Smoothness specifications are applied by almost all state transportation agencies, including the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), to promote the overall quality and optimum ride quality of pavements. VDOT has a ride specification that provides a pay adjustment (either incentive or disincentive) depending on the smoothness of the final paved surface. VDOTs ride specification also has a provision to waive the disincentive and apply the incentive part only to projects where project geometry, etc., is perceived to make it difficult for the contractor to achieve the desired ride. When applied, the waiver is intended to encourage the contractor to apply additional efforts to improve the ride for otherwise difficult projects. In late 2011, VDOTs executive leadership formed an Asphalt Quality Task Force to identify and recommend specific achievable measures to improve the quality of the asphalt paving in Virginia. The task force agreed to consider the proposal to make an incentive-only provision the default for projects that would otherwise not qualify for the regular ride specification application. This study documented and critically reviewed the pilot application of the incentive-only provision for rideability on selected asphalt resurfacing schedules for VDOTs 2013 construction season. Several lane-miles of control sites were compared with the incentive-only sites to determine if the prospects of added incentives led contractors to alter their paving procedures in pursuit of a higher quality ride. There was no statistically reliable distinction between the achieved quality of the incentive-only and control sites. Further, it was found that the originally proposed incentive-only provisions did not provide any meaningful benefit to VDOT or contractors. The study developed a revised incentive-only specification and further recommended that the proposed provision be applied to a wider range of projects in VDOTs 2015 construction season.

This report from the second Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP 2), which is administered by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies, describes suggested performance specifications for different application areas and delivery methods that users may tailor to address rapid highway renewal project-specific goals and conditions.

Smoothness, the absence of bumps and dips in the riding surface of a pavement, improves the quality of the ride and is believed to prolong the life of the pavement. This research addressed the impact of potential pay adjustments for smoothness on maintenance contract prices for hot-mix asphalt. In addition to the construction costs associated with potential incentives/disincentives for smoothness, the research examined the financial value of the resulting product (presumably smoother pavements). The analysis included maintenance cost savings for the owner/agency, as well as any reduction in delay and operating costs for the motoring public. A detailed statistical analysis of 5 years of Virginia's plant mix resurfacing schedules found no statistically definitive impact on bid price as a result of the Virginia Department of Transportation's (VDOT) special provision for rideability for asphalt pavements. A similar analysis on a more focused data set, however, did document a lifetime reduction in the International Roughness Index (IRI) of almost 9 in/mi. This reduction in roughness (increase in smoothness) implies an increase in pavement service life, which translates into reduced annual maintenance costs. Although the analysis supports as much as 7 years in additional functional life, an example calculation demonstrates that just a 2-year life extension will supply approximately $1,295 (about 6% of material costs) in owner/agency savings for every lane-mile of highway that is resurfaced under the special provision for rideability. If VDOT continues to employ the special provision with the frequency it has averaged over the past 4 years (1,033 lane-miles per year), using the special provision will save on the order of $1.3 million per year. The lifetime decrease in roughness can lead to even more dramatic user cost savings. One real example provided in the report demonstrates a fuel cost savings (for trucks alone) of $160,000 over a 10-year period for each lane mile of highway that is resurfaced under the special provision for rideability.

This publication contains papers presented at a December 2001 symposium, focusing on hot mix asphalt (HMA) smoothness measurements, specifications, and equipment. Five papers provide insight into the development and implementation of roughness specifications for pavements, and two papers offer natio

This report covers the activities that were performed to enhance the current Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) ride specification for flexible pavements. The project team reviewed the MDT ride specification for flexible pavements and compared it with current literature and state of practice. An extensive state of practice survey of other Departments of Transportation (DOTs) was conducted and the results were utilized to provide recommendations to MDT for improving its ride specification. This report provides detailed information on the review of MDT current ride specification, literature review, state of the practice survey, and recommendations for improvements. The recommendations cover the proposed improvements to the current ride specification, tolerances, project classification levels, analysis tools and indices, and methods of acceptance. As part of the recommendations, a series of new documents [i.e. Profiler Operations Manual, Quality Control/Quality Assurance (QC/QA) Plan] have been developed to enhance future profile data collection and analysis. Based on the findings of this project, the project team have revised the document entitled: Method of Sampling and Testing (MT 422) and the document: MDT Ride Specification For Flexible Pavement. An implementation plan has been developed and presented in this report to provide MDT with a road map for implementing the findings of this project.