Long-Term Pavement Performance Program: Installation, Maintenance, and Data Services of Weigh-in-Motion Equipment

PROGRAM BACKGROUND: The Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) Office of Infrastructure Research and Development administers the Nation's Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program in cooperation with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), the National Academy of Science, and the State highway agencies. Started in 1987 as part of the Strategic Highway Research Program and managed by FHWA since 1992, the LTPP program studies the performance of in-service pavements. The primary goal of the program is to understand how and why pavements perform as they do. To accomplish this goal, researchers collect pavement performance data using standard data collection procedures and protocols on a variety of pavement types. This information is stored in a database that can be used by pavement engineers and researchers worldwide to advance the science of pavement engineering. Given the strong national interest in analyzing the pavement performance data collected at select LTPP test sites, in 2003, FHWA in partnership with the State highway agencies implemented the LTPP Specific Pavement Study Traffic Data Collection Pooled-Fund Study, TPF-5(004) to improve the quality and increase the quantity of monitored traffic data (classification and weight) needed to support analysis projects. Although this pooled-fund study has ended, the LTPP program continues to use the weigh-in-motion (WIM) installation, validation, calibration, maintenance, and data quality control procedures developed as part of the study to collect traffic data for some LTPP test sites. These national WIM procedures developed specifically for the LTPP program require in-depth knowledge of bending plate, quartz, and load cell WIM systems used by highway agencies and considerable resources that are not readily available in-house at FHWA. Therefore, contractor support is being sought to perform these anticipated WIM activities. SYNOPSIS: The potential awardee shall supply all the necessary facilities, equipment, materials, and personnel to install, maintain, and provide the data services for the WIM systems that meet the LTPP accuracy requirements (see table below) for steering and tandem axles, gross vehicle weight, vehicle length (bumper-to-bumper), vehicle speed, and axle spacing.