Threshold values of pavement surface properties for maintenance purposes based on accidents modelling

In general, road authorities recognise the importance of research studies to support the development of maintenance programmes for surface characteristics to be incorporated into pavement management systems. For this purpose, the establishment of threshold values is an essential issue, but the literature concerning this topic is very scarce. The main objective of this paper was to present a methodology for the establishment of threshold values based on safety criteria and concerning skid resistance and macrotexture, represented by International Friction Index, coefficient of friction and texture depth. The methodology consists of two phases: evaluation of the influence of the pavement surface properties on road accidents and establishment of threshold values for each road environment (RE). The analysis of the influence of these parameters on accident occurrence is based on the definition of compound RE, a more appropriate technique for accident modelling. Minimum and safety values of the parameters are recommended in this paper.