Airfield Pavement Management
Challenge
Airports and aviation agencies are challenged with the difficult job of addressing an often-growing backlog of pavement repair needs with limited fiscal resources. To efficiently optimize the stewardship of available resources, airports and aviation agencies need computerized databases and analysis tools that incorporate:
- Pavement inventory and condition information
- Performance models that accurately predict future pavement performance
- Decision support tools to select projects and pavement treatments over a multi-year period and to evaluate the long-term impacts of project priorities
- Reports and graphical tools for communicating information to a broad range of stakeholders
Solution
ARA has implemented airside and landside pavement management systems for hundreds of commercial, general aviation, and military airfields worldwide. ARA is one of the largest users of the industry standard MicroPAVER software, with hundreds of implementations worldwide. We are also assisting the FAA with the development and deployment of the web-based PAVEAIR software.
To accommodate a range of airfield conditions, we offer both manual and automated pavement evaluation methods. Our manual surveys are conducted by engineers and technicians highly trained in use of the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) procedures, and our automated surveys are conducted using digital survey vehicles equipped with digital cameras, laser systems, and a global positioning system (GPS). Additionally, ARA offers an innovative approach to assessing pavement structural conditions through the use of nondestructive testing techniques to generate accurate Aircraft Classification Number/Pavement Classification Number (ACN/PCN) values.
To further facilitate access to meaningful pavement-related data—without having to search through technical reports or purchase specialized software—ARA offers a web-based application called AirView that allows airports to communicate system-wide airfield information to a diverse set of stakeholders.
ARA has provided pavement management services at more than 1,000 airports worldwide, including more than 100 United States and Canadian Air Force bases, 11 statewide airport systems, and dozens of commercial airports.
