No Boundaries
Transportation Maintenance Innovation
Colorado DOT hosted No Boundaries’ spring 2019 meeting in Denver on May 14-16. No Boundaries members and invited guests discussed road maintenance innovations and shared best practices.
Presentations and roundtable discussions addressed asset management data collection; the role of maintenance in emergency management; public service requests; state and national pollinator programs; training and apprenticeship programs; employee recruitment and engagement; and process improvement.
Ohio DOT’s maintenance work includes inspection and cleaning of the storm sewer infrastructure along roadways. A recent ODOT study reviewed the effectiveness of the Recycler, a sewer cleaning unit that uses a recycling system to filter the removed wastewater and reuse it for jet cleaning, saving both time and water. Over a summer maintenance season, researchers found that the Recycler was 52% more productive than the traditional Vacuum Jet Truck system.
Read the research report: Evaluation of the Ohio Department of Transportation’s Current Storm Sewer Cleaning Operations—Phase II, January 2019.
A recent Federal Highway Administration report on concrete pavement preservation examines the primary factors that affect concrete pavement performance and reviews preservation strategies. The report includes a state-of-the practice review of approaches for evaluating concrete pavement condition and economic analysis techniques for assessing the cost-effectiveness of preservation strategies.
Read the report: Strategies for Concrete Pavement Preservation, February 2019.
Iowa State University researchers have developed a risk-based life-cycle cost analysis framework to enhance bridge management systems. Current systems are unable to account for sudden extreme events or the consequences of long-term extreme environmental exposure in a systematic way. This analysis framework combines site-specific aging and extreme events and can be incorporated into transportation agencies’ current bridge management systems.
Read the research report: Management of Bridges Considering Aging Mechanisms and Extreme Events, February 2019. (Image courtesy of Ohio DOT.)
The American Public Works Association will host a webinar on the future of asset management on Thursday, June 27, from 11 a.m. to noon Eastern Time. The presentation will discuss the new and interesting ways that organizations are using technology to solve problems, become more efficient, and save money. In addition, presenters will forecast what technology can be integrated into current systems and envision what new technology is necessary to fully automate processes.
Read the announcement: APWA Webinar: Asset Management Past, Present, and Future: What’s Next? (Image courtesy of Massachusetts DOT.)
Researchers for Virginia DOT investigated the reasons for premature failure of concrete patches on continuously reinforced concrete pavement. Testing revealed that the use of high early strength mixes with high cement contents and failure to assess the overall pavement condition were the most frequent causes of early patch failure. The study recommended revisions to VDOT’s concrete patching procedures.
Read the research report: Premature Failure of Concrete Patching: Reasons and Resolutions, March 2019.