Trr No. 1311. Pavement Design, Management, And Performance, pp. 248-255
An attempt has been made to implemet a pavement management system (PMS) for municipally maintained roads in Rhode Island. The primary objectives of the project were to select the most appropriate microcomputer-based PMS software and to implement the selected system in cities and towns throughout tha state. A questionnaire survey distributed to all 39 Rhode Island municipalities revealed that only one community was actually instituting a functional PMS when the project began. Micro PAVER was idetified as the most appropriate microcomputer-based PMS for municipally maintained roads, primarily because it is one of the simplest menu-driven programs. A workshop manual was prepared that used Micro PAVER as the core of the PMS procedure, and statewide implementation of this developed procedure was conducted through a series of training workshops for the technical staffs of the municipalities. Visual observation of surface distress was the only procedure used for pavement condition evaluations because of the need for a simple, objective, and repeatable survey methodology and the prioritization was based on the derived pavement condition index (PCI). During the standardization process, a 10 percent sampling technique was recommended for pavement condition surveys. At least 16 Rhode Island municipalities have decided to implement Micro PAVER, and several other communities may begin implementation in the near future. Potential enchacements to the municipal-level PMS were also identified and recommended.