Automated Pavement Distress Collection Techniques (2004)

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TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. 2004 www.TRB.org NAT IONAL COOPERAT IVE H IGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM NCHRP SYNTHESIS 334 Research Sponsored by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials in Cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration SUBJECT AREAS Pavement Design, Management, and Performance and Maintenance Automated Pavement Distress Collection Techniques A Synthesis of Highway Practice CONSULTANT KENNETH H. McGHEE Pavement Consultant Madison, Virginia TOPIC PANEL JOHN ANDREWS, Maryland State Highway Administration CARL BERTRAND, Texas Department of Transportation GARY ELKINS, PCS Law Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc. ROBERT ENGLEMANN, California Department of Transportation THOMAS J. KAZMIEROWSKI, Ontario Ministry of Transportation STEPHEN F. MAHER, Transportation Research Board GINGER MCGOVERN, Oklahoma Department of Transportation NAVEED SAMI, Virginia Department of Transportation OMAR SMADI, Iowa State University JEAN M.S. WALLACE, Federal Highway Administration, Colorado Division KATHRYN A. ZIMMERMAN, Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. JACK SPRINGER, Federal Highway Administration (Liaison)

NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM Systematic, well-designed research provides the most effective approach to the solution of many problems facing highway administrators and engineers. Often, highway problems are of local interest and can best be studied by highway departments individually or in cooperation with their state universities and others. However, the accelerating growth of highway transportation develops increasingly complex problems of wide interest to highway authorities. These problems are best studied through a coordinated program of cooperative research. In recognition of these needs, the highway administrators of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials initiated in 1962 an objective national highway research program employing modern scientific techniques. This program is supported on a continuing basis by funds from participating member states of the Association and it receives the full cooperation and support of the Federal Highway Administration, United States Department of Transportation. The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies was requested by the Association to administer the research program because of the Board’s recognized objectivity and understanding of modern research practices. The Board is uniquely suited for this purpose as it maintains an extensive committee structure from which authorities on any highway transportation subject may be drawn; it possesses avenues of communications and cooperation with federal, state, and local governmental agencies, universities, and industry; its relationship to the National Research Council is an insurance of objectivity; it maintains a full-time research correlation staff of specialists in highway transportation matters to bring the findings of research directly to those who are in a position to use them. The program is developed on the basis of research needs identified by chief administrators of the highway and transportation departments and by committees of AASHTO. Each year, specific areas of research needs to be included in the program are proposed to the National Research Council and the Board by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. 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NCHRP SYNTHESIS 334 Project 20-5 FY 2001 (Topic 34-04) ISSN 0547-5570 ISBN 0-309-07012-0 Library of Congress Control No. 2004110141 © 2004 Transportation Research Board Price $17.00 NOTICE The project that is the subject of this report was a part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program conducted by the Transportation Research Board with the approval of the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Such approval reflects the Governing Board’s judgment that the program concerned is of national importance and appropriate with respect to both the purposes and resources of the National Research Council. The members of the technical committee selected to monitor this project and to review this report were chosen for recognized scholarly competence and with due consideration for the balance of disciplines appropriate to the project. The opinions and conclusions expressed or implied are those of the research agency that performed the research, and, while they have been accepted as appropriate by the technical committee, they are not necessarily those of the Transportation Research Board, the National Research Council, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, or the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation. Each report is reviewed and accepted for publication by the technical committee according to procedures established and monitored by the Transportation Research Board Executive Committee and the Governing Board of the National Research Council. Published reports of the NATIONAL COOPERATIVE HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM are available from: Transportation Research Board Business Office 500 Fifth Street, NW Washington, DC 20001 and can be ordered through the Internet at: http://www.national-academies.org/trb/bookstore Printed in the United States of America NOTE: The Transportation Research Board of the National Acade- mies, the National Research Council, the Federal Highway Adminis- tration, the American Association of State Highway and Transporta- tion Officials, and the individual states participating in the National Cooperative Highway Research Program do not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the object of this report.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished schol- ars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. On the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and techni- cal matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Acad- emy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achieve- ments of engineers. Dr. William A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering. The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, on its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine. The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Acad- emy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both the Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. William A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. The Transportation Research Board is a division of the National Research Council, which serves the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering. The Board’s mission is to promote innovation and progress in transportation through research. In an objective and interdisciplinary setting, the Board facilitates the sharing of information on transportation practice and policy by researchers and practitioners; stimulates research and offers research management services that promote technical excellence; provides expert advice on transportation policy and programs; and disseminates research results broadly and encourages their implementation. The Board’s varied activities annually engage more than 5,000 engineers, scientists, and other transportation researchers and practitioners from the public and private sectors and academia, all of whom contribute their expertise in the public interest. The program is supported by state transportation departments, federal agencies including the component administrations of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and other organizations and individuals interested in the development of transportation. www.TRB.org www.national-academies.org

