Taking Pavement Management into the Next Millennium

Pavement management systems are expected to continue to be a critical component of managing and maintaining the transportation infrastructure around the world. Although these systems have been used since the 1980s, many changes have evolved in the field of pavement management, leading to the continued development and refinement of computerized capabilities and analysis tools. The changes in pavement management have evolved as the types of information required by public agencies have changed. Today's pavement managers must address their transportation needs with limited resources at the same time that legislative bodies are requiring more efficiency in highway agencies and more accountability for the expenditure of taxpayers' money. As a result, the importance of management systems to assist with effective allocation of these resources to manage infrastructure assets becomes more critical than ever. The challenge of managing and maintaining the existing infrastructure under today's environment is considered by many to be more difficult than the design and construction of the initial system, when there was less scrutiny of public expenditures. MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS Over the years, there has been tremendous support for pavement management, which has had a significant influence on its importance to transportation agencies. This support has been enhanced by the participation of pavement management practitioners, private industry, and government in a variety of activities. Some of the major accomplishments from these participatory efforts are summarized in the following paragraphs. This list is in no way exhaustive, and the authors do not mean to ignore any of the other efforts made that are not summarized here.