Transportation infrastructure : better data needed to rate the nation's highway conditions
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Transportation infrastructure : better data needed to rate the nation's highway conditions

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English

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    The International Roughness Index is used throughout the world to measure whether travelers experience a rough or smooth ride while driving on a highway. The index is a quantitative measure of a vehicle's up-and-down movement while traveling. The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) (P.L. 105-178) directed the General Accounting Office (GAO) to evaluate how the index is used and how reliable the data are and report the results to the Congress no later than June 9, 2000. Accordingly, this report describes (1) the uses FHWA, the states, and others make of the index to assess highway conditions, (2) the consistency and accuracy of the state-reported data on highway roughness, and (3) FHWA's efforts to improve the data across states. Briefly, results indicate that the International Roughness Index is used widely for federal and state purposes, as well as for independent analyses. At the national level, where the index is the only available statistic on pavement conditions, FHWA uses it to assess changes in the overall condition of the nation's highways and to forecast future highway investment needs. While some states rely on the index to make highway maintenance decisions, others do not consider it an important decision-making tool. Independent analysts have used the data to compare pavement conditions across states and to develop "report cards" of state performance. Critics contend that state comparisons based on the index are flawed because the pavement roughness data reported to FHWA by the states are not consistent or accurate. While FHWA has tried to improve the data, these efforts have not been completely successful. 2 Appendices. 24p.
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