Twenty-Five Years of Pavement Smoothness Specifications in Georgia

Abstract

The traveling public generally recognizes the smoothness of a pavement as a major indicator of quality. A newly constructed pavement can have excellent materials, mix design, compaction, and so forth, but if the public considers the ride rough, the quality is considered poor. While continually striving to improve the quality of paving materials in mix designs, the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) began an effort in 1968 to attain the ability to accurately measure the smoothness of a pavement so that this indicator of quality could be measured and specified during construction. GDOT has been using response-type smoothness-measurement systems in its construction specifications for acceptance of projects since 1972 and since 1979 for both rejection and acceptance. The evolution of the pavement smoothness-measuring program in Georgia, the program operating procedures, and the current smoothness specifications are described. The long-term benefits of smoothness specification for pavement construction are also discussed, as is GDOT's effort to replace the Mays Meter trailer systems currently used with South Dakota–type, laser-based road profilers.