Checklists Make Preservation Perfect

In the mid-2000s, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published a set of checklist pocket guides to help state and local highway preservation, maintenance and inspection staff. The FHWA said the goal of the checklists was to help these professionals use “innovative pavement preservation techniques.”

However, anyone in our industry knows that what was innovative in the mid-2000s is likely standard practice today. That’s why the FHWA has revised its old checklists and created new checklists for additional strategies.

In keeping with the FHWA’s e-construction initiative, the Administration has launched a free mobile app to make these checklists easier to access and assist agencies and contractors with the transition to a paperless construction environment.

The app, called Checklist, allows users to create a file for each project and choose appropriate checklists for that project. Users can also use the project file to collect notes and add pictures to the checklists. It’s also possible to export project file checklists from the app, as well as accompanying notes and photos as a PDF to share or save.

Checklist houses a wide variety of checklists outlining key activities to perform before, during, and after pavement and maintenance construction activities.

For example, the app’s microsurfacing checklist outlines documents to review before the project begins, including project plans, specifications and special provisions; the traffic control plan; safety data sheets; and a handful of other important documents. It also guides the user through a review of the project to ensure it is a good candidate for microsurfacing and specific types of distress to watch for. There is also a checklist related to materials (aggregate moisture content, asphalt emulsion temperature, etc.), steps to prepare the surface (patching has been completed, thermoplastics removed, etc.), equipment inspection checklists (sweeper, microsurfacing paver and spreader box, etc.), weather requirements (temperature, humidity and wind recommendations), and application rates and calibration tasks. The checklist then guides the user through best application practices for every step of the process, including opening the road to traffic and troubleshooting common issues.

The latest series of pavement preservation checklists on the app includes resources on crack treatment, chip seal, thin hot-mix overlays, fog seals, slurry and scrub seals, microsurfacing, cold in-place recycling, patching, full-depth reclamation, and ultrathin bonded wearing courses, among other topics.

The app is available for both iOS and Android devices. On Android devices, search the app store for “pavement preservation checklist,” and on Apple devices, the app can be found by searching for “Iowa State University pavement preservation.” The checklists are also available as PDFs from the FHWA website at fhwa.dot.gov/pavement/preservation/ppcl00.cfm

The checklists are part of the FHWA’s Every Day Counts (EDC) program, which promotes strategies for the improvement of the United States’ transportation systems.