Applied Research Associates, Inc.

Applied Research Associates, Inc. (ARA) is an international research and engineering company recognized for providing technically excellent solutions to complex and challenging problems in the physical sciences. In our Transportation Sector, this translates into providing innovative technologies and services in the areas of asset management, pavement engineering, and traffic monitoring. Our expertise in these areas allows highway agencies to better address the challenges they face in cost-effectively designing, constructing, and preserving a network of roadways, bridges, and related infrastructure.

Our mission is to provide in-depth and diversified engineering, research, and technical support services. We have a broad range of technical expertise in asset management, pavement design/analysis, computer modeling, data collection, software development, and information management. We also provide sophisticated technical products for pavement evaluation and video-based data collection.

ARA’s core services for local government include infrastructure asset management, pavement management, pavement engineering, and vehicle-based data collection. We are internationally recognized leaders in these fields, with decades of experience and hundreds of satisfied clients. Within each of these fields, our core services include:

Asset Management •Asset management system development and implementation •Enterprise-wide system integration •GASB 34 compliance review •On-site assistance •Geographic information systems (GIS) •Inventory and condition assessment surveys •Maintenance quality assurance

Pavement Management/Engineering •Pavement management systems •Design (new & rehabilitated pavements) •Pavement evaluation (distress, smoothness, structural capacity, etc.) •Construction quality assurance •Software •Research/training •Materials evaluation/specification

Vehicle-Based Data Collection •Pavement condition surveys •Digital/video images •Roadway profile ad rutting measurement •Sign inventories •Roadside asset inventories

Our research and training projects within each of these areas keep us at the cutting edge of technology, and our evaluation, design, and management projects keep us in touch with real-world concerns about highway pavements and asset management. The combined knowledge allows ARA to use the latest technology to develop cost-effective, yet practical solutions for our customers’ pavement-related needs.
Engineering Services