On-demand Webinar

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Instructor: David K. Hein, P.Eng., M.ASCE

Purpose and Background

Roadway owners across North America have collectively constructed trillions of dollars of roadway infrastructure including pavements, bridges, safety appurtenances, drainage structures, etc. Our focus over the past 30 years or so has changed from the construction of new transportation infrastructure to maintenance and rehabilitation of existing facilities. In order to assist in "managing" the infrastructure, agencies have developed processes and procedures such as pavement management systems.

Nothing lasts forever. The typical initial service life of a flexible pavement is 15 to 25 years depending on the quality of construction, structural and functional performance, environmental degradation, etc. Managers of roadway infrastructure are constantly struggling with effective decision making to determine how and when to address pavement defects to cost-effectively extend the life of their pavements. This workshop will teach participants effective methods to assess pavement conditions such as surface distress, structural capacity, smoothness and frictional properties, to assist in the selection of suitable pavement preservation and rehabilitation strategies.

In the first half of this workshop, participants will be provided with an overview of common pavement distress rating systems such as ASTM D6433 Standard for Roads and Parking Lots Pavement Condition Index Surveys, Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program and the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) system. For pavement structural capacity, common testing methods will be reviewed ranging from the Benkelman Beam to the Travelling Speed Deflectometer. Smoothness measurement methods will be discussed along with calculations to determine the International Roughness Index (IRI). Frictional properties measuring equipment benefits and shortcomings will be presented. A detailed description of common pavement distress, their cause and severity will be provided followed by a test of participant understanding. The test will include examples of pavement distresses for the participants to identify by type and severity. A homework assignment will consist of the selection of a roadway local to the participant's location with identification of distresses by type, extent and severity and calculation of a pavement surface condition index.

The second half of this workshop will focus on common pavement maintenance, preservation, and rehabilitation treatments along with methods for their selection. The session will cover key concepts of an effective pavement preservation and rehabilitation program, implementation needs and guidelines and common roadblocks to its successful implementation.

Benefits and Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

  • Find out the latest technologies in the evaluation of pavement condition
  • Learn why pavements deteriorate and how to mitigate deterioration
  • Understand the types of equipment used to evaluate pavement condition and what the data means
  • Find out how to use pavement condition data to develop pavement performance prediction models to improve the overall health of the network
  • Determine the amount and quality of data needed to actively manage a pavement network
  • Evaluate methods for easy retrieval and understanding of pavement condition data
  • Be able to cost-effectively determine the type and frequency of pavement condition data collection
  • Know the conditions under which the use of specific pavement preservation techniques can be used
  • Communicate to managers and elected officials the benefits of a structured pavement preservation program

Assessment of Learning Outcomes

Achievement of the learning outcomes by attendees will be assessed through in-class discussion, homework, and a short post-assessment (true-false, multiple choice and fill in the blank questions) will also be administered.

Who Should Attend?

  • Owners and managers of pavement infrastructure
  • Engineers involved in roadway design, management and construction
  • Contractors involved in the construction of roadways
  • Suppliers of construction materials for pavements
  • Engineers involved in pavement design
  • Roadway design managers
  • Agencies/owners of transportation infrastructure
  • Private highway and toll road managers
  • Pavement maintenance personnel

Outline

Interactions: The workshop will be delivered in an adult-learning format that is centered around the concept of learning by interaction. To this end, each topic in Part 1 and 2 will include poll questions to foster and facilitate interactions. The attendees will be encouraged to share their experiences. The homework assignment will require the participants to complete pavement assessments near their home or office that will be shared on Part 2 of the workshop. In addition, participants will be asked to take photographs of road distresses from their neighborhood to be discussed on Part 2 of the workshop.

Part 1

  • Introductions
  • Overview of pavement types and function
  • Methods and equipment used to evaluation pavement condition
  • Pavement surface distress identification
  • Self-assessment test of distress type and severity identification
  • Review of Part 1
  • Assignment of Homework

Part 2

  • Review of Part 1, test results and homework assignment
  • Pavement condition indices and performance model development
  • Flexible pavement preservation treatments
    • Crack sealing
    • Patch repairs
    • Thin surface treatments and surface recycling
  • Flexible pavement rehabilitation treatments
    • Mill and thick overlay
    • Cold in-place recycling
    • Full-depth reclamation
  • Principal factors for treatment selection
  • Review of Part 2
  • Interactive Question and Answer (Q&A) session

How to Earn your CEUs/PDHs and Receive Your Certificate of Completion

This course is worth .4 CEUs/4 PDHs. To receive your certificate of completion, you will need to complete a short on-line post-test and receive a passing score of 70% or higher within 1 year of purchasing the course.