PROPOSED WEB BASED APPLICATION FOR NEW IMPROVED UNPAVED ROAD

CONDITION ASSESSMENT METHOD

a. Objective
The length of unpaved roads in the United States account for approximately 34.68 % of
the total road network (CIA, 2012) which is particularly important for the agricultural economy
by connecting farms to processing facilities and end markets. With increased traffic and heavy
designs of agricultural equipment these roads are facing challenges. Regular maintenance and
improvement of these roads is important for continued good rural economic performance.
County engineers constantly assess road conditions in order to initiate the maintenance work.
With limited budget and current assessment tools, decision making for fund allocation to roads is
mostly done on an ad hoc basis. To assist clear decision making and effective prioritizing of
roads for maintenance, reliable assessment tools should be developed. This paper proposes a new
improved condition assessment format for unpaved roads and further proposes a web based
application that will help organize, analyze and synthesize road performance assessment data.
b. Literature Review
There are many methods for assessing unpaved road conditions. All compared them with
an emphasis on examining reliability and accuracy. Most of the visual assessments are subjective
or qualitative in nature but are cost effective whereas advanced methods which use equipment
are precise but are more expensive comparatively. The focus will be to propose improved and
more reliable road condition assessment methods.
The assessment methods can be classified into the following categories: visual,
combination (visual and direct measurement), and indirect data acquisition with specialized
equipment (Brooks C., 2011).
1. Gravel PASER Manual
PASER is a completely visual method with a rating scale from 1 to 5, addresses almost
all aspects of the road condition. Further suggests measures to be taken for distresses present
respectively. Visual assessment is a good method to save a considerable amount of labor and
money in many cases where a long length of road is to be assessed. Table 1 is from the PASER
gravel road manual (D., 2002) which explains how the assessment is performed and what is
recommended for decision making. Evaluation of the crown, drainage, gravel layer, surface
deformation (wash boarding potholes and ruts) and Surface defect (Dust and Loose aggregate)
are included.

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Table 1 : Rating table from PASER gravel road Manual (D., 2002)
Surface
Visible Distress*
General Conditions/
Rating
Treatment Measures
5
No distress.
New constructionor total
Excellent
Dust controlled.
Reconstruction. Excellent
Excellent surface condition and ride.
drainage.
Little or no maintenance
needed.
4
Dust under dry conditions.
Recently regarded. Good
Good
Moderate loose aggregate.
crown and drainage
Slight wash boarding.
throughout. Adequate
Gravel for traffic. Routine
grading and dust control
may be needed.
3
Dust under dry conditions.
Shows traffic effects.
Fair
Moderate loose aggregate.
Regarding (reworking)
Slight wash boarding.
necessary to maintain. Will
require some ditch
improvement and culvert
maintenance. Some areas
may need additional gravel.
2
Little or no roadway crown (less than 3).
Travel at slow speeds (less
Poor
Adequate ditches on less than 50% of roadway.
than 25 mph) is required.
Portions of the ditches may be filled, over grown
Needs additional new
and/or show erosion. Some areas (25%) with little
aggregate. Major ditch
or no aggregate. Culverts partially full of debris.
construction and culvert
Moderate to severe wash boarding (over 3 deep)
Maintenance also required.
over 25% of area. Moderate rutting (1-3),
over10%-25% of area. Moderate potholes (2-4)
over 10%-25% of area. Severe loose aggregate
(over 4).
1
No roadway crown or road is bowl shaped with
Travel is difficult and road
Failed
extensive ponding. Little if any ditching. Filled or
may be closed at times.
damaged culverts. Severe rutting (over 3 deep),
Needs complete rebuilding
over 25% of the area. Severe potholes (over 4
and/or new culverts.
deep), over 25% of area. Many areas (over 25%)
with little or no aggregate.
* Individual road sections will not have all of the types of distress listed for any particular
rating. They may have only one or two types.
2. RSMS (Road Surface Management System)
This method addresses seven indices for unpaved road condition based on visual
evaluation. RSMS assigns a severity scale with rough percentage of distress visually assessed.
Four indexes are assigned percentage distress (Table 2) and three indexes have three scales good,
fair and poor (Table 3). This assessment method is completely visual and no measurement with
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any type of instrument is required. Also the use of a decision tree as shown in
Figure 1 is suggested to aid users of this method.
Table 2 : RSMS - Severity and Extent (H., 1994)
Distress
Severity
Corrugations
Low
Medium
High
Potholes
Low
Medium
High
Rutting
Low
Medium
High
Loose Aggregate
Low
Medium
High
Table 3 : RSMS - Condition (H., 1994)
Distress
Cross- section

