RES2019-25: Improving Winter Maintenance for Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) Pavements in Tennessee

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.

• Record URL:
  https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/long-range-planning/research/final-reports/2019-final-reports-and-summaries/RES2019-25_Final_Report_Approved1.pdf

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $99997
• Contract Numbers:

  RES2019-25

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Tennessee Department of Transportation

  James K. Polk Building
  Fifth and Deaderick Street
  Nashville, TN  United States  37243-0349
• Managing Organizations:

  Tennessee Department of Transportation

  James K. Polk Building
  Fifth and Deaderick Street
  Nashville, TN  United States  37243-0349
• Project Managers:

  Woods, Mark

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Tennessee, Chattanooga

  Department of Computer Science and Engineering
  Chattanooga, TN  United States  37403
• Principal Investigators:

  Onyango, M

• Start Date: 20190501
• Expected Completion Date: 20220131
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: Transportation, Planning, Research, and Development

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Best practices; Friction course; Open graded aggregates; Pavement maintenance; Winter maintenance
• Geographic Terms: Tennessee
• Subject Areas: Highways; Maintenance and Preservation; Materials; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01771490
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Tennessee Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: RES2019-25
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: May 11 2021 6:11PM