Our team is familiar with the pavement and asset management challenges that face municipal agencies across the United States and Canada. We understand the importance that high-quality condition data has in justifying and defending a variety of initiatives. Some examples of where we’ve recently made a positive impact are detailed below. From decades of continuity in data to the advancement of pavement management programs to millions of dollars in increased infrastructure funding – the IMS team offers practical solutions that make positive impacts.
Norman, Oklahoma
As IMS’ longest continuous client, we’ve collected nearly two decades of surface and structural condition data for Norman, Oklahoma. This data, which is collected annually, has provided the foundation for the city’s pavement maintenance and rehabilitation program. With almost 20 years of continuity in their data, the city has been able to advance the most optimal maintenance & rehabilitation (M&R) recommendations for their inventory. Our team is currently migrating the city’s existing pavement management system (PMS) to Easy Street Analysis (ESA), IMS’ in-house PMS. ESA will provide up to date, easy to navigate, and simple to understand analyses that will allow city staff to quickly prioritize system maintenance and rehabilitation.
Glendale, Arizona
As a trusted partner to Glendale, Arizona for over a decade, IMS has provided the city with multiple rounds of pavement and asset condition surveys, as well as pavement and asset management services for its network of 700 centerline miles of asphalt and concrete roads. Throughout the course of our work with the city, we’ve conducted pre and post-construction International Roughness Index (IRI) testing on rehabilitation projects, improved the management of pavement and right-of-way (ROW) assets, assisted in the archival of historical pavement condition and maintenance records, updated the sign inventory and condition database, provided geodatabases for guardrails and pavement markings, and assessed the effective life and performance of slurry seal preventive maintenance activities through advanced structural and surface distress evaluations. IMS has worked as a true extension of the city’s staff and has played a critical role in the advancement of their pavement management program over the last ten years.
Jacksonville, Florida
Maintaining continuity of historical data while transitioning to a new collection methodology is a challenge for many agencies. By leveraging 3D laser technology, our team eliminated the subjective variability often encountered with windshield operators, which ensured robust, reliable results for Jacksonville, Florida’s 3,700 centerline mile network. The city, which is the largest in the United States by land area, required faster and more repeatable techniques that would provide a better basis for decisions. Our team developed a method of calculating the pavement condition score for each section in a way that mirrored what had been done with historical windshield data. In addition to providing faster and more repeatable results, the city gained access to 360-degree imagery of their extensive road and right-of-way (ROW) assets.
Tampa, Florida
Following the loss of internal pavement management expertise, Tampa, Florida turned to our team to assist with the move to automated data collection, improving both the quality of the data and the speed in which it became available. Our team conducted a comprehensive pavement condition survey for 1,200 lane miles. Following collection, the processed data was available to review in ICC’s Connect™ software and was loaded into PAVER. The team provided expert guidance, stepping in to stabilize and even improve the pavement management program for the city.
Fort Worth, Texas
To accelerate the schedule of this large, $2.5M project for Fort Worth, Texas, IMS worked closely with the city to break the extensive roadway network of 4,800 miles into manageable zones. Our team collaborated with the city to customize the ASTM D6433 PCI calculation to account for different roadway functional classifications and surface types. In addition to the pavement survey and subsequent analyses, we performed an audit of the city’s pavement management system database, which included a review of GIS links, functional class, surface type, length, width, and number of lanes – guaranteeing accuracy of data. To preserve and build upon the city’s historical data, several customized fields were added to the pavement management database, providing continuity and visibility year over year. Following the completion of this project, the city authorized IMS to provide a comprehensive Lidar-based sidewalk and ADA pedestrian curb ramp compliance assessment of 2,556 miles of sidewalk. Using the existing data to group and classify assets, our team empowered the city to better identify infrastructure deficiencies.
Dallas, Texas
To meet a tight reporting deadline for Dallas, Texas, IMS deployed five (5) LCMS-2-equipped data collection systems in the winter of 2022 to collect 6,000 miles of roadway condition data in less than three (3) months. Our team collected a pilot area of data early in the project to ensure that the city’s team agreed with the results of our condition rating, the results of which were reported according to both the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) method described in ASTM D6433 and the Pavement Surface Cracking Index (PSCI) method described in ASTM E3303. Reported PCI values were used to track the city’s year-over-year pavement deterioration trends and to justify funding requirements.
The IMS Team also collected 300 miles of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) data. This information was used to identify the location and extents of composite (i.e., asphalt overlay concrete) pavements for upcoming rehabilitation activities. Knowing and validating the limits of composite pavements helps the city better estimate rehabilitation costs.
Lastly, the IMS Team co-presented with the city’s team at the 2023 APWA PWX conference in San Diego, California to showcase the potential benefits of incorporating the ASTM E3303 PSCI method into the City’s maintenance and rehabilitation planning process.
Long Beach, California
For nearly a decade, IMS has served Long Beach, California by assessing and managing 1,000 miles of city roads. To assist in the management of the city’s assets, our team conducted a needs analysis for the nine council districts, promoting a fairer distribution of funds among them rather than allocating the annual budget equally or based solely on mileage. Recently, Easy Street Analysis (ESA), IMS’ in-house management tool, was introduced to simplify analysis and usage by network and council district. Several online platforms were implemented through ESRI ArcGIS, all of which had the goal of improving information accessibility. A story map to share pavement management efforts with citizens, a dashboard to share road condition statistics and district plans with council members, and an online pavement management application for engineering staff were among these platforms. Residents and stakeholders throughout the city have access to an abundance of infrastructure data, improving transparency at every level of pavement management.
Lawton, Oklahoma
IMS assisted Lawton, Oklahoma with securing an increase in annual maintenance funding from $1.5M to 4.5M along with a one-time investment of $60M to improve infrastructure over the next five years. The city historically performed windshield surveys to capture data on their 515 centerline miles but transitioned to automated collection, which was managed by our team, in 2022. Following collection, we assisted the city in converting from the PavePro pavement management system (PMS) to IMS’ Easy Street Analysis (ESA) tool. Pavement condition scores were determined, and maintenance & rehabilitation (M&R) recommendations were developed. IMS presented these recommendations to Lawton City Council, resulting in the substantial increase in annual maintenance funding.
