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As road agencies that are strapped for cash look for ways to optimize their limited dollars, many are taking a much closer look at the practice of pavement preservation.

Pavement preservation techniques are being promoted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials (AASHTO) as cost-effective and environmentally sustainable strategies designed to extend the life of existing pavements before they deteriorate substantially.

Pavement preservation techniques include nonstructural preventive maintenance surface treatments such as crack sealing, chip sealing, micro surfacing, rejuvenation, hot and cold in-place recycling and thin-lift hot-mix asphalt paving; and structural preservation techniques used in concrete pavement restoration (CPR).

Pavement preservation methods prolong pavement life, avoiding high future costs of reconstruction or rehabilitation through the expenditure of lesser amounts of money at critical points in a pavement’s life. Pavement preservation pays off in both the short and long term. Experience shows that spending a dollar on pavement preservation can eliminate or delay spending $6 to $10 on future rehabilitation or reconstruction costs.

We at FP² Inc. support the adoption of pavement preservation at all levels of government, and work to ensure pavement preservation becomes a part of road programs from coast-to-coast. We invite you to browse these pages to learn more about pavement preservation, and view our quarterly magazine, Pavement Preservation Journal.

June 15 Deadline Looms for 2012 Sorenson Award

June 15 is the deadline for nominations for the 2012 James B. Sorenson Award for Excellence in Pavement Preservation, presented by FP² Inc.

Jim Sorenson (1949-2009) was senior construction and system preservation engineer, FHWA Office of Asset Management, and he was a great champion of pavement preservation at the national level. The pavement preservation industry had no greater friend and we honor his memory with the Sorenson Award.

Intended to recognize agency pavement preservation, the Sorenson award is usually, but not always, presented to city and county agencies. To nominate an agency, please include a brief write-up of how the agency gained acceptance and support for its pavement preservation program; how long the program has been in existence, any special or unique public awareness actions; press releases; the contact person in the agency; and the person or firm making the nomination.

Criteria to evaluate candidate agencies include: process used to gain acceptance by elected officials, general public, employees, and industry (40 percent); how well the program relates to the theme of The Right Treatment, for the Right Road, at the Right Time (20 percent); tangible improvement in their system (20 percent); techniques used to keep public notified of what is being done and why (10 percent); and uniqueness of program (10 percent).

For more information, or to submit nominations, please contact FP² ‘s executive director, Jim Moulthrop, at 7400 Anaqua Drive, Austin, Tex., 78750, or by e-mail at jmoulthrop@fugro.com.