Pavement Monitoring and Maintenance

To identify the priorities for maintenance funding the condition of the network is evaluated annually by carrying out road condition surveys to measure data on:

• longitudinal and transverse evenness of the pavement
• skid resistance and surface texture of the pavement surface
• surface distress

Road condition surveys are carried out using specially designed vehicles.

The evenness and surface texture data is recorded by an ARAN (Automatic Road Analyser) which travels at normal traffic speeds. ARAN also records a forward view video of the road surface for visual analysis.	ARAN

The skid resistance data is measured using SCRIM (Sideways Coefficient Routine Investigation Machine).

SCRIM

The data on road condition is combined with information derived during site visits by road inspectors in order to identify the priorities for maintenance funding. The information is circulated to road authorities to allow maintenance programmes to be planned in advance.

The structural condition of prioritised pavement sections is measured using a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) in order to determine the most appropriate maintenance strategy.	FWD