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General

Public Law 103-305, section 107, amended Title 49, Section 47105, of the United States Code by requiring sponsor assurances on preventative maintenance for project applications involving airfield pavements. For any project to replace or reconstruct pavement, the sponsor must provide assurance to the FAA that they have implemented an effective pavement maintenance management program. The amendment also provides for the submittal of reports addressing the pavement condition and the management program.

The requirement to establish a pavement maintenance management program applies to any pavement at the airport which has been constructed, reconstructed, or repaired, with federal assistance. All grants involving pavement rehabilitation or reconstruction contain a grant assurance that addresses the pavement maintenance obligation.

Benefits of Pavement Maintenance

The goal of any maintenance program is to provide a safe and operable pavement for the least possible cost. An effective maintenance program will provide the owner with sufficient information to assess how to obtain the greatest return for funds expended.

The useable life of a pavement can be presented as a curve with pavement condition versus time. In the first several years of the pavement life, the deterioration in pavement condition over time is relatively low. However, at certain point in time, the deterioration of the pavement increases resulting in an accelerated drop in pavement condition.

Graph showing that $1 spent for preventative maintenance in year 10 is equivalent to $5 spent in year 16 of a pavements 20 year expected life

FIGURE 1
TYPICAL PAVEMENT LIFE CYCLE CURVE

The intent of the maintenance program is to keep the condition of the pavement high with the least amount of expenditures. Timely maintenance can renew the pavement condition and prolong the life of the pavement. The benefit of the maintenance program is knowledge of when and where to apply funds. As seen in Figure 1, it is cheaper to apply limited funds to a pavement when the condition is relatively good rather than applying additional funds to raise the condition from a lower value.

Pavement Maintenance Program

An effective pavement maintenance management program is one that details the procedures to be followed for the purpose of assuring that proper pavement maintenance, both preventative and repair, is performed. The program must address key elements that will permit tracking of pavement maintenance activities. As with all successful endeavors, the maintenance program must be provided with sufficient resources and commitment if it is to succeed.

An acceptable program must, as a minimum, address the following elements:

  1. Pavement Inventory
    The following must be depicted in an appropriate form and level of detail:
    • Location of all runways, taxiways, and aprons
    • Type of pavement
    • Dimensions
    • Year of construction or most recent major rehabilitation

    For compliance with the Airport Improvement Program assurances, pavements that have been constructed, reconstructed, or repaired with Federal financial assistance shall be so identified.
  2. Inspection Schedule
    1. Detailed Inspection. A detailed inspection must be performed at least once a year. If a history of recorded pavement deterioration is available, i.e. Pavement Condition Index (PCI) survey as set forth in Advisory Circular 150/5380-6. Guidelines and Procedures for Maintenance of Airport Pavements, the frequency of inspections may be extended to 3 years.
    2. Drive-by Inspection. A drive-by inspection must be performed a minimum of once per month to detect unexpected changes in the pavement condition.
  3. Record Keeping
    Complete information on the findings of all detailed inspections and on the maintenance performed must be recorded and kept on file for a minimum of five years. The types of distress, their locations, and remedial action, scheduled or performed, must be documented. The minimum information to be recorded is listed below.
    1. Inspection date
    2. Location
    3. Distress types
    4. Maintenance scheduled or performed

    For drive-by inspections, the date of inspection and any maintenance performed must be recorded.
  4. Information Retrieval
    An airport sponsor may use any form of record keeping it deems appropriate, so long as the information and records produced by the pavement survey can be retrieved to provide a report to the FAA as may be required.
  5. Reference
    Refer to Advisory Circular 150/5380-6, Guidelines and Procedures for Maintenance of Airport Pavements, for specific guidelines and procedures for maintaining airport pavements and establishing an effective maintenance program. Specific types of distress, their probable causes, inspection guidelines, and recommended methods of repair are presented.

Guidance for Developing a Pavement Maintenance Program

The FAA does not prescribed the exact format of the program. It may be established electronically or by hardcopy. Each airport should customize the collected information to best fit the needs, conditions, and resources of the airport. The selected system should allow an airport to develop an initial program that can evolve over time.

The FAA Central Region has prepared guidance to assist airport operators in preparing a pavement maintenance program. This guidance is not intended to, nor does it provide a complete program that can be immediately applied to all airports. Larger facilities will require a more extensive program to ensure proper tracking of the maintenance data.

Resources:

Advisory Circulars

  • AC 150/5380-6 - Guidelines and Procedures for Maintenance of Airport Pavements

Forms

  • Pavement Inventory Form: MS Word (29 KB), PDF (26 KB)
  • Pavement Inspection Form: MS Word (27 KB), PDF (29 KB)

Guidance

Updated: 1:11 pm ET July 28, 2008