Thaw Weakening and Load Restriction Practices on Low Volume Roads

Details

• Creators:
  Kestler, Maureen A ; Knight, Thomas ; Krat, Audrey S
• Corporate Creators:
  Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (U.S.)
• Corporate Contributors:
  United States Army Corps of Engineers
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Low volume roads
  • Ground freezing
  • Frost damage
  • Load limits
  • Roadways
  • Winter weather
• Publication/ Report Number:
  ERDC/CRREL TR-00-6
• Resource Type:
  Research Paper
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• TRIS Online Accession Number:
  00796927
• Corporate Publisher:
  Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (U.S.) ; United States. Army. Corps of Engineers
• Abstract:
  Low volume roads subjected to seasonal freezing are highly susceptible to damage from traffic during midwinter and spring thaws. Such traffic-induced damage can be minimized by a variety of design methods; however, most are not economically feasible. As a result, loads are often restricted or prohibited during thaw-weakened periods. While this practice reduces road maintenance costs, the economic impact on industries that rely on continued heavy trucking can be significant. This report reviews the process of ice segregation and thaw weakening, and then discusses both quantitative and qualitative results from a survey on load restriction practices that was distributed to state departments of transportation (DOTs). Survey topics include state DOT load restriction practices, types and mileage of roads posted, methods for determining dates for imposing and removing load restrictions, enforcement of restrictions, and feedback from road users.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/14075/dot_14075_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 257.00 KB]
• Collection(s):
  US Transportation Collection
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:acb076cc4cbfff6a71bf64358b6ff38b93d2ec228d7e35ac2a915b6724af1453