05-13-1998 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating A major goal of the local highway agency is to use public funds to pro- vide a comfortable, safe and economical road surface — no simple task. This requires balancing priorities and making difficult decisions in order to manage pavements. Local rural and small city pavements are often managed informally, based on the judgment and experi- ence of the staff. While this process is both important and functional, using a slightly more formalized technique can make it easier to manage pavements effectively. Experience has shown there are three especially useful steps in managing local roads: 1. Inventory all local roads and streets 2. Periodically evaluate the condition of all pavements 3. Use the condition evaluations to set priorities for projects and select alternative treatments A full scale, comprehensive pavement management system involves collecting data and assessing several road characteristics: rough- ness (ride), surface distress (condition), surface skid characteristics, and structure (pavement strength and deflection). By combining data on these pavement conditions with an economic analysis, planners can develop short-range and long -range plans for a variety of budget levels. This rather sophisticated process can use transportation budgets with maximum efficiency. Many local agencies, however, lack the resources and staff to begin with a full -scale pavement management system like this. They can use a simplified management program like the PASER (pronounced pacer) system to evaluate pavement surface condition, the most vital element in any pavement management system. This bulletin will help people in local agencies use the PASER system to evaluate pave- ment surface condition. They can use these techniques alone to manage pavements, or incorporate them into a more comprehensive management system. Page 34 PASER