Project Level Rehabilitation Design of Asphalt Pavements Using Laser and LiDAR Technologies

The evaluation of asphalt concrete pavement performance has bbecome more sophisticated with recent developments of 3-D pavement surface profiling systems and 360-degree mobile LiDAR. These technologies complement inertial profiling systems and allow for 100 percent coverage of the pavement surface and adjoining right-of-way to be surveyed at highway speeds. Beginning in 2013, Alberta Transportation (AT) started collecting pavement distress and LiDAR point cloud data as part of their network data collection program. The 3-D Laser Crack Measurement System (LCMS) provides crack distress extent and severity data. Roadway geometric data (roadway alignment and curve information, pavement width, cross-fall, superelevation, side slope/ditch depth/backslope cross section information) is provided from the LiDAR survey. These data along with inertial roadway profile, forward and panoramic video, and spatial reference data were collected simultaneously with one vehicle at highway speeds. Using a project on Hwy 47 about 250 km west of Edmonton that had been programmed for rehabilitation, several case studies have been undertaken. The studies dmonstrate how the data provided by the LCMS and LiDAR systems can be applied to the design process to better understand pavement behaviour, provide more complete data for assessing geometric requirements and to assess requirements for pre-overlay repairs.