3-Sustainability-14-06982 (MDPI)

sustainability
Article
Evaluation of Pavement Roughness by the International
Roughness Index for Sustainable Pavement Construction in
New Taipei City
Shong-Loong Chen 1 , Chun Lin 1 , Chao-Wei Tang 2,3,4, * and Hsin-Ang Hsieh 5
1 Department of Civil Engineering, National Taipei University of Technology, No. 1, Sec. 3, Zhongxiao E. Rd.,
Taipei 10608, Taiwan; f10391@ntut.edu.tw (S.-L.C.); kinmenfire12@gmail.com (C.L.)
2 Department of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Cheng Shiu University, No. 840, Chengching Rd.,
Niaosong District, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan
3 Center for Environmental Toxin and Emerging-Contaminant Research, Cheng Shiu University, No. 840,
Chengching Rd., Niaosong District, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan
4 Super Micro Mass Research and Technology Center, Cheng Shiu University, No. 840, Chengching Rd.,
Niaosong District, Kaohsiung 83347, Taiwan
5 Department of Construction and Maintenance, New Taipei City Government, No. 161, Sec. 1, Zhongshan Rd.,
Banqiao Dist., New Taipei City 22001, Taiwan; bryan8302010@gmail.com
* Correspondence: tangcw@gcloud.csu.edu.tw; Tel.: +886-7-735-8800
Abstract: Good road quality is an indicator of urban progress. In August 1998, the New Taipei City
government implemented the “Road Leveling Project” on roads within its jurisdiction to improve
the quality of public transportation. This paper aimed to analyze the International Roughness Index
(IRI) of 152 asphalt concrete pavement sections in New Taipei City before and after road leveling. An
intelligent pavement inspection vehicle that met the requirements of E 950 Class I was used to detect
the IRI values of the road sections before and after maintenance. The statistical analysis showed
Citation: Chen, S.-L.; Lin, C.; Tang,
C.-W.; Hsieh, H.-A. Evaluation of
that the implementation of the Road Leveling Project had a significant effect on improving the road
Pavement Roughness by the roughness of roads under its jurisdiction. Moreover, it became possible to arrange a budget for roads
International Roughness Index for with IRI values above a threshold or to estimate the budget needed to improve roads with an IRI
Sustainable Pavement Construction higher than a certain value.
in New Taipei City. Sustainability
2022, 14, 6982. https://doi.org/ Keywords: IRI; quarter car; pavement inspection vehicle; longitudinal profile of road
10.3390/su14126982
Academic Editor: Marinella

Silvana Giunta
1. Introduction
Received: 12 April 2022
Asphalt concrete is a widely used roadway pavement material. Asphalt pavement
Accepted: 4 June 2022
generally consists of subgrade, subbase course, base course, and surface course, from
Published: 7 June 2022
the bottom to the top. There have been many academic studies on the influence of raw
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral materials on the performance of asphalt concrete pavement [1,2]. However, for driving
with regard to jurisdictional claims in comfort, the immediate concern is whether the road is flat or not.
published maps and institutional affil- According to a survey conducted by the Federal Highway Administration in 2002,
iations. pavement roughness is considered to be the most important indicator of user satisfaction [3].
In fact, pavement roughness is one of the main road performance measures. Good pavement
roughness can ensure the high-speed, comfortable, and safe operation of a vehicle. If the
pavement roughness is poor, complaints and petitions from the public will follow. Therefore,
Copyright: © 2022 by the authors.
the quality of urban roads is regarded as an indicator of urban progress and the foundation
Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
This article is an open access article
of sustainable urban development [4,5].
distributed under the terms and
In the field of road engineering, the roughness index of pavement is used to summarize
conditions of the Creative Commons
the surface condition and ride quality. This figure is closely related to the performance of the
Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// pavement obtained by calculation. Over the last century, procedures have been developed
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ to assess road conditions by assigning roughness levels and calculating index values.
4.0/). Currently, many indices related to pavement roughness have been proposed. Among them,
Sustainability 2022, 14, 6982. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14126982 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability

