The Idaho Transportation Department strives to reduce deficient pavement, increase preventative maintenance and give motorists a safer and smoother ride. He term “deficient” is used to indicate that pavement has fallen below a certain threshold and requires structural remedy.

In 2009, ITD invested in a new pavement management system (PMS) that uses three measurement tools to determine if a pavement is deficient: the cracking index, the roughness index and the rutting index.

Pavement deficiencies on the state system have been reduced from 41 percent in 1993 to 13 percent by the end of 2011. The PMS became active on Dec. 17, 2010, and contains an analysis engine that applies the state’s construction history, decision processes and pavement performance curves to accurately and consistently predict pavement deterioration.

Capacity component grade: B
Condition component: B
Funding component: D-minus
Future need component: D-minus
Operation and maintenance component: D
Public safety component: C
Resilience component: D

Recommendations

• A new federal highway bill needs to be passed in order to provide a multi-year plan that establishes funding levels that ITD can plan and count on for developing its program.
• Additional state revenue needs to be identified no later than 2013, which would include as a minimum an additional $155 million annually for operation, preservation and restoration of the state highway system.
• Additional state revenue needs to be identified no later than 2013, which would include as a minimum an additional $207 million annually for capacity and safety enhancement for the state system.
• Address the compensation levels of all state employees to catch up with industry levels currently estimated to be 14-17 percent behind the industry, and in particular, other government agencies, to reduce the turnover rate.

Published 3-16-2012