EVALUATION OF PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE RELATED TO DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION

THIS PAPER PRESENTS A SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS OF THE MICHIGAN PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE STUDY, A FIVE-YEAR PROGRAM /1958-1963/ TO EVALUATE PAVEMENT PERFORMANCE FROM FIELD SURVEYS OF EXISTING PAVEMENTS. IN THE FIVE-YEAR PERIOD, EQUIPMENT AND PROCEDURES FOR RECORDING AND ANALYZING PAVEMENT PROFILES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED AND PROFILES OF 10,000 MILES OF PAVEMENT HAVE BEEN ACCUMULATED. ALTHOUGH THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL PUBLISHED REPORTS OF THIS WORK AS IT PROGRESSED, THE FINAL RESULTS HAVE NOW BEEN COMPILED AND ANALYZED. THE QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF PAVEMENT CONDITION AND PERFORMANCE AND THE PHYSICAL INVENTORY OF EXISTING ROADS PROVIDE FACTUAL INFORMATION OF DIRECT VALUE IN DESIGN, CONSTRUCTION, AND MAINTENANCE OF BOTH RIGID AND FLEXIBLE PAVEMENT AND IN THE OPERATION OF THE STATE TRUNKLINE SYSTEM AS A TRANSPORTATION FACILITY. THE FINDINGS OF THE FIVE-YEAR STUDY ARE REVIEWED, THE ADEQUACY OF MICHIGAN DESIGN STANDARDS IS EVALUATED, AND THE EFFECT ON PERFORMANCE OF CERTAIN CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES IS POINTED OUT. THE USE OF PAVEMENT PROFILE DATA IN MORE EFFECTIVE AND TIMELY MAINTENANCE AND THEIR VALUE IN THE OPERATION OF THE STATE HIGHWAY SYSTEM ARE DISCUSSED. /AUTHOR/