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A checklist detailing the procedure for full depth reclamation construction.

The twelfth installment in the pavement preservation checklist series, focusing on the procedure for cold in-place asphalt recycling.

The eleventh installment in the pavement preservation checklist series, focusing on the procedure for hot in-place asphalt recycling.

This study was conducted as part of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Task Order “Improving FHWA’s Ability to Assess Highway Infrastructure Health.” This portion of the study had the objective of developing a next generation pavement performance measure that provides an accurate and repeatable assessment of the functional condition of the roadway. The measure is to combine ride quality, cracking, and rutting or faulting and rely entirely upon data from the Highway Performance Management System (HPMS) database. Over the course of the study, the effort shifted away from a single composite index of ride quality, cracking, and rutting or faulting to using these distresses individually. This report provides recommendations for collecting, processing, reviewing, and storing each of these distresses. Further recommendations are made with regard to assessing pavement condition based upon the stored values.

The objective of this study was to enhance and develop the Pavement Health Track (PHT) Analysis Tool for the FHWA to provide improved performance, recalibrated analysis models, and modeling of maintenance treatments on the pavement remaining service life (RSL), and to improve the graphical user interface and reporting features. The PHT Analysis Tool is an engineering software application for determining and reporting the health of pavement networks in terms of the pavement’s RSL. The PHT Analysis Tool uses performance models recently developed by FHWA for the Highway Economic Requirements System (HERS) and the National Pavement Cost Model (NAPCOM). These pavement models are based on concepts developed under National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Projects 1-37A and 1-40D and included in the Interim American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG), making them a simplified version of the more complex mechanistic-empirical (ME) set of models and procedures used in the Interim AASHTO MEPDG. This report presents an overview of the simplified MEPDG models incorporated into the PHT Analysis Tool along with a detailed description of PHT Analysis Tool approaches to determining pavement RSL, a description of the maintenance model, guidance on setting up the PHT Analysis Tool input database from HPMS and other databases, and guidance on setting key parameters for determining overall RSL.

This report presents a reference guide to identify and evaluate the uncertainties associated with bridge scour prediction including hydrologic, hydraulic, and model/equation uncertainty. Tables of probability values to estimate scour depth with a conditional probability of exceedance when a bridge meets certain criteria for hydrologic uncertainty, bridge size, and pier size are included in the reference guide. For complex foundation systems and channel conditions, a step-by-step procedure is presented to provide scour factors for site-specific conditions. The reference guide also includes a set of detailed illustrative examples to demonstrate the full range of applicability of the procedures. The report will be of immediate interest to hydraulic and bridge engineers.

