DOT&PF presents pavement asset‑management and asphalt quality assurance; committee asks for follow‑up on incentives and standards

Christine Langley, DOT&PF data modernization and innovation director, and Andrew Schultz, Northern Region quality assurance engineer, briefed the Senate Transportation Committee on March 24 about how the department tracks assets, enforces quality during construction, and monitors pavement condition over time.

Langley described the Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP), a four‑year plan that guides pavement, bridge and asset condition targets and funding scenarios. "Assets effectively are a life cycle," she said, describing how the department collects information via public reports, automated vehicle inspections, region crews and remote collection strategies for rural areas. Langley said DOT&PF aims to assess roughly 4,000 miles a year and publish aggregate data on its GIS GeoHub.

Schultz detailed the department's quality assurance approach: contractor quality control, agency acceptance testing, independent assurance by DOT laboratories, laboratory accreditation, technician qualification and dispute resolution using third‑party labs when contractor and agency test results diverge. He explained stratified random sampling tied to pay incentive/disincentive formulas and said inspectors retain authority to test at any time and at targeted locations when problems are suspected. "Our QA program ensures projects are built in accordance with the contract requirements before entering the monitoring phase," Schultz said.

Committee members raised specific concerns and potential policy levers: thermal imaging and material transfer devices to eliminate cold lumps, joint density standards and pay bonuses for joint heaters and notch‑wedge construction, improvements to roughness measurement and smoothness pay items, polymerization of asphalt related to studded tires, and sourcing asphalt within Alaska. DOT said material transfer devices are common, thermal cameras are used for inspection, joint density requirements are being tightened in the 2026 highway specifications, and that the department will return with further details.

Next steps: Committee members asked DOT&PF to return with more detailed proposals on contract incentives (temperature uniformity, joint bonuses), roughness measurement improvements and information on polymerized asphalt sourcing and specifications. The committee adjourned and plans to invite the department back for follow‑up discussion.