No Boundaries
Transportation Maintenance Innovation
While the pavement quality index can effectively identify issues at the surface, it is not always a good indicator of a pavement’s underlying structural condition.
Analyzing nearly 1,000 miles of pavement condition data gathered with a Traffic Speed Deflectometer, South Carolina DOT used a new classification methodology to identify those roads in need of treatment.
Read the report: Utilization of Traffic Speed Deflectometer for Pavement Management, May 2021.
Image source: South Carolina DOT
Road and asset maintenance work encompasses a wide array of individual operations that range in difficulty and potential risk to worker safety.
To help agencies better understand the time and hazards associated with typical tasks, the California Department of Transportation has devised both a Difficulty Index and Collision Risk Index. These indexes provide quantifiable data that agencies can use to improve scheduling efficiency and increase worker safety.
Read the report: Research to Develop Performance Measures for Maintenance of Roadside Features, March 2021.
Image source: Indiana DOT
The Transportation Research Board will host the webinar, “What is the True Cost of Infrastructure Assets Maintenance?” on Wednesday, July 7 from 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. Eastern.
This program will discuss decision-support tools such as life-cycle planning and maintenance management systems and how they can be used with actual data to make the most of limited budgets and resources.
Image source: FHWA
The original Hydraulic Inspection Vehicle Explorer, or HIVE, was designed by Minnesota DOT to offer a lightweight and low-cost option for transportation agencies to inspect culverts and other hard-to-reach places.
Now, Vermont Agency of Transportation has developed and tested HIVE 2.0, which offers more powerful video transmission and improved maneuverability while keeping the device small and affordable.
Read the report: Hydraulic Inspection Vehicle Explorer (HIVE) Culvert Upgrade, April 2021.
Image source: Vermont AOT
Evaluating pavement condition is a key part of road maintenance. Federal guidance allows states to use present serviceability ratings (PSRs) as an alternative to the more common International Roughness Index in some situations, but putting the PSR method into practice can pose a challenge.
To make it easier for state transportation agencies to use PSR ratings to evaluate pavements where appropriate, the Federal Highway Administration has developed a variety of guidance and support resources.
Read the report: Present Serviceability Rating Computation from Reported Distresses, March 2021.
Image source: FHWA
In an effort to reduce the risks that highway maintenance crews face on the job, Ohio DOT evaluated its existing mobile operations and tested a variety of new practices and technologies that could be implemented to enhance worker safety.
The research resulted in a matrix tool that can be used to identify potential safety improvements for mobile maintenance operations on multi-lane highways, as well as the pros and cons associated with each method or device.
Read the report: Evaluate the Uses and Technology for Truck-Mounted Attenuators, December 2020.
Image source: Ohio DOT