ACRP AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM SYNTHESIS 22 Common Airport Pavement Sponsored by the Federal Maintenance Practices Aviation Administration A Synthesis of Airport Practice ACRP OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE* TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD 2011 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE* CHAIR OFFICERS JAMES WILDING Chair:Neil J. Pedersen, Administrator, Maryland State Highway Administration, Baltimore Metropolitan Washington Airports Vice Chair:Sandra Rosenbloom, Professor of Planning, University of Arizona, Tucson Authority (retired) Executive Director:Robert E. Skinner, Jr., Transportation Research Board MEMBERS VICE CHAIR J. BARRY BARKER, Executive Director, Transit Authority of River City, Louisville, KY JEFF HAMIEL DEBORAH H. BUTLER,Executive Vice President, Planning, and CIO, Norfolk Southern Minneapolis–St. Paul Corporation, Norfolk, VA Metropolitan Airports Commission WILLIAM A.V. CLARK,Professor, Department of Geography, University of California, Los Angeles MEMBERS EUGENE A. CONTI, JR., Secretary of Transportation, North Carolina DOT, Raleigh JAMES M. CRITES, Executive Vice President of Operations, Dallas-Fort Worth International JAMES CRITES Airport, TX Dallas–Ft. Worth International Airport PAULA J. HAMMOND, Secretary, Washington State DOT, Olympia RICHARD DE NEUFVILLE ADIB K. KANAFANI, Cahill Professor of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley Massachusetts Institute of Technology SUSAN MARTINOVICH, Director, Nevada DOT, Carson City KEVIN C. DOLLIOLE MICHAEL R. MORRIS, Director of Transportation, North Central Texas Council of Governments, Unison Consulting Arlington JOHN K. DUVAL TRACY L. ROSSER,Vice President, Regional General Manager, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Austin Commercial, LP Mandeville, LA KITTY FREIDHEIM STEVEN T. SCALZO, Chief Operating Officer, Marine Resources Group, Seattle, WA Freidheim Consulting HENRY G. (GERRY) SCHWARTZ, JR., Chairman (retired), Jacobs/Sverdrup Civil, Inc., St. Louis, MO STEVE GROSSMAN BEVERLY A. SCOTT, General Manager and CEO, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority, Jacksonville Aviation Authority Atlanta, GA TOM JENSEN DAVID SELTZER, Principal, Mercator Advisors LLC, Philadelphia, PA National Safe Skies Alliance LAWRENCE A. SELZER, President and CEO, The Conservation Fund, Arlington, VA CATHERINE M. LANG KUMARES C. SINHA, Olson Distinguished Professor of Civil Engineering, Purdue University, Federal Aviation Administration West Lafayette, IN GINA MARIE LINDSEY DANIEL SPERLING,Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science and Policy; Los Angeles World Airports Director, Institute of Transportation Studies; and Interim Director, Energy Efficiency Center, University of California, Davis CAROLYN MOTZ KIRK T. STEUDLE, Director, Michigan DOT, Lansing Hagerstown Regional Airport DOUGLAS W. STOTLAR, President and CEO, Con-Way, Inc., Ann Arbor, MI RICHARD TUCKER C. MICHAEL WALTON,Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, University of Huntsville International Airport Texas, Austin EX OFFICIO MEMBERS EX OFFICIO MEMBERS PAULA P. HOCHSTETLER PETER H. APPEL,Administrator, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, U.S.DOT Airport Consultants Council J. RANDOLPH BABBITT, Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, U.S.DOT SABRINA JOHNSON REBECCA M. BREWSTER, President and COO, American Transportation Research Institute, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Smyrna, GA RICHARD MARCHI ANNE S. FERRO, Administrator, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, U.S.DOT Airports Council International— JOHN T. GRAY, Senior Vice President, Policy and Economics, Association of American Railroads, North America Washington, DC LAURA McKEE JOHN C. HORSLEY, Executive Director, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, Washington, DC Air Transport Association of America DAVID T. MATSUDA,Deputy Administrator, Maritime Administration, U.S.DOT HENRY OGRODZINSKI VICTOR M. MENDEZ, Administrator, Federal Highway Administration, U.S.DOT National Association of State Aviation WILLIAM W. MILLAR, President, American Public Transportation Association, Washington, DC Officials TARA O’TOOLE, Under Secretary for Science and Technology, U.S. Department of Homeland MELISSA SABATINE Security, Washington, DC American Association of Airport ROBERT J. PAPP (Adm., U.S. Coast Guard),Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Department of Executives Homeland Security, Washington, DC ROBERT E. SKINNER, JR. CYNTHIA L. QUARTERMAN,Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Transportation Research Board Administration, U.S.DOT PETER M. ROGOFF,Administrator, Federal Transit Administration, U.S.DOT SECRETARY DAVID L. STRICKLAND, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S.DOT JOSEPH C. SZABO, Administrator, Federal Railroad Administration, U.S.DOT CHRISTOPHER W. JENKS POLLY TROTTENBERG, Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S.DOT Transportation Research Board ROBERT L. VAN ANTWERP (Lt. Gen., U.S. Army), Chief of Engineers and Commanding General, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Washington, DC BARRY R. WALLERSTEIN, Executive Officer, South Coast Air Quality Management District, Diamond Bar, CA *Membership as of October 2010. *Membership as of March 2011. AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM ACRP SYNTHESIS 22 Common Airport Pavement Maintenance Practices A Synthesis of Airport Practice CONSULTANTS JERRY HAJEK Applied Research Associates/ERES Division Toronto, ON, Canada JIM W. HALL Applied Research