Winter Maintenance Issues Associated with New Generation Open-Graded Friction Courses

The improved ride quality and other possible safety benefits associated with New Generation Open-Graded Friction Course (NGOGFC) or Permeable Friction Course (PFC) pavements—better friction, lower noise, less splash and spray, higher visibility, reduced hydroplaning, and reduced nighttime surface glare in wet weather conditions—have made them highly attractive to engineers and contractors in the last 3 decades. Nevertheless, the durability problems and performance and maintenance issues exhibited by NGOGFCs under winter weather conditions, especially the fast formation of black ice, have prevented their widespread use. Recent research has investigated new preventive methods and materials for handling these winter maintenance issues and improving durability in NGOGFCs. In 2005, the Center for Transportation Research (CTR) conducted an online survey of different districts within the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to gather information on NGOGFCs, and in 2004–2005 CTR conducted lab and field experiments to test the methodology for detecting black ice formation on NGOGFCs. This report presents the findings of the CTR survey results and research.