AASHTO Journal - AASHTOWare Project Preps for Modernization Initiative

To help it keep pace with the rapid evolution of transportation technology, AASHTOWare – a division of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials – is preparing to launch a five-year “modernization initiative” for its AASHTOWare Project software package.

[Above image by AASHTO]

AASHTOWare offers a suite of software products delivered through a collaborative business model with state departments of transportation across the country. The AASHTOWare Project software package manages information and data throughout an infrastructure project’s lifecycle – from construction and material management to cost estimation and data collection.

AASHTOWare Project modernization initiative is characterized as a “replatforming” effort focused on four major goals:

Software system updates concluded in hours or days, not over a months-long cycle.
Security compliance and hosting will now be centrally managed, reducing burden on individual agency information technology or IT teams.
Automatic system “scaling” so peak usage periods no longer result in slower operation.
Streamlined workflows, reduced manual input, and an interface that supports workforce retention and simplifies onboarding.

During this modernization makeover for the AASHTOWare Project package, legacy and modernized systems will run side-by-side throughout the transition, stressing that no agency will be asked to move until their new software operating environment is fully validated for their specific workflows.

“This has been a deliberate, agency-informed evolution years in the making to help the tools our agencies rely upon to manage construction, materials, and project delivery match the pace of change occurring across the transportation technology landscape,” noted Keith Platte, AASHTOWare director.

[Editor’s note: Below is a video offering an overview of the AASHTOWare Project modernization effort.]

“For over 25 years, AASHTOWare Project has been through every digital architectural era – from the rigid grids of the mainframe world to client-server networks and, eventually, the cloud environment,” noted Kathy Terrio, contract administrator for the Montana Department of Transportation and chair of the task force overseeing this AASHTOWare Project modernization endeavor.

“Now we’re making the ultimate leap into a modern, true SaaS [Software-as-a-Service] platform,” she explained. “We’re shedding the upgrade headaches and performance bottlenecks. We’re honoring the roots, protecting the data, and completely accelerating how we deliver AASHTOWare Project now and in the future. What comes next is full of possibility and we’re only at the beginning of the journey.”