Regional pavement-data program expands; workshop planned to share preservation practices

TPO staff updated the technical committee on the regional pavement data collection and pavement-management project (PMS2) on Sept. 9. Craig said the program, which began earlier in the decade, expanded participating local governments and agencies for the second round of collection and analysis.

Key points: the project budget is approximately $1.6 million, the data-collection effort covers about 4,000 miles of roadway, and Applied Pavement Technologies is the consultant processing the field data. The project has completed 2024 and 2025 collection for partners slated in the current timeline; Knox County’s updated dataset and summary reports were said to be pending delivery to the county. The consultant is processing the data collected in July and August and staff expect updated reports to partners by the end of the calendar year.

Staff emphasized the program’s purpose: to maintain an asset inventory, track pavement condition and deterioration curves, and provide budget analyses to help agencies prioritize preservation over reactive repair. The project also includes training and a regional maintenance-and-preservation workshop; staff announced a full-day workshop at the City of Knoxville Public Works Service Center and encouraged public-works staff to attend. The speaker referenced a workshop date (the meeting record contains both Oct. 21 and Oct. 25 in remarks and slide references); staff said official calendar invites and registration details will be distributed.

Why it matters: Regular condition data and preservation planning help local agencies optimize maintenance budgets, extend pavement life and coordinate contractor capacity across jurisdictions.

Next steps: Complete processing for the current round, deliver agency reports by year end, conduct the preservation workshop (date and registration to be confirmed), and plan next collection round in summer 2026 under FY26 funding.