Preservation Strategies for Flexible Pavement Network of Washington State Department of Transportation

The flexible pavement network of the Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) consists of 11,600 lane miles of asphalt pavement and 4,600 lane miles of chip seal pavement. Every year a portion of those lane miles will require rehabilitation. However, budget shortfalls in the past decade have created a backlog of pavement rehabilitation needs that must be addressed. Funding forecasts for the next 10 years are for roughly one-half the levels of those before 2000. The ability to maintain a good performance level with reduced funding comes from using innovative techniques and picking the best investment alternatives. Through such strategies, preservation funds are allocated for preventive measures to extend pavement life. The Washington State DOT uses four basic steps to address this mission: (a) continually monitor the condition of the road network, (b) manage the pavement network into the lowest life-cycle cost, (c) create preventive strategies to extend pavement life and reduce costs, and (d) generate 2-year and 10-year plans for preservation of the road network that are based on rehabilitation needs and available resources. Preservation of the concrete network is considered separately. The use of the state's pavement management system provides a framework for evaluating and continually monitoring the performance of the state's roadway investments.