Technology Transfer for Better Roads 1

Inside . . . Inside . . .

Message from the President ........2

The Centers Corner ..................... 4

Measuring Nighttime Visibility

of Pavement Markings.................. 4

PROVIAL Schedule ...................... 5

Corporate Sponsors ..................... 6

• Agency network priorities.

• Feasible repair alternatives.

• Recommended or most cost-effective repair.

• Best time to apply the repair.

• Budget required to improve or maintain the network at

a certain level.

Pavement Performance Modeling

Over time, a PMS database will include a vast quantity of

historical pavement condition data about a pavement

network. This information can be used to develop

pavement performance curves—models that predict how a

certain type of pavement will perform based on how it has

performed in the past. For example, ERES’ Decision

Support System for Pavements TM (DSS) divides pavements

into categories called families, which are based on factors

such as pavement construction history, use, location, and

traffic levels. DSS then develops performance curves for

each pavement family. It then uses the curves to predict the

future condition of

each pavement

section and to help

identify when a

treatment should

be applied.

The Bottom

Line

All decisions

reflect the bottom

line—cost. At any

level, from the

Federal highway

system to

individual parking

lots, a pavement

network represents

The Pavement Management Systems (PMS) Division of

ERES provides cost-effective network-level services to

manage airport, road and highway, and parking lot

pavements. During a PMS project, ERES works with the

client to define the existing pavement network, evaluate

existing pavement conditions, determine feasible

management strategies, and develop realistic budget

requirements. This often involves the use of advanced data

collection and analysis techniques, as well as sophisticated

PMS software packages. PMS implementation projects

will typically:

• Review records and define and section network.

• Collect on-site condition data.

• Analyze data, perform modeling, and customize.

• Implement database, training, and technical support.

The purpose of this article is to review the benefits an

agency can realize by using a pavement management

system.

Tracking and Improving

Network Conditions

Successful pavement management, as with many

endeavors, begins with understanding where you are before

you can know where you want to go. Only by recognizing

the current extent and condition of the pavement network

is it possible to develop a plan for maintaining it in the

future. A PMS database provides a place to store a wide

variety of pavement information, including inventory and

condition data. The PMS also allows the user to define

appropriate and feasible rehabilitation options, as well as

identify the conditions that trigger the need for

rehabilitation. A good PMS will also allow input of a

variety of what-if scenarios so that the user can see how

changing different parameters (such as minimum

acceptable condition, budget, affects backlog) affects the

pavement network.

A well-maintained PMS can help establish:

• Condition of the pavement network.

Benefits of Pavement Management

Second Quarter 1999

Caminos Caminos

(Continued on Page 3)

Publication No. FHWA-PL-99-012/HPI-10/3-99/(3.5M)EW

Newsletter of the Pan American Institute of Highways
Technology Transfer for Better Roads 2

Pan American Institute

of Highways

Federal Highway Administration

400 Seventh Street, S.W.

Room 3258

Washington, DC 20590

Caminos is intended to transmit

both innovative and traditional

technology. It is produced by the

Headquarters of the Pan

American Institute of Highways

(PIH) located at the Office of

International Programs.

Comments and address changes

should be sent to PIH at the

address above.

Caminos is distributed to PIH

centers, to FHWAs Washington

Headquarters and field offices,

the transportation community in

the Americas, and agencies

having direct involvement with

highway technology transfer.

King W. Gee

Director General, PIH

Greg Speier

PIH Executive Director

Caminos Editors

Phone: (202)366-0220

Fax: (202)366-9626

U.S. Department of Transportation

Federal Highway Administration

As President of the PIH Executive

Committee, it is my pleasure to report

to you the results of the Committee’s

last full session held July 1998, in

Miami, Florida, U.S.A.

As part of that session, all Directors

participated in a 4-day SeminarWorkshop. Our objective was to

study, understand, and prepare a

Strategic Plan for the PIH network

to be implemented over the next few

years. You will soon receive a copy

of this plan.

It is both my duty and my pleasure to

advise you that we have initiated a

new stage supported by a

fundamentally new structure with

which to think and plan.

The Executive Committee will use

this new planning tool first. It will be

presented later to each Center so that

Message from the President

of the PIH Executive Committee

to the PIH Network Center Directors

each will be able to use it and benefit

from its results. We anticipate that

this tool will allow each Center to

achieve a higher level of organization,

receive and study all the suggestions

that we can carry out, and enable all

Centers to share results achieved.

Clearly, this strategic initiative will

bring PIH to another level of Total

Quality and Excellence.

Based on the Strategic Plan, the

Executive Committee has divided Plan

tasks into six tasks. Six groups

composed of directors and members

will work as teams to accomplish each

task assignment. The following chart

outlines groups and their

responsibilities:

Group 1: Establish a system for

planning.

