Pavement surface properties and their impact on performance-related pay adjustments

The objective of this paper is to study how pavement surface characteristics vary over the time and their effect on performance-related pay adjustments. As is well-known, the mineralogical composition of aggregates and their surface texture affect the evolution of friction with polishing cycles. Furthermore, changes in the microtexture and macrotexture of the aggregate during polishing influence road safety, expected life and pavement management. In order to study the relationship between the surface characteristics of friction courses and pay adjustments a three-year monitoring of an experimental road section was carried out. Four different dense-graded wearing courses were designed with different aggregates: limestone, basalt and expanded clay and surface performance was studied. Results were compared and analysed. Outcomes of this study are expected to benefit both practitioners and researchers.