2011 - USA - Field Evaluation of Rutting Equipment

The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has developed a state-of-the-art 3D system for rut measurements. This system will allow more accurate assessment of road performance at both the network and project levels and potentially eliminate the need for manual visual assessments. Furthermore, the improved accuracy, which can be achieved while traveling at highway speeds, will eliminate any subjective elements and lead to more consistent and reliable data. The improved accuracy of the system will significantly impact the TxDOT Pavement Management Information System (PMIS). PMIS is used to monitor statewide pavement condition and to evaluate the effectiveness of pavement maintenance and rehabilitation treatments. PMIS is also used to report progress towards the annual statewide pavement condition goal.

To ensure the rational adoption of the new systems, TxDOT initiated this project to allow an independent assessment of the accuracy and repeatability of the newly developed system. The TxDOT system was compared to other, similar systems from a variety of different vendors to identify the most suitable system for implementation. The project consists of two phases. Phase I evaluated the rut measurements and Phase II will evaluate automated distress data measurements, including longitudinal, transverse, and alligator cracking; failures; spalled cracks; and punchouts. This report summarizes the Phase I tasks, data, analysis, main findings,
and recommendations.