road Roughness on Urban Highways." Kevan Shafizadeh, Fred Mannering, Linda Pierce; Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC). Research Report, June 2002.
19. "Mining PMS Data to Evaluate the Performance of New Hot-Mix Asphalt Pavement Design Practices."
20. Dowel Bar Retrofit, September 2001 Technical Notes and Materials Laboratory, January 2007, Technical Notes, Washington State Department of Transportation.
21. The Gray Notebook, 2006, p. 55.
22. Asphalt Institute Manual Series 1, 1983, and WSDOT Pavement Guide, Vol. 3, Pavement Analysis Computer Software and Case Studies for Design, Evaluation and Rehabilitation, Section 4.0-Case Study No. 1. Washington State Department of Transportation, 1995. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/fasc/EngineeringPublications
23. Analysis of PMS Data for Engineering Applications, Reference Manual, National Highway Institute Course No. 131105. Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC (http://www.nhi.fhwa.dot.gov); http://knowledge.fhwa.dot.gov/tam/aashto.nsf/docs (DNA 5HJJLRFHWA), November 2002.
24. "An Assessment of the Benefits of the Washington State Pavement Management System."

This document was prepared by the U.S. Federal Highway Administration with expert guidance provided by Linda Pierce, Pavement Engineer, Washington State Department of Transportation. The content of this document was gathered from the departments, documents, and technical notes.

Further Information

Linda M. Pierce
State Pavement Engineer/Testing Manager
Materials Laboratory
Environmental and Engineering Programs Division
Washington State Department of Transportation
1655 S. 2nd Avenue
Tumwater, WA 98512
360-709-5470
piercel@wsdot.wa.gov

Stephen J. Gaj
System Management and Monitoring, Team Leader
Office of Asset Management, HIAM 10
Federal Highway Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, DC 20590-9898
202-366-1336
stephen.gaj@dot.gov

Nastaran Saadatmand
Pavement Management Engineer
Office of Asset Management, HIAM 10
Federal Highway Administration
U.S.Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.
Washington, DC 20590-9898
202-366-1337
nastaran.saadatmand@dot.gov

Additional information on pavement management systems-including National Highway Institute courses, pavement workshops, and publications-is available at the FHWA Web site: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/mana.cfm.

Quality assurance statement: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides high quality information to serve Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes public understanding. Standards and policies are used to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of its information. FHWA periodically reviews quality issues and adjusts its programs and processes to ensure continuous quality improvement.

Photography Credits

Photographs courtesy of Washington State Department of Transportation