Warranty Administration in the Michigan Department of Transportation's Capital Preventive Maintenance Program

摘要

Preventive maintenance (PM) is a planned strategy of cost-effective treatments to an existing roadway system and its appurtenances that preserves the system, retards future deterioration, and maintains or improves the functional condition of the system without substantially increasing structural capacity. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) established its Capital Preventive Maintenance (CPM) program to preserve the structural integrity and extend the service life of the state trunkline network through a series of construction contracts. The program was initiated in 1992 with an approximate budget of $8 million and has grown to S77 million in 2004. Future budgets are projected to be $81 million in 2005, $85 million in 2006, and $89 million in 2007. In addition, there will be $43 million of additional Preserve First funds spent on PM in 2005-2007. Preserve First is a program that puts increased emphasis on preservation of MDOT''s existing transportation system rather than expanding it It was instituted in 2003 due to budgetary concerns and the department''s goal of having 90% of roads in good condition by 2007. Warranties play a major role in the department''s CPM program. With the growing number of warranty projects, the task of administering warranties and tracking the status of warranties is becoming increasingly important and increasingly difficult. Recognizing the importance of uniform criteria for administering warranties and reporting on warranties, the department created the Statewide Warranty Administration Team and has developed the Statewide Warranty Administration Database (SWAD). SWAD has been operational since October 2003. Through a series of canned reports that are produced monthly, it allows the department to track when warranty inspections are due, when warranties expire, and warranties that have had corrective action completed. These reports provide information on a statewide basis and also can break down information by region and by individual offices within a region (transportation service centers). The reports list projects with warranties (active and closed), total number of warranties (active and closed), •warranties hi conflict resolution, warranties requiring inspections (interim and final), and warranties with corrective action completed In addition, SWAD allows the department to obtain detailed information on individual warranties. Contractors are also allowed access to the database to assist them in managing their warranty projects. The information provided to contractors is for informational purposes only and contractors must agree to a disclaimer stating such before entering SWAD. Tracking warranties in the CPM program aids the department in making good decisions regarding project selection. The department has an annual call for projects in which the regions submit candidate projects for road and bridge projects. CPM projects are submitted only a year in advance to try to ensure that the right fixes are being done on the right pavements at the right tune. By tracking performance of warranty projects through SWAD, the department can determine where corrective action has been needed and determine areas of concern regarding performance. This is important to verify the appropriateness of project selections and to maximize the life extension of the CPM fixes and improve overall network pavement condition.