WHERE ARE MY INDEX CARDS?

At this point, I need to point out that there are other types of pavement management software out there and even if you just go out and look at the roads, and rate them on a scale of 0 to 5 or 0 to 10 you might use the Wisconsin Pacers Rating System like the folks in Fayette County, GA are doing (using the Pacers Rating System from Wisconsin) or at least that methodology.

And Georiga DOT has a system called PACES, that they may come in to your local agency and ask you to consider using, and they might say that the motor grader operator can go out and look at the roads, and use the identification techniques but here is the bottom line. You know, you maybe have just inherited about 200 million dollars worth of infrastructure. Do you really want your motor grader operator performing pavement distress surveys? (no offense intended, I am a former heavy equipment operator in another chapter in my book of life).

Now if you can go out with your guys or with a professional consulting firm and manage that pavement for two cents a square yard, I would highly recommend you get it into a software system that has some history, that’s easy to use, that you can print off reports like when the County Commission calls you up: the Chairman says, “hey, I got a extra million dollars to spend.” You are going to be able to go and ten minutes or less, and change that budget scenario.

During our discussion in this book we talk about StreetSaver® and MicroPAVER™, because these are the two most popular pavement management systems in the world. They are both publicly available, without having to go through a proprietary purchase from a sole source vendor or consulting firm. Furthermore, our consulting side of the business, www.thebarnhardtgroup.com uses these two software systems exclusively for their city and county clients across America.

I specifically like the fact that FHWA recognizes these two systems, and as far as I can tell, they are the only two pavement management software systems that are ASTM 6433 approved.

That being said, I would encourage you as a local agency, trying to set up a pavement management system for the first time in your life to investigate all of the options that are available to you at the time in your specific region and meet your specific needs.

So, real quick disclaimer here folks… Again, some of the views we’ll talk about in this book are really not views of our Academic Partners (TBD), NCAT (National Center for Asphalt Technology) or IPMA™ Charter Members, or the IPMA™ Advisory Board, or any of our members and partners for that matter.

Sometimes I might just tell you some personal thoughts as I write this book, and I am open to any and all feedback along the way whoever you are reading this book.

The Barnhardt Group, LLC.

Atlantic Division
1017 Ector Drive Nw
Kennesaw, GA 30152
Phone 404-316-9792
Fax 678-398-9014

Pacific Division
1001 Bayhill Drive, Ste. 200
San Bruno, CA 90466
Phone 650-922-0469
Fax 650-616-4001

Blair Barnhardt, CEO

blair@thebarnhardtgroup.com