SWUTC Research Project Description
Title of Project: Develop A System to Support Preparation of Life-Cycle Budget Needs for Highways
Project Number: 169208 (continuation of SWUTC Project #167277)
Principal Investigator:
Zhanmin Zhang
(512) 471-4534
P.I. Affiliation: University of Texas at Austin
z.zhang@mail.utexas.edu
Project Monitor:
Dr. Michael R. Murphy
Center for Transportation Research
University of Texas at Austin
(512) 232-3134
Project Status: Active
Date Started: 9/1/08
Estimation Completion Date: 8/31/09
Estimated Cost - Current Fiscal: $39,000
Estimated Cost - Total Planned: $79,000
Project Summary:
Project Abstract:
Budget planning is important to managing highways. Ideally, the budget planning process can be streamlined by a procedure that would facilitate life-cycle budget needs analysis for highway sections from fence to fence, where the total budget needs would be the summation of the needs for all highway sections under consideration. While some of the elements are maintained with a fixed maintenance schedule, others may require maintenance programming based on the desired level of performance during the life cycle. The latter is particularly true for highway pavements. In addition, risk-cost is of great importance to the development of life-cycle budget needs. The objective of this project is to develop a practical methodology to support highway life-cycle budget needs over the planning horizon.
Project Objectives:
The objective of this proposed research is to develop practical algorithms and procedures that can be implemented and used by state DOTs in support of their decision making in budget planning and budget allocation by capitalizing on what has been accomplished in this area by researchers over the years. The focus of the research is to produce algorithms, procedures, and processes that can be implemented with a typical size of pavement network and practically used by a typical state DOT.
Task Descriptions:
Under a previous SWUTC project, a computerized system framework has been developed and some preliminary models have been calibrated with real pavement data. This continuation project is intended to further develop these preliminary models and improve the computerized system framework. The project objective will be achieved through organized tasks that are described as follows.
Task 1. Fine-Tune M&R Strategies and Associated Unit Costs
Under the previous project, the preliminary M&R strategies have been defined for budget planning and budge allocation purpose at the network level. These M&R strategies include: Do Nothing, Preventive Maintenance, Light Rehabilitation, Medium Rehabilitation, and Heavy Rehabilitation. The preliminary unit cost associates with each of the strategies has been developed based literature reviews and interviews with expert resources such as engineers from TxDOT. The unit cost information needs to be fine-tuned through statistical analysis and engineering justification. In particular, a major question to be answered will be what cost components should be included in the unit costs.
Task 2. Further Quantify the Effect of M&R Strategies
To conduct budget planning and allocation, the effect of any M&R strategies has to be quantified and included in the analysis. During the previous project, the effect of each M&R strategies has been quantified as an increase in pavement condition measurements, such the Ride Score, Distress Score, and Condition Score. However, the exact amount of such increase requires further analysis in order to be validated. Historical pavement performance data from the TxDOT PMIS database will be used along expert opinions to achieve this objective.
Task 3. Continue the Development of Performance Prediction Models
Under the previous study of this project, it was determined that the best approach for developing performance models with the absent of pavement structural layer information is to use models based on time-series. One of such models is the survival curves. Preliminary models have been developed by calibrating the S-shape sigmoid model with the PMIS data from TxDOT. These models have promising properties. Additional work is required to look at the factors for stratifying the models so that they will cover various highway types, climatic regions, and subgrade soil conditions.
Task 4. Improve the Web-Based System
Under the previous study, a Web-based system framework has been developed with functionalities that allow engineers to conduct “what-if” analysis of various budget planning and allocation needs for managing a pavement network cost-effectively over a selected time horizon. Though the system framework works well with the intended objectives, further development of the system is required in order to accommodate details that will make the system practically useful.
Task 5. Prepare Project Reports
The researcher will make every effort to document progress of the work throughout the project. A Research Report which completely documents the research performed, method used, and results achieved will be prepared at the end of the project.
Index Terms:
Pavement performance, Pavement maintenance, Pavement design, Pavements, Life cycle analysis, Life cycle costing, Budgeting, Transportation planning, Research projects