Road Quality Working Group June 11, 2015 1
Why do roads fail? PRIMARY CULPRIT: Alkali/silica reaction, or ASR, which causes concrete to expand and crack when exposed to moisture over time Road damage from the problem has been widespread in southeast Michigan, according to a 2006 study sponsored by the Michigan Concrete Paving Association. The study found ASR in all 23 core samples taken from 12 roads in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties. That study noted issues of concrete durability have arisen with some of the pavements built after 1990. - Detroit Free Press, (1/27/15) 2
Why should we focus on road quality? (Billions of $) 5 4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Current Funding Proposal 1 No Further Degradation Slowly Improve Save Money Lower Cost Road System Extended Life Savings Re- Prioritize Existing Funds Tax Increase Base Funding 3
Who is truly an advocate for a lower cost road system? LOWER COSTS Don t get back often enough - Anonymous Road Contractor HIGHER COSTS 4
How to lower cost of road system Build longer- lasting roads Use more efficient construction methods Remove regulatory restrictions 5
Are there ways to build longer lasting roads? For 15% higher construction costs (labor and materials), 4X design life 6
What is the financial benefit of longer-lasting roads? (Billions of $) $50.00 $45.00 $40.00 $35.00 $30.00 $25.00 $20.00 $15.00 $10.00 $5.00 ~$20B in Savings over 10 Years Does this graph look familiar? $- 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 V1 Road Maintence Cumulative V1 Road Maintenance V2 Road Maintenance Cumulative V2 Road Maintenance 7
How do we fix the roads? $5.00 $4.50 $4.00 Short Term (Priorities) Opportunity to Cut Vehicle Registration Fees by 50% Sustainable within current funding Less money needed to maintain our roads due to longer life Upgrade Complete in 35 Years 120% 100% (Billions of $) $3.50 $3.00 $2.50 $2.00 $1.50 80% 60% 40% $1.00 $0.50 20% $- 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039 2040 2041 2042 2043 2044 2045 2046 2047 2048 2048 2048 0% Base Funding Growth Dedicated to Roads GF Available for Other Purposes Prioritize Existing Revenue Expense Reductions Dedicated to Roads % Upgraded to V2 Roads 8
Time to Upgrade % Upgraded to V2 120% 100% 80% 60% 40% More money upfront leads to faster upgrade 20% 0% 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039 2040 2041 2042 2043 2044 2045 2046 2047 2048 2048 2048 $5.2B $4.5B $3.9B* $3.3B* *Best case scenario. Degradation acceleration likely to extend time further than depicted if initial funding is less than $4.5B. 9
Are there more efficient construction methods? Full-depth reclamation (FDR) Removal of failed Portland cement concrete pavement and the construction of a stabilized reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) and aggregate base with an engineered asphalt emulsion Replaces Mill and Fill method $11M Roads & Risk project in Monroe County became a $5M project Pothole Patching DuraPatcher, Patchmaster, JetPatcher patches last 2-3 years Replaces Cold Patch which lasts 2-3 weeks 10
What are the regulatory hurdles? Federal State EPA Fly Ash: A common way to reduce the alkalinity in the cement is to add fly ash, a byproduct of burning coal. The fly ash essentially waterproofs the concrete FHA Design Standards: Typically reference ASHTO standards Highway Advertising Act: Restricts usage of roads and bridges plus rights of ways MDOT Design Standards ECT: Locals reticent to use unless authorized by MDOT Re- bar: Re- bar eliminated due to corrosion (still used in IL and WI). Corrosion exists due to moisture. Enhances durability of road and compensates for variations in road bed. Procurement Standards No incentive for Total Life Cycle Cost reductions 11
How do we enforce a lower cost road system? MDOT Policy Warranties Metrics We DO NOT want the legislature in the road specification business 12
MDOT Policy Validate Longer-Life Design Independent Study (LTU) Major Road Project Update Design Policy Notify Local Road Agencies Notify Suppliers Increase Weight Factor for Total Lifecycle Cost in MDOT Road Bids 13
Warranties How do you enforce a warranty? What are the functional requirements (e.g. Design Life, Load Profile)? Who designed road? Who verified that the design met the functional requirements? Who built road? Who verified it was built in accordance with design specifications? Were vehicle weights monitored to ensure compliance with load profile? Who is tracking this data? 14
Metrics Update Transportation Appropriations Bill Define Key Metrics # lane-miles State County City # lane-miles improved Condition of roads State County City Cost per lane-mile Define Annual Targets Monitor Progress Towards Targets Adoption of SB 111 will enable 10,000,000 inspectors 15
Road Quality Action Plan Longer- Lasting Roads Better Construction Methods Regulatory Reform Enforcement Short- term prioritization Long- term sustainability ECT FDR Advanced Patch Techniques Federal EPA FHA State MDOT Warranties Metrics 16