Associates, Inc. Vicksburg, Mississippi and DAVID K. HEIN Applied Research Associates, Inc. Champaign, Illinois SUBSCRIBERCATEGORIES Aviation • Maintenance and Preservation • Pavements Research Sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2011 www.TRB.org AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM ACRPSYNTHESIS 22 Airports are vital national resources. They serve a key role in Project 11-03, Topic S09-02 transportation of people and goods and in regional, national, and ISSN 1935-9187 international commerce. They are where the nation’s aviation sys- ISBN 978-0-309-14334-9 tem connects with other modes of transportation and where federal Library of Congress Control Number 2011923982 responsibility for managing and regulating air traffic operations intersects with the role of state and local governments that own and ©2011 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. operate most airports. Research is necessary to solve common oper- ating problems, to adapt appropriate new technologies from other industries, and to introduce innovations into the airport industry. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION The Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) serves as one Authors herein are responsible for the authenticity of their materials and for of the principal means by which the airport industry can develop obtaining written permissions from publishers or persons who own the innovative near-term solutions to meet demands placed on it. copyright to any previously published or copyrighted material used herein. The need for ACRP was identified in TRB Special Report 272: Cooperative Research Programs (CRP) grants permission to reproduce Airport Research Needs: Cooperative Solutionsin 2003, based on material in this publication for classroom and not-for-profit purposes. a study sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Permission is given with the understanding that none of the material will The ACRP carries out applied research on problems that are shared be used to imply TRB or FAA endorsement of a particular product, method, by airport operating agencies and are not being adequately or practice. It is expected that those reproducing the material in this addressed by existing federal research programs. It is modeled after document for educational and not-for-profit uses will give appropriate the successful National Cooperative Highway Research Program acknowledgment of the source of any reprinted or reproduced material. For and Transit Cooperative Research Program. The ACRP undertakes other uses of the material, request permission from CRP. research and other technical activities in a variety of airport subject areas, including design, construction, maintenance, operations, safety, security, policy, planning, human resources, and administra- NOTICE tion. The ACRP provides a forum where airport operators can coop- eratively address common operational problems. The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the Airport The ACRP was authorized in December 2003 as part of the Cooperative Research Program, conducted by the Transportation Research Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act.The primary Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research participants in the ACRP are (1) an independent governing board, Council. the ACRP Oversight Committee (AOC), appointed by the Secretary The members of the technical panel selected to monitor this project and of the U.S. Department of Transportation with representation from to review this report were chosen for their special competencies and with airport operating agencies, other stakeholders, and relevant indus- regard for appropriate balance. The report was reviewed by the technical try organizations such as the Airports Council International-North panel and accepted for publication according to procedures established and America (ACI-NA), the American Association of Airport Execu- overseen by the Transportation Research Board and approved by the tives (AAAE), the National Association of State Aviation Officials Governing Board of the National Research Council. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied in this report are those (NASAO), and the Air Transport Association (ATA) as vital links of the researchers who performed the research and are not necessarily those to the airport community; (2) the TRB as program manager and sec- of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, or the retariat for the governing board; and (3) the FAA as program spon- program sponsors. sor. In October 2005, the FAA executed a contract with the National Academies formally initiating the program. The ACRP benefits from the cooperation and participation of air- port professionals, air carriers, shippers, state and local government The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, the National officials, equipment and service suppliers, other airport users, and Research Council, and the sponsors of the Airport Cooperative Research research organizations. Each of these participants has different Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ interests and responsibilities, and each is an integral part of this names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the cooperative research effort. object of the report. Research problem statements for the ACRP are solicited period- ically but may be submitted to the TRB by anyone at any time. It is the responsibility of the AOC to formulate the research program by identifying the highest priority projects and defining funding levels and expected products. Once selected, each ACRP project is assigned to an expert