THE PENNSYLVANIA DOT TRAINED OBSERVER SURVEY: DESIGN AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS

This paper discusses the design and initial findings of a trained observer developed for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. With a shift in priorities from construction to maintenance it became clear that some systematic, objective basis for assessing the condition of the state's 45,000 miles of highway was needed for analyzing needs and monitoring program performance over time. The trained observer approach was chosen because it could be tailored to fit the varied concerns of the maintenance program, and the instrument was designed to provide an intensive examination of surface, foundation, shoulders, drainage and appurtenances. Preliminary findings show that there is widespread variation in conditions among road sections across the state with high percentages of deficient roads on many items. To some extent this variation is attributable to systematic differences by Maintenance Functional Code, pavement type, and district and county. Sample reliability with the initial 3 percent sample is fairly weak and sample size will have to be expanded on subsequent cycles of data collection; however, the survey's reportable condition variables appear to be more reliable than PSI measures in discriminating good roads from bad roads. (Author)