Drainage

Dust

Extent
Low : <10%
Medium : 10% - 30%
High : >30%
Low : <10%
Medium : 10% - 30%
High : >30%
Low : <10%
Medium : 10% - 30%
High : >30%
Low : <10%
Medium : 10% - 30%
High : >30%

Condition
Good
Fair
Poor
Good
Fair
Poor
Light
Medium
Heavy

Figure 1 : Decision tree RSMS (H., 1994)

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3. Objective Rating System - Central Federal Lands Highway Division

The Impacts of stabilizing products were studied in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife
Refuge and Seedskadee National Wildlife Refuge by the Central Federal Lands Highway
Division of the USDOT FHWA. Five indices for road conditions were assessed. All five
distresses were physically measured using with a defined scale chart for each index. Each index
has 10 scales with physical measurement differences except dust. Whereas Wash boarding,
raveling, rutting & potholes varied from >60 mm deep to <5mm to not visible from 0 to 10 rating
scale respectively. Table 4 provides an example about below how the rating was given for
various indexes.
Table 4 : Objective rating for field Measurements (Surdahl R. W., 2005)

4. Unsurfaced road condition Index (URCI)

Developed by Unites States Army Corps of Engineers unsurfaced road condition Index
(URCI) addresses 7 indexes. All of these indexes have to be measured physically except dust
which is addressed subjectively. Also the severity of each index is noted in an example of a

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completed inspection sheet (

Figure 2). The density for each distress is calculated with
respect to the area of a sample unit into a percentage.

Figure 2 : Example of completed inspection sheet URCI (Army, 1995)

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c. Definition & explanation of the primary project management topic addressed in the
report.
This paper primarily addresses the issue of the maintenance which is a prominent topic
given the long length of unpaved roads in the country. Assessment of such roads is necessary in
order to carry out maintenance activity. As various road condition assessment methods for
unpaved roads have been reviewed, next, they will be compared and possible improvements will
be considered. And further will suggest decision making based on the method.
A comparison amongst assessment methods in the Table 5 showing key indices is given,
which are important for evaluating road conditions. All methods have their pros and cons, but
each of the methods lacks objectivity. An important index such as dust completely visually or
subjectively evaluated, questions are raised on the reliability of the road condition assessment as
a whole. Indexes such as sub-grade and ride quality should be addressed in road assessment as
these are also important indexes for overall road condition evaluation. Table 5 compares various
assessment methods based on important indexes which play a vital role in road condition
evaluation.

Table 5: Comparison between assessment methods on different Indexes

Indexes of
road
characteristics
and Distresses
Sub-Grade

PASER
Gravel
Roads

RSMS

Objective
Rating

UCRI

Remarks

Not
addressed

Not
addressed

Not
addressed

Not addressed

Cross Section

Height and
condition of
crown slope
of road
visually
evaluated

Visually
Not
assessed
addressed
with
ambiguous
severity split
in three
conditions

Sub-grade
plays a
important role
in the overall
condition of
roads and
should be
addressed in a
objective
manner
Few methods
measure
crown and
slope of the
road cross
section. But a
more
objective
measurement

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Density of
distress is
calculated by
measuring it
with respect to
area of sample
area and then to
a percentage

Drainage

Roadside
ditches and
under-road
culverts
visually
evaluated

Visually
Not
assessed
addressed
with
ambiguous
severity split
in three
conditions

Gravel
thickness

Thickness
and quality
of gravel
visually
evaluated

Visually
assessed
with
severity
extend

Corrugations

Visually
evaluated

Visually
assessed
with
ambiguous
severity split
in three
conditions

Dust

Visually
evaluated

Potholes

Ruts

Not
addressed

Density of
distress is
calculated by
measuring it
with respect to
area of sample
area and then to
a percentage
Not Addressed

Scale from 0
to 10 based
on physical
measurement
of >60 mm
to < to 5mm
to not
measureable
Visually
Subjective
assessed
uneasiness at
with
driving 25
ambiguous
mph to a
severity split scale of 0 to
in three
10
conditions

Density of
distress is
calculated by
measuring it
with respect to
area of sample
area and then to
a percentage
No density
calculation

Visually
evaluated

Visually
assessed
with
ambiguous
severity split
in three
conditions

Visually
evaluated

Visually
assessed
with
ambiguous

Density of
distress is
calculated by
measuring it
with respect to
area of sample
area and then to
a percentage
Density of
distress is
calculated by
measuring it

Scale from 0
to 10 based
on physical
measurement
of >60 mm
to < to 5mm
to not
measureable
Scale from 0
to 10 based
on physical
measurement

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should be
done.
Just one
method
addresses it
with a
physical
measurement.

