U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Federal Highway Administration Research and Technology
Coordinating, Developing, and Delivering Highway Transportation Innovations
| Project Information | ||
| Project ID: | FHWA-PROJ-13-0015 | |
| Project Name: | Flooded Pavement Assessment Methods | |
| Project Status: | Programmed | |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2013 | |
| End Date: | February 1, 2017 | |
| Contact Information | ||
| Last Name: | Sherwood | |
| First Name: | James A | |
| Telephone: | 202-493-3150 | |
| E-mail: | jim.sherwood@dot.gov | |
| Office: | Office of Infrastructure Research and Development | |
| Team: | Infrastructure Analysis and Construction Team [HRDI-20] | |
| Program: | Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center | |
| Project detail | ||
| Roadmap/Focus area(s): | Infrastructure Research and Technology Strategic Plan and Roadmap | |
| Project Description: | This project will determine the optimum time to reopen pavements to traffic after floods, when emergency and repair vehicles can be allowed back on pavements, and the long-term effects of these vehicles on long-term pavement performance. | |
| Goals: |
The objectives of this project are to determine the best time to open pavements after floods and to develop models for long-term effects of floods on pavement performance and life.
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| Product Type: | Draft standard, specifications, or guidelines Research report Software Techbrief | |
| Test Methodology: | Perform literature review; develop work plan; experimental design; collect data (saturation times/drying times/materials tests); selection of models for moisture and strength; pavement performance evaluations for short- and long-term distress; validation of evaluations with data from previous floods; small-scale laboratory tests; nondestructive field tests; develop decision trees in spreadsheets; pilot tests of decision trees with local agencies; prepare final guidelines and report. | |
| Partners: | Federal Highway Administration: Resource Center; Role(s): Other stakeholder, Technical, Advisory | |
| Expected Benefits: | Longer life of pavements. | |
| Deliverables: | Name: Flooded pavement assessment. Product Type(s): Research report, Techbrief, Software, Draft standard, specifications, or guidelines Description: Decision tree in spreadsheet format.Guidelines for short and long term assessment of flooded pavements.Final Report. | |
| Project Findings: | A survey and questionnaire of the FHWA Division (State) Offices indicates they have no rational assessment procedures in place. Falling weight deflectometer measurements on pavements that have been inundated, indicate pavement soils recover faster than previously thought in the theoretical models. So the current FHWA policy of reopening roads as soon as possible may be the best decision. One of the first tasks to develop a systems dynamics model of flooded pavements indicates the critical time is immediately after construction. | |
| FHWA Topics: | Research/Technologies--Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center (TFHRC) | |
| TRT Terms: | Soils Pavements Research Infrastructure Floods Climate Repairing Service Life Design Instrumentation |
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| FHWA Disciplines: | Pavement and Materials |
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| Subject Areas: | Pavements |
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