RIDE QUALITY SPECIFICATIONS - SMOOTHING OUT PAVEMENTS

Several Australian State Road Authorities have implemented ride quality based specifications for the acceptance of newly constructed or rehabilitated pavements. Many contractors are not fully aware of what ride quality is or how it is measured. This paper explains the concept of ride quality in terms of road roughness and outlines what pavement contractors need to do to construct smoother pavements. Some agencies are requiring roughness to be reported in terms of the world standard International Roughness Index rather than the traditional unit of measurement used in Australia, NAASRA roughness. The relationship between these two roughness measures is also discussed along with the benefits of using an accredited roughness measuring device for assessing the ride quality of the pavement.