A Simplified System for Assessing the Condition of Irish Regional and Local Roads

The surface condition of road pavements is a vital element in pavement management to prioritise projects, select appropriate treatments and make the best use of available resources. To evaluate the condition of the Regional... [ view full abstract ]

The surface condition of road pavements is a vital element in pavement management to prioritise projects, select appropriate treatments and make the best use of available resources. To evaluate the condition of the Regional and Local Roads, a simplified pavement inspection methodology, the Pavement Surface Condition Index (PSCI) rating system, has been developed.

The PSCI system has been developed for Rural Flexible, Urban Flexible and Urban Concrete roads. Three separate manuals have been published by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTAS). The manuals describe the types of defects for Irish roads in each category and provide a simple 1 to 10 system based on pavement defects to visually rate pavement surface condition. The condition survey is carried out from a moving vehicle and the assigned PSCI rating is recorded and geo-referenced using an innovative tablet and App device. The results of the rating system are relatable to specified maintenance treatment measures for Irish roads.

The implementation of the 1 to 10 PSCI system involved the development of new IT solutions and the nationwide training of local authority personnel in 31 local authorities. The simplified system and App device are being used by local authorities to visually rate their rural and urban road networks with over 70,000 kilometres (c. 75%) of network rated to-date. The overall objective is to use the 1 to 10 rating data to establish the existing pavement condition, and the lengths of roadway requiring various types of remedial works, both nationally and at county level.

The PSCI rating is a key element of the DTTAS and Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) MapRoad pavement management system, and the DTTAS Regional and Local Road grant programmes are directly linked to the PSCI and associated treatment measures. Moreover, the PSCI is also a new key performance indicator for roads that is prescribed by the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) as part of its annual report on the Performance Indicators in Local Authorities.

This paper describes the development, implementation and use of the PSCI rating system including the use of an innovative tablet and App device for collecting the data on Irish roads. The paper will outline the findings from undertaking an extensive programme of training of local authority personnel, and will examine the survey results and experience to-date in the use of the system and data.