Impact of Pavement Defects on Traffic Operational Performance

Ibrahim H. Hashim, Rania M. Badawy () and Usama Heneash
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Ibrahim H. Hashim: Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Menoufia University, Shebin El-Kom 32511, Egypt
Rania M. Badawy: Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt
Usama Heneash: Civil Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh 33516, Egypt

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: The present research investigates the influence of pavement distresses on traffic operational performance in terms of speed and capacity. The pavement distresses are expressed by the pavement condition index (PCI). Three roads of multi-lane highways located on the road network of Kafrelsheikh governorate, Egypt, were chosen as a case study. Road geometry, pavement condition characteristics, and traffic volume were collected manually from 23 sections for field data surveys. For speed measurements, spot speed data were gathered using the stopwatch method under the free-flow conditions, and the percentile speeds (V 50 % and V 85 %) have been calculated for different vehicles classes. Traffic capacity was determined via extrapolation of the quadratic function. Regression analysis models were created to express the relationships of both the percentile speeds and traffic capacity as dependent variables, and three independent variables (PCI, lane, and shoulder widths). These empirical mathematical relations help in developing road design and maintenance works on multi-lane highways. The main conclusion of the study demonstrated that traffic operational performance was more significantly affected by pavement distresses than road geometry. Moreover, the results indicated that pavement distresses have a significant impact on light vehicles more than heavy ones.

Keywords: pavement distress; pavement condition index (PCI); multi-lane highways; percentile speeds (V 50 and V 85 ); traffic capacity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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