Partnering to improve roadways

The trucks that are being used today are called a traffic speed deflectometer. And what the trucks use is a Doppler laser sensor. And the Doppler laser is measuring the velocity of the pavement as it rebounds from the load being applied by the truck. The idea of the work is to develop mechanisms to assess the structural capacity of pavements. Having all these different vehicles now, we're trying to assess to make sure all the trucks are giving the same measurement. So, each state can go through and choose the vendor they want and make sure they're getting the same result. The structural data is very important. Right now, we have this technology with the truck, and the truck is collecting the structural data. So, we really want to have this one implemented all across the U.S. By making sure that the data is good and we have confidence on this data. Now, we can do this collecting data every one inch of the pavement. And also we can do that at 65 mph. We have an independent laser source that is measuring exactly the same thing as these trucks are measuring. Now, that allows us to compare our own board measurements, with what technicians and researchers at Virginia Tech are doing independently. And if we have a match or an agreement between these readings, then we validate the device. The traffic speed deflectometer technology improves efficiency. It's safer and there's no need for people to stand in the road or traffic closures. It just goes to traffic speeds. And, it's less of a disruption to the public out there using the pavements. The road users will see the benefit. First of all, obviously, improvement in the quality of the road. but also we are able to be more efficient. So we can identify more precisely when the road needs repair. What we want is to keep that condition up to a point that there is no pothole, so the user will not be affected. And we continue with the life of the payment. So, we maintain the payment. The agency will be able to go through now and get a better understanding of the pavement structural capacity. So, whatever type of maintenance treatments they do from here on out, we'll be able to take that into account. So the roadway should last longer. The number one thing that excites me about this is all the time and effort that Virginia Tech put into coming up with the validation and make sure that we're collecting quality data, repeatable data, and correlatable data. That's what's best for the industry.