Incorporating Pavement Friction Management into Pavement Asset Management Systems: State Department of Transportation Experience

Abstract

Pavement friction is an important topic addressed by transportation agencies to reduce the number of traffic crashes and fatalities caused by poor friction between tires and pavement surface. Pavement friction management (PFM) provides the essential tools and techniques to effectively evaluate pavement friction conditions and provide informed maintenance decisions using surface treatments. State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) utilize various engineering practices to collect and analyze friction-related data, crash data, and traffic data. In addition, state DOTs tend to employ different techniques and policies to manage the pavement friction depending on budget levels, strategic objectives, and climate conditions. Due to these diversified practices in friction management, in this study, we intend to provide a comprehensive review of the state of the practice among state DOTs. Online surveys were analyzed using descriptive and statistical correlation analyses to study the experience of state DOTs with managing pavement friction, considering feedback from 32 state DOTs in the USA. Exploring the methods to manage the pavement friction used by state agencies will help researchers and officials know more about the strategies towards an effective PFM. It also presents opportunities to enhance the approaches of the followed programs and highlight the gaps of the current practices. The results obtained from the survey identify the practical policies and propose future enhancements to maximize the value of pavement assets and promote safety.