panel, appointed by the TRB. Panels include experienced practitioners and research specialists; heavy emphasis is placed on including airport professionals, the intended users of the research products. The panels prepare project statements (requests for proposals), select contractors, and provide technical guidance and counsel throughout the life of the Published reports of the project. The process for developing research problem statements and selecting research agencies has been used by TRB in managing coop- AIRPORT COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM erative research programs since 1962. As in other TRB activities, are available from: ACRP project panels serve voluntarily without compensation. Primary emphasis is placed on disseminating ACRP results to the Transportation Research Board intended end-users of the research: airport operating agencies, service Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW providers, and suppliers. The ACRP produces a series of research Washington, DC 20001 reports for use by airport operators, local agencies, the FAA, and other interested parties, and industry associations may arrange for work- and can be ordered through the Internet at shops, training aids, field visits, and other activities to ensure that http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore results are implemented by airport-industry practitioners. Printed in the United States of America The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished schol- ars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and techni- cal matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Acad- emy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve- ments of engineers. Dr. Charles M. Vest is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academysí purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Acad- emy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Charles M. Vest are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is one of six major divisions of the National Research Council. The mission of the Transportation Research Board is to provide leadership in transportation innovation and progress through research and information exchange, conducted within a setting that is objective, interdisci- plinary, and multimodal. The Board’s varied activities annually engage about 7,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transporta- tion, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org ACRP COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT 11-03 COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAMS STAFF CHRISTOPHER W. JENKS, Director, Cooperative Research Programs CHAIR CRAWFORD F. JENCKS, Deputy Director, Cooperative Research JULIE KENFIELD Programs Jacobs Engineering Group, Inc. MICHAEL R. SALAMONE, Senior Program Officer EILEEN P. DELANEY,Director of Publications MEMBERS RANDALL P. BURDETTE ACRP SYNTHESIS STAFF Virginia Department of Aviation STEPHEN R. GODWIN, Director for Studies and Special Programs KEVIN C. DOLLIOLE JON M. WILLIAMS,Program Director, IDEA and Synthesis Studies Union Consulting, Inc. GAIL R. STABA, Senior Program Officer LINDA HOWARD DON TIPPMAN, Senior Editor Bastrop, Texas CHERYL KEITH, Senior Program Assistant ARLYN PURCELL DEBBIE IRVIN, Program Associate Port Authority of New York and New Jersey BURR STEWART TOPIC PANEL Seattle, Washington GARY FUSELIER,Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority ERIC JOHNSON,Washington State Department of Transportation MARK C. JUSTICE,Ohio Department of Transportation FAA LIAISON FRANK N. LISLE,Transportation Research Board PAUL DEVOTI XIANMING SHI,Montana State University QUINTON WATKINS, Prime Engineering, Inc., Atlanta ACI–NORTH AMERICA LIAISON RAYMOND ZEE,Federal Aviation Administration A.J. MULDOON PAUL L. FRIEDMAN,Federal Aviation Administration (Liaison) JEFF RAPOL,Federal Aviation Administration (Liaison) AIRCRAFT OWNERS AND PILOTS ASSOCIATION JOHN L. COLLINS TRB LIAISON CHRISTINE GERENCHER Cover figure:Construction of microsurfacing layer on runway. Credit:The Miller Group. FOREWORD Airport administrators, engineers, and researchers often face problems for which infor- mation already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and prac- tice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. As a consequence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a problem may not be brought to bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be overlooked, and due consideration may not be given to recommended practices for solving or alleviat- ing the problem. There is information on nearly every subject of concern to the airport industry. Much of it derives from research or from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their day- to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and evaluating such useful in- formation and to make it available to the entire airport community, the Airport Cooperative Research Program authorized the Transportation Research Board to undertake a continu- ing project. This project, ACRP Project 11-03, “Synthesis of Information Related to Air- port Practices,” searches out and synthesizes useful knowledge from all available sources and prepares concise, documented reports on specific topics. Reports from this endeavor constitute an ACRP report series, Synthesis of Airport Practice. This synthesis series reports on current knowledge and practice, in a compact format, without the detailed directions usually found in handbooks or design manuals. Each report in the series provides a compendium of the best knowledge available on those measures found to be the most successful in resolving specific problems. PREFACE This synthesis study is intended to inform airport pavement engineers and airport main- By Gail R. Staba tenance managers and personnel about how airports implement a pavement maintenance Senior Program Officer management program, including inspection and tracking pavement condition, scheduling Transportation maintenance, identifying necessary funds, and treating distresses in asphalt and concrete Research Board pavements. Information used in this study was acquired through a review of the literature and inter- views with airport operators and industry experts. Jerry Hajek, Jim W. Hall, and David K. Hein, Applied Research Associates, Inc., col- lected and synthesized the information and wrote the report. The members of the topic panel are acknowledged on the preceding page. