Aurora SPR-3(042), Phase 1: Review of Seasonal Weight Restriction Models for Comparison and Demonstration Project

Although transportation agencies often focus on large interstate highways, there are several million miles of low-volume roads in the United States and Canada, and many of them are located in seasonal frost areas. In these locations, many agencies take advantage of the period of higher strength in mid-winter (when interstitial moisture beneath the pavement is frozen) by applying winter weight premiums (WWPs), increasing the allowable weight that trucks can haul. On the other hand, to reduce potential damage during the spring thaw, road management agencies apply Spring Load Restrictions (SLRs), which restrict the allowable load on the road during the critical time interval when the pavement is most vulnerable. There are a wide variety of techniques used by transportation agencies for timing of WWPs and SLRs. A pooled-fund study has recently been initiated by Aurora, a consortium of several States and Provinces, to provide an understanding of the reliability, benefits, costs and risks of alternate approaches to predicting the start and end dates of SLRs and WWPs. The study objectives will ultimately be met through a field demonstration in which a variety of WWP and SLR timing protocols and models are implemented at instrumented sites in up to five highway jurisdictions. The model predictions will be validated against observed subsurface temperature and moisture profiles and measurements of pavement deflection. This paper describes work conducted during Phase 1 of this Aurora project; specifically, providing an overview of the protocols and models available for WWP and SLR timing.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper was sponsored by TRB committee AFP50 Seasonal Climatic Effects on Transportation Infrastructure.
• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Miller, Heather J
  • Cabral, Christopher
  • Kestler, Maureen A
  • Berg, Richard
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 94th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2015-1-11 to 2015-1-15
• Date: 2015

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 19p
• Monograph Title: TRB 94th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Freezing; Low volume roads; Mathematical models; Mathematical prediction; Seasonally frozen ground; Size and weight regulations; Thaw
• Uncontrolled Terms: Calendar dates; Timing
• Geographic Terms: Canada; United States
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways; I26: Water Run-off - Freeze-thaw; I42: Soil Mechanics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01550343
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 15-2845
• Files: TRIS, TRB, ATRI
• Created Date: Jan 21 2015 11:29AM