324 Bureau of Maintenance and Operations; standards and methodology for data collection

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Bureau of Maintenance and Operations; Standards and Methodology for Data Collection

[29 Pa.B. 1129]

   The Department of Transportation, Bureau of Maintenance and Operations, by this notice and consistent with the provisions of § 9104 of the Vehicle Code (75 Pa.C.S. § 9104), hereby establishes the standards and methodology for data collection used in the calculation of the Relative Pavement Quality index (RPQ). The PRQ is based upon the Road Quality Report which entails the evaluation of the conditions of the highways in each county on a periodic basis. The index provides a reasonable comparison of highway quality and conditions between all counties. The report indicating the methodology utilized and the resulting data shall be submitted annually to the Transportation Committees of the Senate and House of representatives for their review.

   The Department has adopted an automated data collection procedure for collecting pavement distress data. Previously, the data was collected manually. The automated data collection procedure led to subsequent changes in the distress data collected. The distresses now being collected are:

   Rigid (Concrete) Pavements:
      Faulted Joints
      Broken Slab
      Transverse Joint Spalling
      Transverse Cracking
      Longitudinal Cracking
      Longitudinal Joint Spalling
      Bituminous Patching
      Portland Cement Concrete Patching

   Bituminous Pavements:
      Fatigue Cracking
      Transverse Cracking
      Miscellaneous Cracking
      Edge Deterioration
      Bituminous Patching
      Raveling and Weathering

   All Pavement Types:
      Roughness (IRI)
      Rutting

   Paved Shoulders:
      Lane/Shoulder Separation
      Deterioration
      Slope
      Buildup
      Dropoff

   Unpaved Shoulders:
      Slope
      Buildup
      Dropoff

   Questions, comments or suggestions may be forwarded to J. Michael Long, P.E., Section Chief, Roadway Management Division, Bureau of Maintenance and Operations, 555 Walnut Street, 7th Fl. Forum Place, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17101, [phone].

BRADLEY L. MALLORY,   
Secretary

[Pa.B. Doc. No. 99-324. Filed for public inspection February 26, 1999, 9:00 a.m.]