The ability to describe roadway network condition properly is an essential requirement for pavement management. The methodology employed to develop and use condition measures for pavement network characterization as part of a broader effort to develop and implement a pavement management system for the New York State Thruway Authority is presented. The methodology uses a distress index as the criterion for evaluating pavement network condition. Specific intervals of the index scale are mapped to qualitative condition classes through a series of interactions with field engineers. The resulting condition classes are used in a process that relates network condition to needs and facilitates development of the annual and multiyear highway capital improvement and maintenance programs. A distinction between pavement and highway needs is necessary to accommodate Thruway-specific program development and budgeting practices. Two types of network-level analysis are implemented. In the first, the network is characterized using uniform sections based solely on pavement condition, and analysis is limited to short-term pavement needs. In the second, the network is characterized using planning sections, and analysis includes the broader long-term highway needs. It is concluded that pavement condition characterization provides an objective basis for program development but that it must be supplemented by additional highway information. This is because treatment needs for specific projects cannot always be determined solely on the basis of characterized pavement condition. (A)
Abstract