The assessment of pavement conditions and their evolution with time is a crucial component for the establishment of pavement quality management (QM) plans and the implementation of QM practices. An effective pavement management system (PMS) is based on pavement conditions data continuously collected along the lifetime of a road. These data are used to model the pavement response, evaluate its performances, and trigger the necessary maintenance actions when they do not meet previously defined performance indicators. In the last decades, pavement monitoring via embedded sensing technologies has attracted more and more attention. Indeed, the integration of sensors in the road pavement allows the assessment of the complete history of pavement conditions, starting from sensor installation. Once the technologies are stabilized, collecting this information is expected to help road managers to define more effective asset management plans. This paper first proposes an overview of the most used devices for pavement instrumentation, categorized according to the measured parameters. Then a review of some prominent instrumented sections is presented by focusing on the methodology used for data interpretation.

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The environmental challenges facing society today are forcing the road construction industry to tackle the twin challenges of decreasing consumption of nonrenewable raw materials and limiting its carbon impacts. Yet, roadworks can deliver some genuine environmental benefits, along with low greenhouse gas emissions, by becoming a carbon sink. Recycling very high proportions of road construction materials and gradually incorporating bio-based products into their composition is now a proven solution. To this end, Eiffage Route has developed a range of plant-based binders, suitable for recycling, which incorporate a high proportion of materials recovered from existing pavement. This article reviews the so-called Biophalt innovation that won the 2019 award presented at the Road and Street Innovation Committee established by the Transport Infrastructure Department of the French Ministry of the Ecological Transition. It consists of a warm mix asphalt (WMA), including a high amount (>30 %) of recycled asphalt and a plant-based patented binder, suitable for any type of traffic. Both environmental and mechanical performances of Biophalt, assessed through SEVE TP modeling and several mix design studies carried out in the framework of different jobsites, are presented. They underline the “carbon sink” properties of the bio-based WMA as well as its compliance with standards defined by the norms of the French asphalt mix design method. It thus demonstrates Biophalt’s ability to combine both sustainability and excellent mechanical characteristics.