| Road administrators in Japan judge road surface conditions primarily by visual inspection. However、 there are limitations to the accuracy and objectivity of such inspection. In addition、 some road surface conditions are difficult to judge. [*]The Civil Engineering Research Institute for Cold Region has introduced a device that is capable of continuously measuring road surface friction. We studied whether using those measurements for quantitative assessment of the winter road surface could improve winter road management. [*]Friction measurement data have been used to establish a database that is linked with digital maps、 and a friction monitoring system has been developed. A website was developed to allow road administrators to browse the monitoring data、 and information has been provided on a trial basis. The system can be used for various analyses of winter roads.[*]The study showed that continuous monitoring of road surface friction enables road administrators to quantitatively determine temporal and spatial changes in winter road surfaces. The friction monitoring system is expected to allow better decision-making on road management and better examination of the results of daily winter road management operations. The system can assess road surface conditions and can analyze relationships between these and traffic congestion associated with winter road conditions. |
