By Blake Haas
NORMAL – High-Tech multi-function vehicles are on the roadways across the Twin-Cities to conduct a road assessment.
The Town of Normal partnered with the McLean County Regional Planning Commission to contract with Applied Research Associates to conduct a road assessment.
According to Normal Town Engineer Ryan Otto, the assessment would provide a more comprehensive pavement management strategy combining maintenance, preservation, repair, and reconstruction to lengthen the life of the roads while also minimizing costs.
“The vehicle itself has sensors that will sense pavement deflections, potholes, cracks, anything that may affect the structural integrity of the street. So we will be recording all that information and compiling that into what we call a ‘rating,’ or what we call a ‘paser rating,’ which is a pavement surface evaluation and rating. So we’ll be taking all that data, evaluating our streets, and putting together a prioritized five-year program.”
The vehicles use lasers to measure the change in the road surface to identify cracking, rutting, texture, potholes, raveling, and roughness. In return, engineering staff will use the data to prioritize and manage street repairs.
“We’ll be presenting the results to the Town Council. The Town Council will then consider the funding levels and the streets that will be done as part of that program. So it’s really just going to give us a lot more information about our streets and their condition and the budget that’s required to maintain them long-term,” added Otto.
The process costs the town $100,000, with a state grant covering 80% of the bill.
Work is expected to be completed by July 21st.
Blake Haas can be reached at [email protected]
