Develop Efficient Prediction Model of Highway Friction on an Annual Basis on Texas Network

The number of wet-weather crashes is a significant problem in Texas, consequently, the provision of pavement surfaces with adequate skid resistance or friction is of utmost importance for promoting public safety and saving lives. Measuring skid numbers for the entire Texas roadway network on an annual basis is challenging and inefficient because of the regular stops necessary to refill the water tanks. Fortunately, recent laser technology allows the measurement of texture at high resolution and speed in an efficient manner. Today, a contractor collects only macrotexture for TxDOT and delivers mean profile depth (MPD), which is a very poor predictor of skid. Consequently, TxDOT personnel have to go out and collect skid data at a high cost to calculate skid numbers. Currently TxDOT collects skid resistance on about 33% of their network on an annual basis (approximately 50% of the Interstate system and 25% of the non-Interstate system). The objective of this project is to (i) continue the work that started under TxDOT’s Project 0-7031, (ii) enhance the system that was developed as part of that project and (iii) update the models developed by collecting texture and skid on, at least 3,000 additional pavement sections distributed in at least six different districts. This information will be used to calibrate and validate equations to predict friction and skid numbers with a high degree of accuracy. This research would result in an enhanced system to collect texture data at highway speed for the entire Texas on-system network on an annual basis. The system is intended to be compact and capable of retrofitting to any surveying vehicle with minimal time and effort. This will provide not only savings but additional safety to operations.

• Record URL:
  https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/Presto/project=0-7031-01
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Continuation of TxDOT Project 0-7031: https://library.ctr.utexas.edu/Presto/project=0-7031

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $357135
• Contract Numbers:

  0-7031-01

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Texas Department of Transportation

  125 E. 11th Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483
• Managing Organizations:

  Texas Department of Transportation

  125 E. 11th Street
  Austin, TX  United States  78701-2483
• Project Managers:

  Odell, Wade

• Performing Organizations:

  Center for Transportation Research

  3925 W. Braker Lane
  Austin, TX  United States  78759
• Principal Investigators:

  Prozzi, Jorge

• Start Date: 20220901
• Expected Completion Date: 20240831
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Data collection; Friction; Highways; Mathematical prediction; Skid resistance; Texture
• Geographic Terms: Texas
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Pavements;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01863314
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Texas Department of Transportation
• Contract Numbers: 0-7031-01
• Files: RIP, STATEDOT
• Created Date: Nov 3 2022 11:48AM