Guidelines for enforcing rideability quality control on road contracts

Abstract

The travelling public perceives pavement rideability as the primary measure of pavement quality. It is thus necessary to minimise surface unevenness at the construction stage in order not only to improve the public's perception of the quality of the road, but also to lessen the effects of dynamic loading on the pavement and to decrease vehicle operating costs. The present system of quality control of unevenness, the three meter rolling straight-edge, has been questioned as to its effectiveness in this regard. This report summarises the results of Interim Report IR-90/225 and reports on the results of field tests conducted to establish the achievable riding quality levels on new roads. Recommendations for the properties and limits of a bonus penalty scheme based on these achievable riding quality levels are put forward