1K Practical Application of Pavement Condition Mapping Using Road Surface Measurement Vehicles in Municipal Street Networks

Background and Purpose
Within the national road network, road surface measurement vehicles have long been used to measure irregularities, cracks, and slopes using laser-based technology. These data are used to assess maintenance needs and support socio-economically sound decision-making.

Municipal street networks have similar needs but lack a standardized approach. The Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKR) handbook Bära eller Brista provides some guidance. In a PhD project within InfraMaint (1.8 Maintenance of roads and streets based on objective data), a survey conducted among municipalities showed that potholes, cracking, and unevenness are the most common types of damage. The responses also indicated that automated measurement methods are used to a limited extent, with subjective visual assessments still dominating.

The overall aim of the project is to demonstrate how road surface measurement vehicles can be used within municipal street networks to map the condition in terms of damage and defects.

Implementation
The project uses VTI’s road surface measurement vehicle (MRP – Mobile Research Platform) to collect data on the condition of a municipal street network. Parts of, or the entire network, will be surveyed, with a focus on including a variety of street types in the data collection. The collected data will be processed and evaluated using existing methods and metrics, after which the project will draw conclusions on how road surface measurement vehicles can be practically applied within municipal street networks.

Objectives
The project will contribute with:

• Guidance on the use of road surface measurement vehicles within municipal street networks, including which metrics are suitable for different street types depending on factors such as function, traffic load, and speed.
• An assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of using road surface measurement vehicles in municipal street networks.
• A description of suitable metrics for use in municipal street networks. This part may serve as a basis for a future handbook for municipal clients if the results are successful.
• Collected measurement data that can support the determination of threshold values for different metrics and potentially contribute to the development of predictive models.
• Demonstrating the importance of systematic, long-term monitoring of road network conditions as a basis for predictive modeling and long-term maintenance planning.