NCHRP COMMITTEE FOR PROJECT 20-5 CHAIR GARY D. TAYLOR, CTE Engineers MEMBERS SUSAN BINDER, Federal Highway Administration THOMAS R. BOHUSLAV, Texas DOT DONN E. HANCHER, University of Kentucky DWIGHT HORNE, Federal Highway Administration YSELA LLORT, Florida DOT WESLEY S.C. LUM, California DOT JOHN M. MASON, Pennsylvania DOT LARRY VELASQUEZ, New Mexico DOT PAUL T. WELLS, New York State DOT FHWA LIAISON WILLIAM ZACCAGNINO TRB LIAISON MARK R. NORMAN COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM STAFF ROBERT J. REILLY, Director, Cooperative Research Programs CRAWFORD F. JENCKS, Manager, NCHRP EILEEN P. DELANEY, Managing Editor NCHRP SYNTHESIS STAFF STEPHEN R. GODWIN, Director for Studies and Information Services JON WILLIAMS, Manager, Synthesis Studies DONNA L. VLASAK, Senior Program Officer DON TIPPMAN, Editor CHERYL KEITH, Senior Secretary

Highway administrators, engineers, and researchers often face problems for which infor- mation already exists, either in documented form or as undocumented experience and prac- tice. This information may be fragmented, scattered, and unevaluated. As a consequence, full knowledge of what has been learned about a problem may not be brought to bear on its solution. Costly research findings may go unused, valuable experience may be overlooked, and due consideration may not be given to recommended practices for solving or alleviat- ing the problem. Information exists on nearly every subject of concern to highway administrators and engineers. Much of it derives from research or from the work of practitioners faced with problems in their day-to-day work. To provide a systematic means for assembling and eval- uating such useful information and to make it available to the entire highway community, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials—through the mechanism of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program—authorized the Transportation Research Board to undertake a continuing study. This study, NCHRP Proj- ect 20-5, “Synthesis of Information Related to Highway Problems,” searches out and syn- thesizes useful knowledge from all available sources and prepares concise, documented reports on specific topics. Reports from this endeavor constitute an NCHRP report series, Synthesis of Highway Practice. This synthesis series reports on current knowledge and practice, in a compact format, without the detailed directions usually found in handbooks or design manuals. Each report in the series provides a compendium of the best knowledge available on those measures found to be the most successful in resolving specific problems. FOREWORD By Staff Transportation Research Board This report of the Transportation Research Board documents highway community prac- tice and research and development efforts in the automated collection and processing of pavement condition data techniques typically used in network-level pavement manage- ment. The scope of the study covered all phases of automated pavement data collection and processing for pavement surface distress, pavement ride quality, rut-depth measurements, and joint-faulting measurements. Included in the scope were technologies employed, con- tracting issues, quality assurance, costs and benefits of automated techniques, monitoring frequencies and sampling protocols in use, degree of adoption of national standards for data collection, and contrast between the state of the art and the state of the practice. Three case studies are included as examples of transportation agencies applying a variety of methods for pavement condition data collection and processing. This synthesis report included a review of published literature of North American and European resources and a survey of state transportation agencies, the FHWA, Canadian provinces, and the World Road Association. In addition, information was gathered from the October 2002 Pavement Evaluation Conference, held in Roanoke, Virginia. Three previous syntheses (NCHRP Syntheses 76, 126, and 203) have summarized much of the background material and are referenced frequently in this report. A panel of experts in the subject area guided the work of organizing and evaluating the col- lected data and reviewed the final synthesis report. A consultant was engaged to collect and synthesize the information and to write the report. Both the consultant and the members of the oversight panel are acknowledged on the title page. This synthesis is an immediately useful document that records the practices that were acceptable within the limitations of the knowl- edge available at the time of its preparation. As progress in research and practice continues, new knowledge will be added to that now at hand. PREFACE