Thickness of
the gravel
should be
measured
physically
across the
cross section.
Corrugations
are assessed
in a
measurable
manner by
two methods.

No method
quantifies
dust in a
measurable
manner for
evaluation
regarding
road
condition.
Potholes are
assessed in a
measurable
manner by
two methods.

Ruts are
assessed in a
measurable
manner by

Loose
Aggregates

Visually
evaluated

Ride Quality

Not
addressed

severity split of >60 mm

in three
to < to 5mm
conditions
to not
measureable
Visually
Scale from 0
assessed
to 10 based
with
on physical
ambiguous
measurement
severity split of >60 mm
in three
to < to 5mm
conditions
to not
measureable

with respect to
area of sample
area and then to
a percentage
Density of
distress is
calculated by
measuring it
with respect to
area of sample
area and then to
a percentage

Not
addressed

Not addressed

Not
addressed

two methods.

Two
assessment
methods
addressed it
and it should
be based on
more
objective
criteria.
Road quality
or ride quality
should be
included as
another key
index

The reason for introducing Sub-grade in the indexing system for road condition
assessment is due to the interconnection between the road conditions outcomes caused by
different in the soil types and sub-grade compaction that changes from section to section. The
thickness of the gravel is selected based on the sub-grade bearing capacity. Therefore a change in
the condition of the subgrade can directly affect the performance of the road above. Sub-grade
condition should be implied on the results of the earlier assessment methods and a relationship
between sub-grades to the road condition should be established.
The dust index has not been addressed in any of the previous reviewed assessment
method, in objective or quantified manner, so there is a need to measure dust in a more objective
manner with the use for dust measuring tool such as dustometer. Two types of reliable
dustometers which have been used for assessments are Colorado State University (CSU)
Dustometer & testing re-entrained aerosol kinetic emissions from roads (TRAKER). TRAKER is
a more precise and accurate dust measuring device having GPS and computer mounted under the
car; it has been used for several environmental studies (Etyemezian V., 2003). CSU Dustometer
is a straight forward assembly of vacuum pump and filter mounted in the back of a truck
(Morgan R. J., 2005). The measurements taken from this device is also precise and is more
economical in comparison to those of the TRACKER. The CSU Dustometer is more suited to
road assessment as a long stretch of road can be evaluated economically. CSU Dustometer,
which employs the filtration technique, is an improvement compared to previously developed
devices. Although the dustometer technique involves weighing of the filters in the laboratory, the
process can be executed quickly, and it enables large amounts of precise dust data to be gathered
in a short period of time (Sanders T.G., 2000). It will standardize and normalize the way in
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which road conditions are assessed. Dust directly depends on the moisture in the road. One
important factor is the interplay of moisture from rain and evaporation and another is the amount
of moisture beneath the road from sub grade due to capillary action. If the sub grade has moisture
content which can be maintained in the top surface by capillary action in summer and avoid
generation of dust, then that optimum moisture content that keeps road moist without losing
bearing capacity should be found and the surface layers should be designed with this in mind.
This again connects the dust index with subgrade. Also if the subgrade permanently loses its
bearing capacity due to full saturation or settles down due to sedimentation or failure, the
subgrade must be replaced or strengthen by various means.
Ride quality is another index that should be addressed in a more quantitative way using
instruments such as accelerometers which could establish a more reliable measuring tool in
context of speed of the vehicle. This can be economically performed by using iPhone and with
an appropriate software application. One such application has been developed by Diffraction
Limited Design is called Vibration. This software application takes advantage of the fact that the
iPhone has an inbuilt 3-axis accelerometer. It can measure up to plus/minus 2.0g and has a
sensitivity of about 0.02g. Those characteristics make it useful for measuring ride comfort. The
application can be set to sample at up to 100Hz (100 times a second) and the data can be
displayed as a series graphs. Furthermore, mathematical analysis of the data can be performed by
the software. You can also email screen shots and a .csv file of the collected data to other
platforms for later analysis. (J., 2013)
Another application called Roadroid is also very helpful to determine IRI indexes. This
application can be only used on android OS for smartphones. (www.roadroid.com)
In all it is clear that a more objective and standardized assessment method can be
developed in order to present a more reliable road condition report. It is clear that quantitative
assessment is more objective than quantitative assessment.
New improved assessment method
As shown below in Table 6, each index has been addressed with a objective rating scale
based on physical measurements by using instruments. Also relevant measures according to the
scale given are suggested.
Table 6 : Improved assessment method addressing road distress/ condition indexes
Indexes of
Measurement
road
Instrument
characteristics
and Distresses
Sub-Grade
Proctor test for
Optimum
moisture

