Development of a long term monitoring system for Texas CRC pavement network

This report represents the development of a pavement evaluation system, distress and decision criteria indices, and an experimental design for a long term monitoring system of CRC pavement network. The indices are intended to provide the Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation (SDHPT) with guidelines for generating decisions for the management of roadway maintenance. The experimental condition survey was designed to collect data for the evaluation and modification of the current CRCP design procedures and develop the performance prediction models. The distress and decision criteria indices were developed on the basis of ten years of observed condition survey data using discriminant analysis. The distress index is a weighted combination of various distress manifestations occurring in a pavement section. The decision criteria index is a selected limiting value of distress index below which pavement rehabilitation, such as overlay, is recommended. In order to analyze the significance of the influence of the variables on pavement performance, a factorial experiment was designed. Random sampling technique was used in this study to select test projects from a set of experimental factorials. The visual experimental condition survey was conducted in the summer, 1987. Preliminary data analysis was performed and the results of the analysis indicated that the updated pavement design procedure and performance prediction models can be developed from further data analysis (a).