The Short Story

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Roads are precious assets. Like all precious assets they must be managed. The most effective way to do this is with a road plan, and RSMS software is the easiest, quickest way to develop a road plan. RSMS is also a great tool for historical record-keeping. Give the next person in your job a head start!

What is a Road Plan?

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A road plan is a formal document that provides answers to-among others-the following questions regarding your road network:

  • What shape is our network in?
  • Which roads to work on?
  • Why these roads?
  • Why not others?
  • When to work on them?
  • What is the right repair?
  • What will it cost?
  • What is the history of work (and expenditures) on each road?

    • Sounds hard, doesn't it? Not if you use Road and Sign Management Software!! Give it a try. Free trial versions of both RSMS 11 and RSMS 16 with full functionality are available for download from MaineDOT.

    Your Road Plan

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    A road plan must be objective, consistent with municipal priorities, and easily defensible with stakeholders, most notably the residents and taxpayers who drive and fund the road network. The amount of data and analysis required to develop a proper plan makes the task virtually impossible to perform manually. The RSMS family of software products provides tools that makes the process of plan development not only possible, but relatively painless. A manageable quantity of data describing your road network is first collected, then entered into the software program. Then, in a matter of hours ,a credible high-level first cut road plan can be developed.

    Steps to a Road Plan

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    Development of a road plan using one of the RSMS products is a straightforward, step-by-step process that requires only limited computer proficiency. Knowledge of road engineering and repair treatments is entirely optional. A summary description of the steps to a road plan follows. The RSMS software provides the necessary tools and guidance to you every step of the way in developing your road plan:

  • Collect data (inventory and condition surveys).
  • Run reports to verify data entry accuracy.
  • Run Network Overview graphical charts...Voila! Now you've got the big picture view of the condition of your network.
  • View the detail underlying the Network Overview charts and begin to develop priorities.
  • Choose road treatments from a list of appropriate recommended repairs, develop schedule and budget.
  • Run financial reports to review budget and adjust and time-phase as needed.
  • After work is performed, enter actual costs and detailed notes including documents (such as contracts), pictures, and even movies..
  • Even if you feel you can remember all these details and don't want to make the effort to document them please consider the tremendous value of this objective historical information to those who come after you. Knowing the history of a road (condition surveys, work performed, $$$ budgeted and spent) can be worth its weight in gold....(or asphalt)!