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Committee lays over bill to set asset-sustainability ratio targets for state pavements
Summary
Representative Cagle introduced legislation to set statutory targets for the asset-sustainability ratio (ASR) for state pavements; MnDOT and industry witnesses said targets would encourage preservation, better planning and long-term savings.
House File 1521 would set statutory targets for an asset-sustainability ratio (ASR) intended to measure whether investments in pavements keep pace with system deterioration. The committee laid the measure over after testimony from MnDOT veterans and pavement-industry representatives.
Glenn Angstrom, formerly of MnDOT and now with the Aggregate and Asphalt industries, told the committee that an ASR of 1 indicates the state is replacing each year’s pavement deterioration in full; a value below 1 means the system is losing ground. “A ratio of 1 means we're keeping up,” Angstrom said, adding that targets would encourage preservation techniques — such as crack sealing, chip seals and thin asphalt overlays — that extend pavement life at lower cost than reconstruction.
Brandon Braver of the Minnesota Asphalt Pavement Association and Dan Labo of the Concrete Paving Association said preservation is cheaper than rebuilding and pointed to research partnerships (including MnROAD) that support longer-lasting techniques and better design choices. Labo cited the most recently available capital plans showing an ASR near 0.5 over the next 10 years and said that level implies the system would lose roughly two years of life for every one year purchased.
Witnesses urged the committee to set reasonable, evidence-based targets and to use the ASR as a performance metric to avoid siphoning pavement funds into lower-priority projects. The bill’s language includes phased targets and a minimum ASR provision; Committee members encouraged continued work with MnDOT on modeling and funding implications.
Action
- House File 1521 laid over for possible inclusion; committee asked MnDOT and industry partners to continue analysis and modeling of targets.
Why it matters
Setting ASR targets is intended to make pavement investment decisions more predictable and to emphasize preservation strategies that extend life and reduce long-term costs. Several witnesses said modest, early investments in preservation avoid later expensive reconstructions.
