Severe Winter Weather Impacts on Urban Pavements

Over the winter of 2006/2007 Denver, Colorado experienced an unusual set of storms resulting in significant and accelerated deterioration of the roadway network. This deterioration needed to be quickly quantified in order to calculate long term effects. The Pavement Management System (PMS) contained pre-winter Pavement Condition Indices (PCI) for the street network but the observed deterioration to the network was significantly greater than predicted by the PMS models. Management needed to quantify the deterioration due to the storms. Time constraints prohibited the use of the PMS detailed rating system. To quickly quantify these effects, a visual rating system was devised by engineering staff. Using this method, the authors were able to rate 650 miles of roadway in two weeks. The CI using this windshield method did not directly equate with the PCI, but by rating select segments by both methods the authors developed a correlation formula to transform the windshield CI to the standard PCI. They were then able to compare the pre-storm PCI values to the post-storm PCI and quantify the effects of the storm. A statistical sample of residential streets was rated using standard methods and the results were used to estimate the effects of the winter on these pavements. The data obtained allowed the pavement management section to quantify the effects of the unusual weather. This information was used to prioritize rehabilitation efforts and provide managers and political leaders with the knowledge they need to set future budgets.

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• Authors:
  • Kennedy, William
  • Hager, Angela
• Conference:
  • Seventh International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets
  • Location: Calgary Alberta, Canada
  • Date: 2008-6-23 to 2008-6-28
• Publication Date: 2008

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Photos;
• Pagination: 10p
• Monograph Title: 7th International Conference on Managing Pavement Assets, June 23-28, 2008, Calgary, Alberta, Canada: "Preserving What We Have, Investing in the Future, and Finding the Balance"

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Budgeting; Condition surveys; Deterioration; Pavement management systems; Ratings; Rehabilitation; Residential streets; Storms; Strategic planning; Urban highways; Winter
• Identifier Terms: Pavement Condition Index
• Geographic Terms: Denver (Colorado)
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Pavements; I10: Economics and Administration; I23: Properties of Road Surfaces; I60: Maintenance;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01447759
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 28 2012 3:30PM