Roadways: Pavement Methods/Friction Surface Treatments

Pavement Methods/Friction Surface Treatments

Primary Guidance Roadways with high accident rate spot locations and any areas with short-radius horizontal curves or hard-braking requirements can be resurfaced HFST as a reactive fix Roadways with a growing trend in wet-weather accidents or poor friction values can be treated with Surface Abrasion or micro-surfacing as a proactive fix MDOT SHA Office of Materials and Testing (OMT) will provide guidance on the appropriate roadway surface treatment

Discussion HFST is an excellent surface treatment to get very high skid resistance. While it is much more expensive than other surface treatments, it is much more effective in accident reduction and significantly cheaper than geometric realignment involving reconstruction. It is intended for spot locations (less than 1,000 ft.) on tight curves or approaches requiring hard braking, and where accidents have been an issue. Surface abrasion and micro-surfacing are not nearly expensive as HFST, and their skid resistance is not as high. They are intended for high-radius horizontal curves or areas where there is a moderate friction demand, and the pavement friction values are declining. Because of the equipment required for these treatments, they are more cost-effective in larger quantities. These treatments are intended to keep the surface friction condition sufficiently good so that an accident trend does not develop.

See Also

• Practical Design Implementation Guidance