MAKING OPTIMIZATION PRACTICAL IN PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: LESSONS FROM LEADING-EDGE PROJECTS

Much has been written in the past 10 years about the development of new optimization techniques for pavement management systems. However, few public agencies are using optimization in their routine budgeting and programming activities. The reasons for this and the keys to making optimization more practical lie in taking a new look at its role in decision making and at the means by which optimization techniques are implemented. Several recent projects to create new pavement management systems or revamp old ones have demonstrated that the techniques do not have to be excessively complex or data-intensive and that they can be very effectively implemented on personal computers connected to shared data bases. The effective use of optimization signals the beginning of a new generation of pavement management systems.