Future Direction and Need for Innovation in Pavement Management

Abstract

Research costs money, innovation saves money, but good research produces innovations. That is our theme. When we speak of research needs, we need to think of the innovation that can result from research well done. Emphasis in highway research and particularly pavement management research for the past 20 years has been on short-term needs and implementation. Lack of support for intermediate and long-term efforts has left the industry, in 1994, facing many of the same problems it faced in 1970. Pavement management has progressed from a concept in the 1960s, to a working process in the 1970s, to a significant degree of implementation in the 1980s. The principles have been formulated and much has been learned from implementation experience at the federal, state or provincial, and local levels in various countries. By the year 2000 many more agencies will have adopted pavement management systems (PMSs). But the improvements in application and implementation have not been matched by improvements in the component technology of pavement management. For example, good, long-term performance prediction models are still unavailable at the time of writing. A substantial amount of innovation is necessary if we are to realize a standardized pavement management process with widespread or universal applicability. Such a PMS must have comprehensive technical underpinnings, but sufficient flexibility for tailoring to individual agency needs and resources. The required innovation and research should range from short-term problem solving to strategic efforts for technology and application improvements. An outline for a program of research to develop innovations that can achieve the desired improvements is presented. The changing nature of pavement research and the associated needs are reviewed; a standardized structure for pavement management is described within which the component activities, and research toward their improvement, can be incorporated. The major types of research that must be carried out for a successful program of improvements in pavement management technology and application are described, the major elements of successful pavement research are defined, and some of the opportunities for innovation and major advances in pavement technology and application of the process are identified.