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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
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    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Conduct a Friction Testing Program, Data Analysis and Effectiveness of the NMDOT Open Grade Friction Course Program</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2582895</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The conducts friction testing year-round on all state-owned roads and collected data are stored in database. There is a lack of guidance on what new roads should test at for open-graded friction course (OGFC), concrete, or chip seal, or any correlation with traffic safety, smoothness, or resurfacing criteria. Findings from this friction data focused research will be applied to pre- and post- OGFC, to determine if the friction courses are effective.
There is a need to study the influence of friction values (skid number) and limits on traffic crash rate potential, which is proposed herein. In addition, it is important to understand how friction affects paving material selection (say, a good quality high micro-texture aggregate), as well as pavement ME distress functions (modify IRI equation).

This study investigates the relationship between Mean Texture Depth (MTD) and skid resistance, as measured by the Locked Wheel Skid Tester (LWST) under wet conditions, through correlation and regression analyses. Results indicate a strong positive association, with Spearman’s (0.8970), Pearson’s (0.8693), and Kendall’s (0.7349) correlations confirming statistical significance. Among various regression models, polynomial regression best captures the relationship, highlighting a non-linear interaction between pavement texture and skid resistance. Additionally, the study examines the correlation between skid number (SN) and crash data across multiple years. The low R² values for most years suggest a weak correlation, except for 2016 (R²=0.4617), indicating a moderate association. These findings emphasize the necessity of filtering data to identify crash-prone road segments where low SN values significantly contribute to crashes. Proper segment selection and supervised crash data collection are critical.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 05 Aug 2025 10:54:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/2582895</guid>
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      <title>RES2025-11: A Balanced Approach to Performance of OGFC</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/2437333</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) is a porous asphalt mixture placed on the roadway surface and designed to enhance user safety and convenience by improving friction, visibility, noise reduction, and rideability. One of the main benefits is water penetration through its porous structure. Water penetration reduces vehicle splash and spray during rainfall increases driver visibility and friction on the surface. Since the 1950s, several state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) have utilized Open-graded Friction Course (OGFC) pavements, known for their porous nature that allows rainwater to drain underneath, potentially reducing wet weather crashes. The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) has implemented OGFC on over 300 centerline miles, primarily on interstates since 2005. This initiative aims to mitigate wet-weather accidents, with observed data indicating a 32% reduction in such crashes on evaluated sections [1]. With OGFC's structural performance comparable to traditional dense graded pavements and the observed safety benefits, TDOT plans to increase the use of OGFC, reinforcing its commitment to improving roadway safety in conditions prone to wet-weather accidents.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Sep 2024 16:29:55 GMT</pubDate>
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    <item>
      <title>RES2019-25: Improving Winter Maintenance for Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) Pavements in Tennessee</title>
      <link>https://rip.trb.org/View/1851965</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) is a thin permeable surface layer on pavements constructed to ensure higher air void content that provides drainage from the pavement surfaces. This results in a safer riding surface, especially on wet conditions. OGFC pavements have been reported to reduce about 30% more wet crashes compared to densely graded surfaces in similar conditions. However, durability and winter maintenance are some of the challenges facing OGFC pavements. This study was conducted to document the winter maintenance practices on OGFC pavements. The study was limited to literature review and survey to state DOTs. This report presents the research results and the recommended winter maintenance guidelines for Tennessee Department of Transportation. Some best practices on winter maintenance of OGFC pavements worthy of highlighting include the use of anti-icing. It was reported that using anti-icing before snow and ice events results to faster cleaning of
roadways. Likewise, dedicating a snow operation vehicle on some trouble sections or inclines has resulted to clearing the sections faster. It should also be noted that it is expected that OGFC will use more material for winter maintenance than densely grades surfaces and abrasives are not recommended on OGFC. Therefore, it is advised to plan for winter maintenance with this knowledge in mind.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 11 May 2021 18:11:25 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://rip.trb.org/View/1851965</guid>
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