The City of Galesburg was recently awarded a $100,000 Illinois Department of Transportation State Planning & Research (SPR) Grant to assess roadway conditions, and plan for future maintenance through development of a data collection and pavement management program. IDOT awards SPR grants to support planning and research in order to establish a comprehensive framework for transportation investment decisions.
In order to achieve these goals, the City of Galesburg will utilize the grant funds to collect pavement conditions throughout the City using automated, artificial intelligence pavement condition assessment equipment. This includes a three-year license to an asset management software program, and a five-year roadway asset investment plan. The information collected will be used to guide City staff in budgeting for and managing the City’s roadway network and ultimately lower the City’s costs of maintaining the roadways in the future.
In order for the City to productively maintain pavement roadways, it is important to have an accurate assessment of all current conditions in order to track and plan for required repairs in the near and long term. The three-year plan designed for these grant funds would begin with an automated, artificially intelligent pavement condition assessment followed by an update of the City’s asset inventory. The updated information will be linked to suitable deterioration curves and loaded into an asset management system. The software will provide a schedule for timely maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction decisions that lower the total cost of asset ownership. The software is equipped with reporting, maps and dashboards, which will give the City a comprehensive asset management system that aligns with best practices and standards.
“This grant allows the city to invest in software and tools, which are essential for state of the art pavement assessment and management,” said Michael Doi, Director of Public Works. “We are extremely grateful for the state and federal funds which have made this investment in planning for the future of our roadways possible.”
The project is anticipated to be implemented over a three year period of time, and help the City make data driven decisions for investments in the road network with the intent to lower the overall cost of asset ownership.
***Courtesy of the City of Galesburg***