Rating
method

Scale (10)

> -/+5%
+/- 0-5 %
OMC

0 5 for < or > Subgrade will be replaced or

+/- 5%
strengthened as necessary
5-10 for +/- 0- means according to scale.

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Measures

Cross Section

Drainage

Gravel
thickness

Corrugations

Dust

Potholes

Ruts

content.

< -/+5%

5%

Height and
condition of
crown slope of
road measured
physically or by
surveying.
Roadside
ditches and
under-road
culverts
measured
physically or by
surveying.
Thickness and
quality of
gravel
measured
physically or by
surveying.
Corrugations
measured
physically or by
surveying.
CSU
Dustometer is
used to weigh
dust for roads.
Per 2000 ft.
weekly test will
be taken
Potholes
measured
physically or by
an instrument.
Average depth
in a area will be
measured.
Ruts measured
physically or by
an instrument.

Crown 6
3-6
<3
No crown

Crown 6 - 10
3-6 7
<3 - 3
No crown 0

Motor grader maintenance or

new construction based on the
scale.

Blocked with
respect to
total area of
drainage in
percentage.

0 to100% - 0
to 10

Based on the blockage scale

decision to clean or replace
drainage will be made.

6
3-6
<3
Not present

6 - 10
3-6 7
<3 - 3
No present - 0

Based on the scale virgin

aggregates will be mixed or
new construction will be
done.

>60 mm
deep to <5
mm to not
present
5g
4g
3g
2g
1g

0 to 9 and 10
respectively.

Density of distress is
calculated by measuring it
with respect to area of sample
area and then to a percentage
Dust suppressants according
to the conditions.

not passable
to >100 mm
to
<5 mm to
not evident

0 to 1 to 9 and Filling the potholes or

10 respectively reconstruction according to
the severity of the scale will
be finalized.

>60 mm
deep to <5
mm to not
present

0 to 9 and 10
respectively.

5 g 0 to 2
4 g 2 to 4
3 g 4 to 6
2 g 6 to 8
1 g 8 to 10

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Adequate measures will be

taken

Loose
Aggregates

Loose
aggregates
measured
physically or by
an instrument

Not present
<20 mm
deep
20 to 40 mm
40 to 60 mm
>60 mm

Ride Quality

Ride quality
will be
measured
physically by
an instrument
called
accelerometer.
A Constant
speed of 25
mph will be
kept.

Determine
car to be
used and
other factors
such as car
condition,
suspension
etc. Once
calibrated
and
benchmarked
readings can
be taken.

Not present -0
<20 mm deep 2
20 to 40 mm 4
40 to 60 mm 8
>60 mm - 10
Scale will be
set according
to the
calibration and
benchmarking
form 0-10.

Reclaiming the loose

aggregates or grading will be
done respectively.

Grading or adequate measures

will be taken according to the
scale because of the waves
formed on the road surface.

