Pavement and shoulder condition models developed with expert surveys: The Chilean application

Abstract

One of the main duties of public agencies in charge of pavement management is to define the condition level of their road network. A clear and effective methodology is needed by agencies to objectively define the condition of their network for decision making. Currently, several methodologies are available and applied by agencies to define
the condition level of their pavements [1, 2]. Among these, the most widely used are based on the “Pavement Condition Index” [3], “Pavement Quality Index” [4] and “Pavement Overall Index” [5]. The applicability of these methodologies to a specific network will depend on the data collection methods and technologies applied by the agency in charge of pavement management. Typically, agencies use their own pavement survey techniques considering local conditions and available resources. Therefore, to adopt a specific pavement
condition methodology, important efforts are required to adjust local survey techniques and change the information collected in the network, which is also used in their pavement management systems. In addition, the way how pavement condition methodologies were developed demand considerable funding, as specialized survey technologies
and expert field visits are needed. This funding is not always available, especially in developing countries like Chile. Due to the previously discussed, an efficient and cost-effective methodology is required to asses the condition level of a pavement network. The methodology should be able to be adapted to local conditions, considering existing
survey techniques and available resources. The main scope of the work was to develop a simple, flexible, and cost-effective methodology to evaluate the condition level of pavements and shoulders in a road network. This methodology is based on pavement condition
models developed with expert surveys using the Delphi method.