Paper 2: Use of LTPP Data to Verify the Acceptance Limits Developed for PennDOT Pavement Distress Data

State transportation agencies use various methods of pavement data collection. The major methods are manual, film-based, semiautomated, and automated collection. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program has used both the manual method and the Pavement Distress Analysis System (PADIAS) film-based survey for its pavement data collection. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) replaced its former manual method with a semiautomated method. The project team at the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute developed a quality assurance plan for PennDOT for pavement data collection and rating. Initial acceptance limits were developed by the project team with the assistance of PennDOT. The manual distress data are compared with the PADIAS 4.2 distress data. This paper also summarizes the PennDOT quality assurance plan. The sources of variability affecting surface distress are also discussed. In this paper, the LTPP distress data are used to verify the PennDOT acceptance limits. The findings indicate that the proposed limits may require modification. Two types of modifications are attempted with the LTPP data, providing input to PennDOT's future decisions.