Pavement Management System (PMS)

A pavement management system (PMS) is a set of procedures that collects, stores, analyzes and reports pavement data. It helps an airport keep its pavements in a safe, serviceable condition for the least cost over a set period. The FAA uses three names for the same thing: pavement management program (PMP), pavement maintenance-management program (PMMP) and PMS.

What a PMS does

A PMS gives an airport a consistent, objective way to set priorities and schedules, allocate resources and budget for maintenance and rehabilitation. It rates the present condition of a pavement and predicts its future condition. It then compares repair options on a life-cycle cost basis.

The FAA states that keeping a pavement in good condition costs four to five times less than rehabilitating a pavement in fair to poor condition. A PMS helps an airport find the best time for each treatment.

What a PMS contains

The FAA lists these functions:

A database of the pavement structure, condition, maintenance and cost history.
An objective and repeatable system to rate pavement condition.
Procedures to predict future condition.
Procedures to find the budget that keeps a pavement at a set PCI level.
Procedures to form and rank maintenance and rehabilitation projects.

A PMS divides an airport into a network, branches and sections. The network is all the pavement on the airport. A branch is one runway, taxiway or apron. A section is the smallest unit for which the airport selects a treatment.

Condition data

Most PMS software uses the pavement condition index (PCI). The PCI is a number from 0 (failed) to 100 (new). A visual survey gives it. ASTM D5340 covers airport pavements and ASTM D6433 covers roads and parking lots. The FAA lists roughness, friction and non-destructive tests as extra data for project-level decisions.

A US airport that receives federal funds must make a detailed inspection of its airfield pavements at least once a year. A PCI survey to ASTM D5340 can extend the interval between detailed inspections to three years. The airport must keep records of the date, the location, the distress types and the maintenance.

Software and standards

PAVER and FAA PAVEAIR are two PMS applications. The FAA accepts any software that meets the minimum requirements in AC 150/5380-7B, Appendix A. The AC is mandatory for projects that use Airport Improvement Program grants or passenger facility charges.

ICAO Annex 14 does not name a PMS. It requires a preventive and corrective maintenance programme for the surfaces of movement areas.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between network-level and project-level management?

Network-level management answers questions about budgets, the overall condition and which pavements need work. Project-level management chooses the most cost-effective repair for each pavement that the network analysis picked. At project level, each pavement should have a new detailed condition survey.

How often must a US airport inspect its pavement for the PMS?

A federally obligated airport must make a detailed inspection of its airfield pavements at least once a year. If it makes a PCI survey to ASTM D5340, the detailed inspection by PCI survey may be extended to three years. These inspections are in addition to the routine maintenance inspections for operations.

Are PMS, PMP and PMMP different things?

No. AC 150/5380-7B states that the terms pavement management program (PMP), pavement maintenance-management program (PMMP) and pavement management system (PMS) are interchangeable.

This is a reference entry. TarmacView provides drone inspection services and doesn't sell the equipment or materials described in this glossary.

What is a Pavement Management System (PMS)?