Understanding Asset Management Systems Utilized by Municipalities in Massachusetts
Funding Source: MassDOT
Title: Understanding Asset Management Systems Utilized by Municipalities in Massachusetts
Date: September 2022
Status: Completed
Summary: A MassDOT goal is to have an overall idea of the pavement condition of state and local roads in Massachusetts. This study cataloged the different pavement management systems (PMS) being used by municipalities, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and Regional Planning Agencies (RPAs) throughout Massachusetts. A comprehensive literature review was performed. An internet-based survey was developed and administered to Massachusetts local/regional agencies. Some follow-up interviews were conducted. The potential for using a unified PMS software within the state was explored. The study compared 13 different PMS software programs currently being used in Massachusetts. Each has unique approaches to condition data collection. Each calculates distress/condition indices differently, thus the same condition data could yield different results when calculated using different software programs. The potential of using a unified PMS software for MPOs/RPAs in Massachusetts was explored. Vendors held virtual demonstrations of selected PMS software; there was no consensus on software preference reached. Overall, this study helps outline the existing PMS state of practice at the local and regional level in Massachusetts and identifies obstacles that lay ahead in achieving MassDOT’s goal to have an overall idea of the pavement condition in Massachusetts, for both state and local roads.