Aerial Photography using Quad copters

Michigan Technological University is using quad copter for taking pictures of
unpaved roads. These pictures will be then analyzed and compared with the ground truth data.
Hence a process will be developed to calculate road width, road cross-section and potholes.
Web based application
Today in the age of cloud computing, prominent cloud platforms like Windows Azure,
Amazon Web services and The Rackspace cloud offer large and robust hardware backup to
promote use of cloud based web applications. Many Companies are creating construction apps
for mobile devices addressing accounting, estimating, invitation to bid, project management,
BIM, document management, information management, supply chain management, inventory
management, engineering software and many more.
Instead of running programs and data on an individual desktop computer, everything is
hosted in the clouda nebulous assemblage of computers and servers accessed via the
Internet. Cloud computing lets you access all your applications and documents from anywhere in
the world, freeing you from the confines of the desktop and making it easier for group members
in different locations to collaborate. (M., 2008)
Good examples of web based applications are google docs, salesforce.com which have
their own servers and applications which can be accessed from anywhere with just internet
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connection. In a way all the data of the assessment can be stored in software on a server and can
be accessed from anywhere.
A software or application should be created based on the new improved road condition
assessment method. This application should addresses all the points proposed and should be kept
on a cloud server, so that all the engineers can collaboratively access and analyze the data. Being
on the cloud it could be accessed from the field.
d. Advantages & Disadvantages to:
1. The Owner
Advantages: Owner with the new improved unpaved road condition assessment method
can have more precise input for making decisions on how to maintain roads. They will be able to
quantify and measure any adjustments that might be attempted in order to affect improvements.
The owner can easily compare the assessment results before and after the adjustments.
Disadvantages: Cost of comparing the adjustments using the proposed assessments will
be more than conventional methods. The owner has to understand and consider each assessment
result and monitor the measurements.
2. The Designer
Advantages: Designer can draw accurate performance data that will be available after the
assessments are conducted. Historic assessment for data of a region will help designers to design
improvements under similar condition with improved outcomes. This will lead to better
stakeholder satisfaction, better performance and greater effectiveness including sustainability.
Disadvantages: Added effect would be required for the designer to review assessment
outcomes and select treatments based on the review.
3. The Maintenance Operator
Advantages: Better estimates can be prepared for the maintenance work that is to be
undertaken. The results of the assessment will guide the operator, will have improved
information about what operations are most effective and will produce the most desirable
outcomes. In all, the operator has to follow the assessment measurements and quantify the work
to be carried out.
Disadvantages: If the most effective maintenance operator is better known, the
maintenance operator may have less latitude in choosing an operational approach.
e. Cost Implications
Due to the instruments and manpower assigned to carry out assessments the overall cost
will be more than conventional methods. This may lead to fund scarcity for other projects in the
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county. The cost of equipment, man power required to take measurements will be high and will
be a driving force in overall cost of the project. Implemented on a large project this method will
turn out to be feasible. Also due to more engineering and planning effort put in, there may be
savings in material to be used.
f. Conclusions and Recommendations
There is a need to assess road condition of unpaved roads in a more objective manner
given the importance to rural transportation networks. The assessment method purposed in this
paper requires greater effort in comparison to conventional methods, but will provide more
quantitatively rigorous results to the engineer so that more effective interventions can be
planned. The use of electronic data collection and web-applications will make the results
available to more stakeholders and encourage a more collaborative analysis, Interpolation of the
results leading to more collaborative implementation.
A more detailed research effort should be undertaken with regard to the proposed
assessment method after initial practical usage. An elaborated description of the web-based
application and the framework and function of the system should be undertaken. A relationship
between the various indices of road distress should be developed and a more integrated and
complete assessment method should be devised.
Other tools such as GPS and weather condition monitoring might be also employed
during the assessment to strengthen the reliability of the assessment outcomes by correlating
with the performance affecting attributes that are measured by the tools.

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h. Bibliography
Army, D. o. (1995). Unsurfaced Road Maintenance Management. Department of Army.
Brooks C., C. T. (2011). Cahracterization of Unpaved Road Condition Through the use of Remote sensing.
Michigan Tech Research Institute .
CIA. (2012). CIA Factbook. Retrieved from CIA Factbook: http://www.cia.gov/library/publications/theworld-factbook/geos/us.html
D., W. (2002). Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating - PASER gravel roads Manual. Transportation
Information Center.
Etyemezian V., K. H. (2003). Vehicle-based road dust emission measurement: I - methods and
calibiration. Atmospheric Environment.
H., G. a. (1994). Road Surface Management System.
J., E. (2013). Ride Quality Part 2. Retrieved from Autospeed:
http://www.autospeed.com/cms/article.html?&title=Ride-Quality-Part-2&A=112915
M., M. (2008). Cloud Computing: Web-based applications that change the way you work and collaborate
online. Que publishing.
Morgan R. J., S. V. (2005). Determination and Evaluation of Alternative Methods for Managing and
Controlling Highway - Related Dust, Phase II - Demonstration Project . IHRB.
Sanders T.G., a. A. (2000). Experimental road dust measurement device. Journal of transportation
engineering.
Surdahl R. W., W. J. (2005). Road Stabilizer Product Performance: Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.
FHWA.

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