Flexible Pavement Performance Evaluation in Ontario: an Overview

Measuring pavement performance is a major component of the pavement management system. It assists in decision-making for finding the optimum strategies to provide, evaluate, and maintain serviceability in an acceptable condition cost effectively. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has been systematically rating pavement performance since the mid-1960s. Pavement condition survey involves measurement of two physical parameters: ride quality of pavement surfaces, and the extent and severity of pavement distress manifestations. The pavement ride quality can be measured with an acceptable level of consistency and repeatability through automation. However, achieving consistency in the evaluation of pavement distress manifestations is a challenging task because the automation that could accurately and consistently detect, quantify and record surface distresses is not fully developed is spite of rapid advances in video imagery and non-contact sensing devices. This report evaluates the progress made over the past three decades in the key areas of Distress Manifestation Index, Riding Comfort Rating, Pavement Condition Index and second generation Pavement Management System (PMS2). A review of the Ministryʼs network-level pavement performance database is presented, emphasizing pavement condition surveys, prediction models and main factors influencing assessment of long-term pavement performance. Several key issues related to the quality control and quality assurance of the pavement roughness are discussed with reference to the verification techniques used by the MTO. Based on the literature review, future recommendations for possible improvements of the prediction models and techniques used for the evaluation of pavement performance are presented in order to obtain more consistent values.