The Highway Development and Management System in Washington State

Abstract

The Highway Development and Management System (HDM-4) developed by the World Bank is a powerful pavement management software tool capable of performing technical and economic appraisals of road projects, investigating road investment programs, and analyzing road network preservation strategies. Its effectiveness is dependent on the proper calibration of its predictive models to local conditions. Although significant work has been done in calibrating and applying HDM-4 worldwide (especially in developing nations), no substantial effort has been made within the United States. This paper describes the calibration and application of HDM-4 (Version 1.3) to the Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) road network. WSDOT hopes to use HDM-4 to supplement its existing Washington State Pavement Management System (WSPMS) in long-term pavement performance and financial needs. Significant findings are that (a) HDM-4 can be used to analyze the WSDOT road network, (b) HDM-4 was successfully calibrated for the network, (c) the network requires calibration factors significantly different than HDM-4 default values, (d) software issues seem to prevent use of HDM-4 portland cement concrete pavement analysis, and (e) WSDOT can use HDM-4 to predict pavement preservation budgets quickly, select optimal preservation strategies under varying budget levels, and assist in determining the long-term effects of different funding scenarios on the road network.