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowledge avail- able at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand. CONTENTS 1 SUMMARY 5 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Purpose, 5 Background, 5 Methodology, 6 Report Organization, 7 9 CHAPTER TWO DESIGN OF AIRPORT PAVEMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS Airport Pavement Management Process, 9 Management and Technical Aspects, 9 12 CHAPTER THREE PAVEMENT INVENTORY AND EVALUATION Pavement Inventory, 12 Pavement Evaluation Principles, 12 Evaluation of Pavement Condition, 13 Condition Analysis, 15 Pavement Evaluation for Preventive Maintenance, 16 Pavement Performance Prediction, 16 18 CHAPTER FOUR TECHNOLOGY OF PAVEMENT PRESERVATION TREATMENTS Survey Results, 18 Catalog of Airport Pavement Preservation Treatments, 21 22 CHAPTER FIVE IDENTIFICATION OF NEEDS Levels of Service and Trigger Levels, 22 Identification of Needs, 23 27 CHAPTER SIX PRIORITIZATION, PLANNING, AND BUDGETING Prioritization, 27 Programming and Budgeting, 29 Computational Support, 31 33 CHAPTER SEVEN PROJECT DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION Project Design, 33 Project Implementation and Monitoring, 35 37 CHAPTER EIGHT OPERATION, SUSTAINABILITY, AND ENHANCEMENT Airport Pavement Management Systems Operation and Sustainability, 37 System Enhancement, 37 39 CHAPTER NINE CONCLUSIONS 41 GLOSSARY OF TERMS 43 REFERENCES 45 APPENDIX A SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE AND SURVEY RESPONSES 54 APPENDIX B CATALOG OF AIRPORT PAVEMENT PRESERVATION TREATMENTS COMMON AIRPORT PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE PRACTICES SUMMARY Every airport operator is faced with the need to maintain airside pavements in good order for safe and efficient aircraft operation using the available budget. This synthesis describes how airports of all sizes currently practice pavement maintenance. Decision making for maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) of airport pavements typ- ically consists of two stages of sequential decisions. The first stage involves identifying and prioritizing future pavement preservation needs, treatments, and projects, consider- ing the needs and priorities of all airport pavements together. The objective of this stage is to decide at a given time which pavement sections are prioritized to receive M&R treat- ments. The second stage consists of determining, using site-specific engineering consid- erations, what type(s) of M&R treatment is to be carried out on the previously selected sections. Although both stages are described in the synthesis, the emphasis was placed on the first stage, identifying and prioritizing future pavement preservation needs. The main challenge facing airport authorities is not which M&R treatment to use, but how to justify that M&R treatments are necessary, using a judicious and objective process, and to obtain funding for their implementation. In other words, the first priority is to select the right pavement sections for treatment. The synthesis describes pavement preservation practices and treatments for asphalt con- crete (AC) and portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements. Pavement preservation treat- ments for surface-treated and aggregate-surfaced pavements are not included. The technol- ogy of pavement preservation treatments is summarized in the Catalog of Airport Pavement Preservation Treatmentsin Appendix B. The Catalogcontains a description of 24 common pavement preservation treatments for AC and PCC airport pavements The synthesis addresses both M&R treatments because these two treatment types overlap, have a common goal, and work together to provide a cost-efficient pavement preservation program. Special attention was paid to describing the role of preventive maintenance in pave- ment preservation. Preventive maintenance is carried out to prevent premature pavement deterioration. Routine pavement maintenance that does not substantially improve the pave- ment surface is not included in the synthesis. The main sources of information were an extensive literature review and a survey of air- port pavement professionals representing individual airports or small groups of airports serv- ing one small geographical area. The survey was a four-page questionnaire and is included in Appendix A. The survey focused on the use and operation of airport pavement management systems (APMSs), evaluation of pavement conditions, procedures used to select M&R treat- ments, use of preventive maintenance, identification of pavement preservation needs, fund- ing sources, and the usage and field performance of common airport pavement preservation treatments. Survey responses were obtained from 50 pavement maintenance professionals, an 80% response rate for airports with daily aircraft operations ranging from a few to several thousand flights.