Analysis and Comparison of Automated Distress Equipment

Pavement distress data is one of the most important components in an effective pavement management system. However, manual identification of pavement distress is very costly, time consuming, and potentially poses a safety risk to the pavement evaluation team. In addition, misclassification of distress types and measuring differences between surveyors may also be present. In recent years, considerable work has been conducted in the use of automated distress collection equipment to collect system-wide condition information (which is not always achievable using manual survey techniques). Accurate pavement condition information will be a great benefit to pavement management, design, and preservation in Kentucky. Automated distress data collection will allow for an objective measure of the conditions of Kentucky's pavements which can then be utilized in the calibration and implementation of pavement performance models.