CONTENTS 1 SUMMARY 3 CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Objective, 3 Scope and Organization, 3 Background, 4 Methodology, 6 Definition of Terms, 7 Disclaimer, 7 8 CHAPTER TWO DATA COLLECTION ISSUES AND TECHNOLOGIES Data Monitoring Frequency, 8 Data Reporting Interval, 8 Linear Referencing, 10 Pavement Surface Distress, 10 Pavement Roughness, 15 Rut-Depth Measurements, 17 Joint-Faulting Measurements, 18 Integrated Systems, 19 Summary, 20 22 CHAPTER THREE DATA PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES Pavement Images, 22 Sensor-Measured Data, 27 Summary, 27 28 CHAPTER FOUR DATA MANAGEMENT PROCEDURES Image-Related Data Management. 29 Sensor-Related Data Management, 30 Summary, 30 31 CHAPTER FIVE CONTRACTING ISSUES Typical Contracting Issues, 31 Agency Examples, 31 Summary, 33 35 CHAPTER SIX QUALITY ASSURANCE Surface Distress, 37 Sensor Data, 39 Summary, 42 43 CHAPTER SEVEN COSTS, ADVANTAGES, AND DISADVANTAGES Costs of Automated Data Collection and Processing, 43 Advantages and Disadvantages of Automated Data Collection and Processing, 43 Summary, 44

46 CHAPTER EIGHT CASE STUDIES Maryland State Highway Administration, 46 Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, 49 Mississippi Department of Transportation, 51 Summary, 53 54 CHAPTER NINE ART VERSUS PRACTICE Pavement Imaging, 54 Sensor-Related Data, 54 AASHTO Pavement Data Collection Provisional Standards, 55 Summary, 55 56 CHAPTER TEN CONCLUSIONS 59 REFERENCES 62 BIBLIOGRAPHY 64 GLOSSARY 65 WEBSITE DIRECTORY 66 APPENDIX A SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 72 APPENDIX B RESPONSES TO SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 84 APPENDIX C RESPONDING AGENCIES AND CONTACT INFORMATION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Kenneth H. McGhee, Pavement Consultant, Madison, Virginia, was responsible for collection of the data and preparation of the report. Valuable assistance in the preparation of this synthesis was provided by the Topic Panel, consisting of John Andrews, Office of Materials and Technology, Maryland State Highway Administration; Carl Bertrand, Texas Department of Transportation; Gary Elkins, Senior Engineer, PCS Law Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc.; Robert Englemann, California Department of Transportation; Thomas J. Kazmierowski, Manager, Pavement and Foundation Office, Ontario Ministry of Transportation; Stephen F. Maher, P.E., Engineer of Design, Transportation Research Board; Ginger McGovern, Oklahoma Department of Transportation; Naveed Sami, Director of Technology, Maintenance Division, Virginia Department of Transportation; Omar Smadi, Scientist, Center for Transportation Research/Education, Iowa State University; Jack Springer, Federal Highway Administration; Jean M.S. Wallace, P.E., Region 4 Operations/Pavement Engineer, Federal Highway Administration, Colorado Division; and Kathryn A. Zimmer- man, President, Applied Pavement Technology, Inc. This study was managed by Jon Williams, Manager, Synthesis Stud- ies who worked with the consultant, the Topic Panel, and the Project 20-5 Committee in the development and review of the report. Assis- tance in project scope development was provided by Donna Vlasak, Senior Program Officer. Don Tippman was responsible for editing and production. Cheryl Keith assisted in meeting logistics and distribution of the questionnaire and draft reports. Crawford F. Jencks, Manager, National Cooperative Highway Research Program, assisted the NCHRP 20-5 Committee and the Syn- thesis staff. Information on current practice was provided by many highway and transportation agencies. Their cooperation and assistance are appreciated.