Assessment of Incentive-Only Ride Specification for Asphalt Pavements

Abstract

Smoothness specifications are used by almost all state transportation agencies, including the Virginia Department of Transportation (DOT), to promote overall quality and optimum ride quality. The Virginia DOT has a ride specification that provides a pay adjustment (incentive or disincentive) depending on the smoothness of the final paved surface. The Virginia DOT’s ride specification also has a provision for waiving the disincentive and applying only the incentive part to projects in which project geometry and so on are perceived to make it difficult for the contractor to achieve the desired ride quality. When applied, the waiver is intended to encourage the contractor to apply additional effort to improve ride quality for otherwise difficult projects. In late 2011, the Virginia DOT’s executive leadership formed an Asphalt Quality Task Force to identify and recommend specific achievable measures to improve the quality of the asphalt paving in Virginia. The task force recommended assessing the feasibility of creating an incentive-only provision default for projects that would otherwise not qualify for application of the regular ride specification. This study documented and critically reviewed the pilot application of the incentive-only provision for rideability on selected asphalt resurfacing schedules for the 2013 construction season. In addition to the incentive-only sites, several lane miles of control sites were also considered. The purpose of the control projects was to compare them with the incentive-only sites to determine if the prospects of added incentives led contractors to alter their paving procedures in pursuit of a higher-quality ride. There was no statistically reliable distinction between the achieved quality of the incentive-only and control sites.