The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Pavement Management Program has examined and improved the quality of condition data to carry out pavement performance analysis and multiyear work planning. In 1995 the agency changed the way it gathered pavement condition data, moving from subjective windshield surveys to using automated condition survey equipment. In 1997 the agency acquired the staff and resources to examine these data and respond to concerns of district personnel that the data were inconsistent and not representative of actual conditions. At that time, VDOT acknowledged the need for a formal and large-scale quality assurance program for its pavement condition data. It was shown in 1998 that standardization of test methods and calibration of equipment for roughness measurement yielded data of much higher quality than that in previous years. Quality data are crucial to the sound functioning of a pavement management system. It has been found that ( a) distress data quality is a serious problem and the data can potentially be bad enough to be completely useless and ( b) improving or reengineering distress data quality requires a significant effort. A structured approach to develop and implement a pavement distress data quality program at VDOT is described, including the processes, statistical details, and a clear vision of needs. Most important, this reengineering effort involves attending to the data collection process by building controls at critical junctures during the project in order to deliver a quality data product in time and on budget.
The Washington State Department of Transportation (DOT) has about 2,400 lane miles of mainline concrete pavements. The pavements have far exceeded their design lives and have carried several times the estimated traffic loading. Initial Washington State DOT estimates place the cost of reconstructing and rehabilitating the concrete pavement network in the next 10 years at approximately $1.1 billion. However, as for most DOTs, Washington State's roadway preservation budget has been reduced. Maintaining a good performance level with reduced funding requires innovative techniques and the best investment choices. A preservation strategy was developed for the Washington State DOT's concrete pavement network to allow delay or avoidance of capital construction spending. The strategy accounts for current pavement conditions, predicted future conditions, and financial constraints. The DOT's pavements division uses a detailed four-step process to select the proper preservation methods for a project: (a) monitor the current concrete pavement performance annually, (b) use updated indices to evaluate pavement conditions, (c) scope the rehabilitation needs by the least life-cycle cost, and (d) propose preservation strategies within various scenarios of constrained funding. The state's pavement management system provides a framework for evaluating and monitoring the performance of the Washington State DOT's roadway investments.
A successful pavement management system requires an accurate pavement performance prediction model. A novel pavement performance model using the piecewise approximation approach was developed to estimate the pavement serviceable life. It can be broadly applied to estimate pavement performance of any distress types or indexes. The basic theory of the piecewise approximation is to divide the whole pavement serviceable life into three zones: Zone 1 for early age pavement distress, Zone 2 in rehabilitation stage, and Zone 3 for overdistressed situations. Historical pavement performance data are regressed independently in each time zone. This approach can accurately predict pavement distress progression trends in each individual zone by eliminating possible impacts from biased data in other zones. This paper describes the theoretical piecewise approximation process of data classification and model regression and then demonstrates an implementation for a group of Washington State Department of Transportation asphalt concrete pavements. The results are compared with the Mechanistic–Empirical Pavement Design Guide incremental damage approach, the current Washington State Pavement Management System (WSPMS) exponential model, and ordinary regression on all data points. Results indicate that the proposed approach is able to estimate the most accurate rehabilitation due year and to predict the performance trends for each divided zone. The piecewise approximation approach is planned for implementation into the WSPMS and will play an important role in decision making for future pavement rehabilitations.
Background Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) is a zero-slump concrete consisting of densegraded aggregate and sand, cementitious materials, and water. Because it contains a relatively small amount of water, it cannot be placed by the same methods used for conventional (slump) concrete. For pavement applications, the concrete is usually placed with an asphalt paver, and densified by compacting with a vibrating roller. The resulting pavement surface is not as smooth as slip-form concrete paving, so a common use of RCC is to construct pavements in industrial areas where traffic speeds are slower and there is a requirement for a tough, durable pavement. The low water-cement ratio (usually ranging from .30 to .40) provides for high strengths. Common design compressive strengths for pavements are in the range of 35-55 MPa (5,000-8,000 psi) in 28 days. The principal advantages of RCC are derived from the construction process. Construction costs are lower because there is less labor involved in placing the concrete (no formwork or finishing is required), and no reinforcing steel or dowels are used. With the low water-cement ratio there is less paste in the concrete matrix, so there is no bleed water and less shrinkage than in conventional concrete. The dominant role of aggregate in the concrete provides load transfer across control joints and cracks by using aggregate interlock, which eliminates the need for load transfer devices. The use of RCC as a material to construct pavements began in the 1970's in Canada. It was originally used by the logging industry to provide an all-weather platform for unloading logging trucks and storing and sorting logs. In the past 25 years it has gained acceptance as a strong and durable pavement material that can withstand heavy loads and severe climates with little required maintenance (Piggott 1999).
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