Guide to Load Management for Weak Pavement Structures

Thursday, September 1, 2016

A completed pooled fund project to develop a guide for load management practices for weak pavement structures has received support from the Transportation Association of Canada’s (TAC) Chief Engineers’ Council. 

The guide will be made available for sale in TAC’s Bookstore in the coming months. 

Most Canadian provinces limit truck axle weights to varying extents during the spring thaw period, which has an impact on transportation cost as well as the environment. Some provinces allow trucks to carry extra weights during the winter months. The weight limit, methods used to determine the start, end and duration of spring load restriction and winter premium periods, vary among Canadian jurisdictions.

Developed under the auspices of the Pavements Standing Committee, the guide provides:

  • an overview of current practices;
  • a synthesis of existing and emerging technology with respect to load management;
  • a decision-support tool framework that guides the user through an economic-based load management decision in relation to the pavement structure, and
  • recommendations for enhancing Canadian load management practices.

Tetra Tech EBA Inc. conducted the research work for this project.

Funding partners include Alberta Transportation; Manitoba Infrastructure; New Brunswick Transportation and Infrastructure; Northwest Territories Department of Transportation; Nova Scotia Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal; the Ontario Ministry of Transportation; le ministère des Transports, de la Mobilité durable et de l’Électrification des transports du Québec; Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure and Yukon Highways and Public Works.

Background

In 2009, the TAC Pavements and Soils and Materials Standing Committees identified issues related to low volume roads (LVRs) including a lack of pavement design procedures that specifically address very low truck volume roads; continued industry pressure for variations to weights and tire configurations; the lack of a robust mechanistic-based analysis procedure for identifying the need for weight restrictions and the impacts of varying weights on roads. A subsequent TAC survey of LVR pavement design and load management practices in Canada was conducted at the end of 2011 indicating a need for a national load management best practices guide. In 2014, TAC undertook a request for proposal to develop a report regarding load management practices for LVRs.

 


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