The course is also highly beneficial to engineers and office personnel with a need to understand basic field operations. The course has been taught over 50 times, both nationally and internationally, and is one of the most successful NHI pavement-related courses. In response to review comments received from course participants and the sponsoring agencies, NHI contracted ERES to revise this course for 2000. We are contracted to provide 18 offerings of this course over the next 2 years, after which individual offerings will be provided on a task-order basis. The course was developed as a vehicle to disseminate the results of research on the design, construction, and maintenance of good subsurface drainage systems for pavements.
Emphasis is placed on the practical aspects of subsurface drainage for all pavement types.
The course teaches participants to assess pavement site and design conditions to determine whether subsurface drainage is beneficial in a given situation, and it provides guidance on selecting the appropriate type of drainage system. Participants will also learn about the importance of, and procedures for, inspection, maintenance, and performance monitoring of subsurface drainage systems. The numerous case studies and workshop problems embedded throughout the course help to illustrate the course materials. The reference manual provided to participants is very complete and deals with each subject area in great detail. The course presents the development of the design procedures, and sufficient time is spent for participants to develop full understanding of all design inputs.