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Project Highlights

Pavement Surface Properties Consortium – Managing the Pavement Properties for Improved Safety

Functional pavement considerations are an integral component to the performance and supervision of pavements. An optimum pavement wearing surface needs to supply sufficient friction and macrotexture, good riding quality, and low noise level, as well as adequate structural and durability requirements.

Pooled funds totaling $4.2 million are being utilized to conduct applied research analyzing the roadway transportation system's level of service through enhancing pavement surface characteristics. The objective is to bring together pavement design and evaluation experts with maintenance and safety professionals to ensure that the work of the pavement community has an impact on striving for zero deaths on U.S. highways.

Phase I of this project has been completed; it focused on standardized verification and validation of the participants' equipment, technological transfer opportunities, and the aggregation of key knowledge regarding the measurement of pavement surface properties.

Phase II efforts are directed at creating high-quality surface properties measurements, specifically exploring different friction and macrotexture measurement technologies to integrate their measurements into pavement assets management systems.

Phase III will focus on supporting the implementation of asset management approaches and tools that help improve the safety of our road networks by reducing the number of crashes and related fatalities. It represents a concerted effort to bring pavement design and evaluation experts together with maintenance and safety professionals to maximize the contribution of the pavement community Towards Zero Deaths on US highways.