Rolling Wheel Deflectometer-Based Pavement Management System: Champaign County, Illinois

Champaign County Illinois, like many local government agencies, has competing interests in the allocation of limited highway improvement and maintenance funds. The County, however, was faced with increasing pressure from other local government agencies to fund projects outside of the County’s jurisdiction, yet still in the county. Historically, the County used engineering judgment as the primary tool for programming improvements and allocating funds to non-county projects. The county implemented a pavement management system using the Rolling Wheel Deflectometer as a means to improve budgeting, planning, incorporate pavement preservation, and have an scientifically defensible means of showing the funds required to maintain the highway network in acceptable condition. This paper presents Champaign County’s need for, process of acquiring, and results from the implementation of their pavement management system. It shows how the rolling wheel deflectometer was used as a means to efficiently collect pavement structural condition data and how that data can be used to enhance pavement management decisions. The results of this study are improved decision-making in the County, quantification of the value of the highway network, improved communications among the county stakeholders, and the ability to understand the ramifications of changed investments in the County’s pavements.