Enrique Dhlhaus

Phone. (52-5) 523-2199

PIH Strategic Planning Meeting

Miami, Florida, July 28-31

Back row from left to right: Enrique Dahlhaus (Mexico); Otoniel Fernandez

(Colombia); Julio Cesar Caballero (Argentina); Mario Arce (Costa Rica); Carlos

Ossa Moreno (Colombia); Edgardo Masciarelli (Argentina); Greg Speier (U.S.A.);

Enrique Ordonez (U.S.A.); King W. Gee (U.S.A); Adolfo Sanz Martinez (Spain);

Raul Castro (Colombia); Jay Spaid (U.S.A.)

Front row from left to right: Liana Montero (U.S.A.); Lourdes Massara (Brazil);

Maria Lorena Lopez (Costa Rica); Thais Helena Monteiro Penteado (Brazil);

Julia Rafael (Venezuela); Yolanda Pinto (Colombia); Myriam Vargas de Morgado

(Venezuela) and Tere Franceschi (U.S.A.)
Technology Transfer for Better Roads 3

(Continued from Page 1)

Benefits of

Pavement

Management

Fax (52-5) 687-8447

E-mail:veycosacv@iserve.net.mx

Help: María de Lourdes Massara

Phone: (55-31) 235-1348

Fax (55-31) 224-7114

E-mail: vdder@horiz.com.br

Group 2: Strengthen the system of

executive management.

Thais Helena Monteiro Penteado

Phone: (55-19) 207-4089

Fax (55-19) 207-4122

E-mail: ipcb@lexxa.com.br

Help: Myrian Vargas de Morgado

Phone: (58-2) 524-731

Fax (58-2) 514-945

Email: funlanavial@cantv.net

Group 3: Create a system for ensuring

the quality of service.

Otoniel Fernández

Phone: (57-2) 612-5798

Fax (57-1) 612-5798

E-mail: hofo@coll.telecom.co

Help: Carlos Ossa Moreno

Phone: (57-1) 621-5500

Fax (57-1) 621-4466

E-mail: icpcbog@cable.net.co

Group 4: Transform the system

of financing.

Edgardo Masciarelli

Phone: (54-51) 682-808

Fax (57-1) 334-150

E-mail: emasciar@com.uncor.edu

Help: Adolfo Sanz Martine

Phone: (34-91) 577-9972

Fax (34-91) 576-6522

E-mail: asanz@aecarreteras.com

Group 5: Create a system of

information.

Liana Montero

Phone: (703) 235-0550

Fax (703) 235-0593

Email:liana.montero@fhwa.dot.gov

Help: Julia Rafael

Phone: (58-2) 979-9230

Fax (58-2) 797-9230

E-mail: jrafael@telcel.net.ve

Group 6: Reaffirm and diffuse the

institutional image.

Mario Arce

Phone: (506) 253-4942

Fax (506) 253-4911

E-mail: marce@ns.fing.ucr.ac.cr

Source: ERES’ Consultants, Inc.,Toby Crow, Manager of ERES’ PMS Division

E-mail: tcrow@eresnet.com

Performance curve illustrating optimum time for rehabilitation

Excellent

Failed

Condition

Age

$1 for

rehabilitation

here

will cost

$4-$5

here

40% drop

in condition

75% of life

40% drop

in condition

12% of life

Help: María Lorena Lopez

Phone (506) 223-9377

Fax (506) 257-8098

E-mail: dirplan@solracsa.co.cr

It is the hope of the PIH Executive

Committee that—through your

initiatives—you and your Center will

perpetuate and integrate this new

action. Please forward your comments

and studies to the Working Groups,

with a copy to

the Coordination Committee.

Or, send it directly to the

Coordination Committee, which

will redistribute it.

We welcome your news, and we wish

your Center every success in using

this new tool to achieve its objectives.

JULIO CESAR CABALLERO

President, Executive Committee

Pan American Institute of Highways

a major investment. Agencies

simply do not have the funds

available to maintain all

pavements in their network in

perfect condition. They can,

however, protect their investment

and optimize the condition of

the entire pavement network by

collecting and analyzing relevant

information in a timely manner.

A computerized PMS can

perform these activities

efficiently and effectively.
Technology Transfer for Better Roads 4

The Centers Corner

Uruguayan Road Association (AUC)

The Uruguayan Road Association

(AUC is the Spanish acronym) was

created on July 7, 1987, as the

outgrowth of an idea to initiate an

association that would link all agents

tied to the highway community. The

purpose was to create an environment

where ideas of common interest could

be shared, developed, and discussed.

The AUC began as one of the PIH

pioneer centers, and during 1992, it

received certification as a technology

transfer center within the PIH

Network. In 1996, AUC was certified

as permanent by the PIH Advisory

Committee. Its current membership of

180 represents construction and traffic

sign companies, consultants, civil

engineers, and providers of highway

products.

