Development Of A Pavement Condition Assessment Method For The Interstate Highway System

As part of a project conducted by the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), methods are being developed to assess infrastructure condition and health with a focus on pavements on the Interstate Highway System. The project scope includes development of prototype tools to provide FHWA and State DOTs ready access to key information on pavement and bridge performance based on these methods for assessing condition and health. These tools are designed to allow a better and more complete view of infrastructure health nationally and form the foundation for a performance management system for the US highway system. In support of this goal, a pilot study was conducted on a three-state corridor to investigate and compare methods for assessing pavement condition and, subsequently, health. As part of the pilot, three sets of data were compiled, processed, and compared: National (Highway Performance Monitoring System), State (primarily State Pavement Management System data and supporting information), and field data collection using an automated multi-function vehicle. This paper explores the results on the approach for categorizing pavement condition as Good/Fair/Poor. A summary of the findings are presented along with recommendations for future activities necessary to develop a pavement condition performance indicator.