Several State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) are considering revising their right-of-way business practices with the goal of simplifying and streamlining processes. Current right-of-way practice and procedure manuals are the products of 40 years of statutes, case law, regulations, management styles and best practices. The procedural manuals have chapters to cover elements such as: a) appraisal; b) appraisal review; c) relocation planning and assistance; d) relocation eligibility and supplemental payments; e) nonresidential relocations; f) acquisition and negotiations; g) legal settlements; h) eminent domain; i) titles and closing; j) property management; k) leasing; l) sale of excess property; m) mapping and geographic information systems (GIS); n) encroachments; o) contracting for services; and p) administrative costs. Procedures and guidelines are often an accumulation of historical practice or those adopted from other agencies. State procedures vary widely because of differences in State laws. Local agencies are required to follow State DOT procedural manuals when they use State or Federal funding. Questions arise as new staff try to understand the reason or underlying basis for requirements. Contractors and consultants face a wide array of requirements and forms among the various States. This research is in support of the AASHTO Highway Subcommittee Right-of-Way and Utility strategic plan to provide leadership and support to member agency right-of-way staff. This research will provide new direction and lead to immediate cost savings by reducing the hours required to accomplish certain functions. This research will result in streamlined business practices that are easier to maintain, cost effective and result in delivery of projects sooner. Research is needed to provide information to State DOTs and local agencies to rationally evaluate current right-of-way procedures and business practices; to determine what function is served by each procedure; to determine the need for each procedure, i.e. statute or practice; to document the benefits and operational logic for continuing a procedure, modifying, or eliminating it, evaluate the cost of maintaining current procedures and to quantify the benefits from them. This includes, but is not limited to, the current cost of agents, training new agents and administrative costs on a parcel or tract basis. Determine what processes are essential to providing a consistent product and comply with statutory requirements, such as the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (Uniform Act), as well as the most common elements of State eminent domain laws, identify institutional, political, and economic barriers to the adoption of procedures that will be easier to maintain for the next 20 years, and examine and compare several common types of existing FHWA approved right-of-way manuals used by State DOTs and local agencies and common State regulations. Agencies will be contacted and staff will be interviewed to ascertain what are the origins, purpose and authorities for the existing procedures; what criteria and procedures are needed, as a minimum, to protect owner and tenant rights; what procedures would work if the agency could start anew; how and/or whether procedures might be modified for local agency use, i.e., a stand alone manual for local agencies; what are the issues in administering procedures that need to be addressed to assure consistent application; and what are the institutional, political, and economic barriers to implementation? A major objective of the research will be to develop a rationale or basis for a new or modified approach. This will include an objective analysis of all key elements mentioned above, i.e., appraisal, appraisal review, relocation, etc. This research would culminate by analyzing the typical right-of-way business model for the four major elements of appraisal, acquisition, relocation, and property management, and developing a revised model that is less costly to maintain. It would outline a sample procedural manual with forms that could be used to administer a simplified and cost-effective right-of-way program that is responsive to national statutes and the Uniform Act. The resulting business model would be accompanied by a cost/benefit analysis and recommended roll-out implementation plan that could be readily adopted and applied by State DOTs and local agencies for national consistency. One of the initial goals of the Uniform Act was to create a fair and consistent process for the acquisition of real property by public agencies. This research would help us assure the continued uniformity of the process. This research will be a direct follow-on to the 2008 International Scan for ROW and Utilities called "Integrating & Streamlining Right of Way and Utility Processes with Planning, Environment, and Design." Ideas and strategies derived from the 2008 International Scan will feed directly into revised business practices. State DOTs who undertake pilot projects in 2009 will be able to use lessons learned and provide input to this research effort. The timing is beneficial for all parties in that this research product will bring about full implementation of the 2008 streamlining strategies. This research will provide new direction and lead to immediate cost savings by reducing the hours required to accomplish certain functions. This research will result in streamlined business practices that are easier to maintain, cost effective and result in delivery of projects sooner. The effort devoted to training new right-of-way agents, who may or may not stay with the agency, is becoming cost prohibitive and is time consuming. It is anticipated that there will be many institutional barriers to overcome. Many right-of-way agents have adapted to the current procedures and will be resistant to change. State DOT legal staff also may resist changes, thinking that revised procedures may affect property owner rights. In order to address these barriers, the final research report should contain an outline of a revised procedural manual that would be sufficient to meet Federal regulations and laws, allowing each State to augment this information with specifics to address that particular State's laws.

The benefits in the use of Transportation Asset Management Plans (TAMP) are promoted in the AASHTO Transportation Asset Management Guide – A Focus on Implementation. The AASHTO Implementation Guide promotes the TAMP as a communication tool and an accountability mechanism for an agency.

The objective of this research is to produce a guidebook on flexible rockfall protection systems for transportation agencies that addresses the following: Inspection, maintenance, and repair procedures for flexible rockfall protection systems (e.g., drapes, pinned mesh, attenuators, and barriers); Testing, approval, and certification methodologies, as well as proposed performance-based specifications for flexible rockfall fence systems and components thereof; Development of an asset management plan, including long-term performance and condition measures; and establishment of critical factors and key components in determining estimates of future performance, life-cycle cost, and cost/benefit analysis for maintenance, repair, or replacement decisions for flexible rockfall protection systems; and Creation of a database capable of recording and suitable for analyzing the asset management plan information for flexible rockfall protection systems.

The objectives of this research are to document how state DOTs are incorporating ancillary structures into an integrated asset management program and to develop guidance that supplements the AASHTO “Transportation Asset Management Guide: A Focus on Implementation” on how to integrate ancillary structures into existing asset management tools.

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) and transportation asset management planning (TAMP) at MnDOT.

A self–assessment of asset management in each agency, using Volume 1 of the AASHTO Guide.