Brief
The Florida Department of Transportation has launched a “test road” using live traffic flow to identify the most effective concrete pavement designs for statewide usage. The innovative tool uses cutting-edge technology to optimize concrete pavement designs for safety, longevity, and cost-effectiveness.
Insight
The Florida Department of Transportation is set to use a “live” four-mile section of the northbound US 301 as a testbed for concrete pavement and base designs.
The test road will feature pavement testing equipment and monitors which will be used to monitor the effects of vehicular traffic, including heavy trucks, in real-time. The equipment and monitors will allow engineers to assess the road’s conditions, enabling them to improve the road’s safety, longevity, and cost-effectiveness.
By using the latest technologies to collect real-time data on the efficacy of concrete materials used on Florida’s roads, the Florida DOT aims to use the most effective materials to create resilient transportation corridors and reliable supply chains while prudently using taxpayer dollars.
The test road’s design also diverts traffic off the test road when needed, allowing for new test sections to be constructed without interrupting US 301 traffic. The Florida DOT hopes that the more resilient the materials they use, the longer they will last, thus reducing maintenance costs and construction times and limiting congestion in active work zones.
The Florida DOT believes that the concrete test road is a unique facility that incorporates cutting-edge technology to help further the understanding of pavement safety and performance.
Highlight
- The test road is the first of its kind in the southeastern United States and serves as a field laboratory that uses live traffic flow to test concrete pavement and base designs.
- The pavement testing equipment and monitors will be placed along the four-mile roadway segment, allowing Florida DOT engineers to monitor pavement conditions as they are subjected to vehicular traffic in real-time, including heavy truck traffic.
- The Florida DOT hopes that the information collected from the test road will help optimize concrete pavement designs for safety, longevity, and cost-effectiveness, ultimately delivering a better roadway experience to residents and visitors to the state.
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