AUC Mission and

Activities

The AUC mission is to serve the

highway community. Its goal is to link

all the people and companies to the

sector and enable them to use the

services to advance professional

development. AUC conducts enabling

activities for the members through

classes, conferences, and meetings.

Every two years, the AUC holds the

Congreso de la Vialidad Uruguaya

(Uruguayan Highway Congress),

which is an opportunity for

Uruguayan professionals to share their

experiences and professional

accomplishments and to learn from

invited foreign transportation

professionals.

Activities

The current program consists of the

1999 Conference Cycle. These are 14

conferences at the international level

that will begin in April, with

approximately two conferences hosted

each month. Topics addressed at these

gatherings include such areas as

design, construction, and maintenance

of the highway infrastructure; asphalt

materials; concrete pavements;

highway construction materials;

transport; security and markings;

environmental impact; and bridges

and structures.

Information Bulletin

The AUC currently edits a triannual

magazine that includes information of

interest for the highway community.

The Association will soon print the

third edition of Situación de la

Vialidad Uruguaya (State of the

Uruguayan Highway System), which

AUC authors.

 AUC Executive Board

 The following individuals serve

on the AUC Executive Board:

 Guillermo Cat, President

Jorge Pazos, Vice President

Alberto Cassinelli, Secretary

Alejandro García Terra, Treasurer

 Members

María del Huerto Sarasúa

Arturo Forteza

Carlos Bilinski

New Technology for Measuring Nighttime Visibility

of Pavement Markings

Roadway delineation is essential for

safe and efficient highway operation.

To be effective, pavement markings

must be visible from a sufficient

distance day and night. Modern

delineation materials work by

redirecting a high percentage of light

received from a vehicle’s headlights

back in the direction of its source.

With the incorporation of new

materials, delineation pavement

markings appear to shine when

illuminated, thus improving their

visibility. This retroreflectivity is

essential for nighttime driving comfort

and highway safety.

To enhance the ability of highway

agencies to measure the amount of

retroreflectivity, the Federal Highway

Administration sponsored the

development of a Mobile Pavement

Marking Retroreflectometer. This

instrument can measure

retroreflectibily in daylight, while

moving at highway flow speeds. This

equipment is a powerful tool for

collecting retroreflectivity

information, providing more than 300

readings per kilometer.

The value of the coefficient of

retroreflected luminance, RL, of

pavement markings varies with the

angle formed by the incident light

beam and the retroreflector axis—

known as the entrance angle—and

with the observation angle, which is

determined by the direction of the

beam and the motorist viewing angle.

Standard measures have been defined

to allow for comparable results. In the

draft specifications prEN 1436, the

European Committee of

Normalization (CEN) established an

entrance angle of 88.76o and an

observation angle of 1.05o. These

correspond to an observation distance

of 30 m, a headlight height of 0.65 m,
Technology Transfer for Better Roads 5

PROVIAL

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Maintenance Event

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PAN AMERICAN INSTITUTE

OF HIGHWAYS

Technology Transfer

for Better Roads

1999 Scheduled

PROVIAL Events

Chile, Rancagua

(April 26-30)

Mexico, Monterrey

(May 12-15)

Brazil, Sao Paulo

(1999)

Peru, Lima

(1999)

Venezuela, Caracas

(1999)

Guatemala, Guatemala

(1999)

and a driver’s eye height of 1.2 m. The

mobile retroreflectometer is set to the

same observation distance, but with

different angles—the entrance angle

is 88.5o, and the observation angle

is 1.0o.

A series of static and dynamic test

runs with three retroreflectometer

units was conducted in the vicinity of

Minneapolis, Minnesota, in

September 1996. The objective was to

assess the relationship between

retroreflective values measured under

the CEN and the mobile

retroreflectometer geometries, the

repeatability and reproducibility of

the measurements, and the influence

of the roadway segment length on the

precision of the determinations.

Static measurements were made on an

array of different pavement marking

materials. Average differences

between determinations under the two

geometries were less than 5 percent.

The dynamic test consisted of

repeated measurements of pavement

marking lines in two different

highway segments alternating the

three retroreflectometer units. The

results show that good levels of

repeatability can be achieved with the

mobile retroreflectometer when

operational procedures are set and

strictly applied. Measurement

precision increased with segment

length. Measurement lengths of 0.8

km for solid lines and 1.6 km for skip

lines were found to maintain

measurement tolerances within

acceptable limits.

A report on these tests is published

as FHWA-SA-97-016. Copies of the

report are available upon request

from the FHWA Office of

International Programs.

Dr. José Pardillo

Ministry of Public Works,

Transportation and Environment

Madrid, Spain

PIH Loaned Staff
Technology Transfer for Better Roads 6

PAN AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF HIGHWAYS

Technology Transfer for Better Roads

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