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A workshop was held in Sacramento on June 2 1 -22,2001, to develop research problem statements related to pavement preservation. The workshop was a ioint effort among the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and the Foundation for Pavement Preservation (FPP). The California Department of Transportation hosted the 2-day meeting.
Participants at the workshop included FHWA, AASHTO members, FPP members, and academia. Dr. Jon Epps of Granite Construction, Inc., facilitated the meeting.

The purpose of the workshop was to gather practitioners from various maintenance disciplines around the United States to discuss research needs in the pavement preservation arena. The outcome was to be a series of problem statements that the partners could promote for funding and study.

A total of 50 research problem statements were initially identified and grouped in the following areas:
1 . Construction practices,
2. Materials selection and design,
3. Treatment strategies and selection,
4. Performance evaluation,
5. Training, and
6. Policy.

The participants prioritized the proiects and the number of proiects was then reduced to a total of 22. Project statements were prepared for each of these topics.

This report was prepared documenting the findings of the workshop and the resulting research proiect statements. The report is available from FHWA or FPP.

Highways are the backbone of the American transportation system, moving the vast majority of the Nation?s products and goods, and providing the vital link between all modes of transportation. As the foundation of the Nation?s economy, highways have made it possible for the American people to enjoy, benefit from, and essentially take for granted, the ability to safely and efficiently travel wherever and whenever they wish.

As the Nation moves into the heart of the 21st century, the highway system is largely a victim of its own success. The economic growth made possible by the highway system has fueled tremendous increases in the demands placed on it. At the same time, the Nation?s investment in highway infrastructure has not kept pace with these growing demands. These circumstances present highway agencies with many critical challenges, including:
?The need to extend the service life of existing highway infrastructure.
?The need to build, rehabilitate, and rebuild infrastructure in ways that:
?Minimizes the impact of construction activities on already congested highways.
?Optimizes the overall cost/benefit for the improved infrastructure.
?Facilitates future adaptation to accommodate changing demands.
?The need to effectively address the mobility challenges posed by natural or man-made extreme events and hazards?including earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, collisions, and acts of terrorism?by designing and constructing less vulnerable infrastructure to minimize loss, and employing rapid restoration techniques to restore functionality after a disaster occurs.

Effectively addressing these challenges will require a multifaceted, multidisciplinary, and collaborative approach. Success will require active involvement on the part of highway stakeholders from all levels of government; the highway design, materials, and construction communities; and academia. Success also will require work spanning the full technology continuum?from fundamental sciences and advanced research to create new knowledge, materials, and systems; through applied R&D; to effective technology transfer and deployment?as well as policy and program management initiatives.

This strategic plan addresses one facet of the required approach?the work that needs to be pursued by the FHWA Office of Infrastructure R&D. In addition to guiding FHWA?s infrastructure R&D, it will serve as a foundation for collaboration with other FHWA units and offices, and stakeholders throughout the highway community.

The approach articulated in this plan is founded on the ideal that FHWA?s emphasis should be on a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and crosscutting approach to highway infrastructure research. This approach recognizes the following principles.
?Pavements and bridges function as an integrated system, instead of independent elements within a highway
? Although the fundamental structure and components of pavements and bridges are quite distinct, some R&D needs are common to both.
? Only by using all facilities and assets available within FHWA?s Office of Infrastructure R&D, and working collaboratively with counterparts in other FHWA offices and stakeholders throughout the highway community, will we be able to leverage our resources with the other resources required to address the wide range of needs and issues in the near and long terms