Highway Drivers: Managing Network-Level Pavement Friction Performance

Abstract: Continuous pavement friction measurement (CPFM) technology has been used by a number of states to build a more complete picture of network-level pavement friction performance since its introduction to the United States in 2019. The scale, granularity, and robustness of CPFM data has allowed state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) to explore performance drivers, including pavement material and mix-design properties, previously assessed primarily in lab-based testing. This presentation will focus on the analysis of network-level CPFM data and modeling techniques used to identify drivers of in-field pavement friction performance on states' highway networks.

Because it forms the largest dataset of its kind available in the United States, the presentation will draw heavily on insights derived from data collected in Kentucky. For over four years, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has collected CPFM data on 15,000 state-maintained roadways. By enriching its CPFM data, WDM USA has explored how factors such as age, geometry, traffic, and speed differentially impact performance of the frictional performance of pavements with different aggregate types/proportions and of varying mix type and volumetrics over time. WDM USA will focus on the analytical approaches used to demonstrate performance and differentiate the relative influences of multiple factors.

Extending key insights into drivers of in-field performance, WDM USA will also discuss the implications of incorporating CPFM data and insight into performance drivers into asset and pavement management strategies, including design, preservation, maintenance, and rehabilitation programs. Finally, the presentation will highlight the economic and safety benefits of proactive pavement friction management using CPFM, which was named a 2022 FHWA Proven Safety Countermeasure.