Sustainability 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 18
Sustainability 2022, 14, 6982 2 of 18
values. Currently, many indices related to pavement roughness have been proposed.
the International
Among them, theRoughness
International Index (IRI) is currently
Roughness the most
Index (IRI) widely the
is currently usedmost
index to indicate
widely used
road surface
index to indicateroughness [6,7]. roughness
road surface Regarding[6,7]. the standard
Regarding procedure
the standardfor calculating
procedure for the cal-
IRI
from longitudinal
culating the IRI from profile measurements,
longitudinal profile themeasurements,
ASTM E1926 established
the ASTMspecifications
E1926 establishedbased
on the quarterbased
specifications car model
on the[8].quarter car model [8].
As shown
shown in Figure 1,the
in Figure 1, thequarter
quartercar carsimulation
simulation model
modelis composed
is composed of spring
of spring suspen-
sus-
sion mass and non-spring suspension mass [8,9]. In this model,
pension mass and non-spring suspension mass [8,9]. In this model, the sprung and un- the sprung and unsprung
masses corresponding
sprung masses corresponding to a cornerto of
a the vehicle
corner of thearevehicle
represented by ms and mby
are represented u , respectively.
ms and mu,
In the simulation
respectively. In theprocess, the quarter
simulation process,car themoves
quarter along the longitudinal
car moves profile of thepro-
along the longitudinal test
roadofat
file a simulated
the test road atspeed of 80 km/h.
a simulated speed of As80thekm/h.roughness on the surface
As the roughness causes
on the surface dynamic
causes
excitationexcitation
dynamic of the quarter car system, the sprung the andsprung
unsprung andmasses havemasses
different vertical
. . of the quarter car system, .. .. unsprung have dif-
ferent (Z s andspeeds
speedsvertical Z u ) or(𝑍 and 𝑍 ) or(Z
accelerations s and Z u ). By
accelerations and 𝑍 ).a By
(𝑍 drawing freedrawing
body diagram and
a free body
applying and
diagram Newton’s
applyingsecond law, the
Newton’s following
second law, differential
the following equations can be
differential obtainedcan
equations [8,9]:
be
obtained [8,9]: .. . .
ms Z s + cs Z s − Z u + k s ( Zs − Zu ) = 0, (1)
𝑚𝑍 𝑐 𝑍 𝑍 𝑘 𝑍 𝑍 0, (1)
.. ..
ms Z s + mu Z u + k t ( Zu − y) = 0. (2)
𝑚𝑍 𝑚 𝑍 𝑘 𝑍 𝑦 0. (2)
Figure 1. Illustration
Illustration of
of the
the computer
computer algorithm
algorithm used
used to
to compute
compute the
the International
International Roughness Index
(IRI) [8,9].
The vertical displacement change of the quarter car is obtained through quadratic
integration. In other words, the suspension deflection is calculated based on the measured
profile displacement and standard car structural
structural parameters.
parameters. The simulated suspension
motion isis accumulated
accumulatedand
andthen
then divided
divided bybythethe distance
distance traveled
traveled to provide
to provide theindi-
the IRI IRI
indicator
cator as a as a unit
unit of m/km,
of m/km, as shown
as shown infollowing
in the the following equation
equation [8–12]:
[8–12]:
ZL
1 1 |𝑍
IRI = 𝐿 | Zs − Z𝑍u ||dx
IRI 𝑑𝑥 (3)
(3)
L
0
where IRI is the International Roughness Index and L is the length of the profile. The IRI
where IRI is the International Roughness Index and L is the length of the profile. The
value reflects the jitter degree of a vehicle when driving on road pavement. The IRI is
IRI value reflects the jitter degree of a vehicle when driving on road pavement. The IRI
usually expressed in units of m/km [9]. Generally, the IRI value of asphalt concrete pave-
is usually expressed in units of m/km [9]. Generally, the IRI value of asphalt concrete
ment ranges from “0” for superhighways to about “20” for rough unpaved roads [8].
pavement ranges from “0” for superhighways to about “20” for rough unpaved roads [8].
Therefore, the condition of the pavement is understood from the IRI value. It is worth
Therefore, the condition of the pavement is understood from the IRI value. It is worth
noting that “0” means perfect pavement; however, in practice this kind of pavement will
noting that “0” means perfect pavement; however, in practice this kind of pavement will
never
never be
be available.
available.
As
As the
the IRI
IRI has
has the
the advantages
advantages ofof being
being stable
stable over
over time
time and
and transferable
transferable worldwide,
worldwide,
it has become the most widely employed pavement index [13–15].
it has become the most widely employed pavement index [13–15]. The The
IRI isIRI
notisonly
not used
only
used for roughness assessment; it is an important parameter of road surface quality that
affects driving safety and fuel consumption. A number of studies have explored pavement
assessment and pavement index applicability in developing countries [16,17]. For example,
Barzegaran et al. [16] investigated 507 km of asphalt pavement in Kermanshah, Iran,
using the IRI and the Pavement Surface and Evaluation Rating (PASER) as a quick and
cost-effective indicator. Particularly in European and American countries, the IRI has
been widely used in road design, acceptance, management, and maintenance [18–20]. For
example, Pérez-Acebo et al. [18] developed an IRI performance model for two-lane roads
with flexible pavement. In the United States, 39 states use specific indicators based on
the IRI to report the level of roughness of new asphalt pavements [21]. The roughness
acceptance standards of each state in the United States are roughly divided into four areas,
namely, the incentive area, full pay area, disincentive area, and correction area; however,
the IRI acceptance thresholds of each state are not consistent. A summary of the IRI-based
new asphalt pavement specification thresholds in 36 states is shown in Table 1 [21].
Table 1. Summary of IRI-based specification thresholds for new asphalt pavements in the United
States of America [21].
IRI Thresholds Incentive Full Pay Lower Full Pay Upper Disincentive Disincentive Threshold for
(m/km) Upper Limit Limit Limit Lower Limit Upper Limit Correction
Minimum 0.558 0.560 0.688 0.690 0.960 0.960
Maximum 1.278 1.280 1.600 1.602 2.384 2.400
Average 0.918 0.920 1.144 1.146 1.672 1.680
The accuracy of the IRI is mainly affected in the detection process by the precision of
the displacement sensor, data sampling interval, IRI evaluation distance, and measurement
speed. The research results of Wang et al. determined that the higher the accuracy of
the displacement sensor and the smaller the data sampling interval, the smaller the IRI
measurement error [22]. When the accuracy of the displacement sensor remains the same,
smaller the data sampling intervals lead to the smaller errors in IRI measurement. On
the other hand, researchers have proposed speed-related IRI thresholds to evaluate ride
quality [10,23–25]. The literature indicates that at the same ride quality level, the IRI
threshold decreases as the measurement speed increases [10,23–25].
In addition to the IRI, other commonly used roughness indices include the Ride
Number (RN), Profile Index (PI), Maysmeter Index (MI), and Root Mean Square Vertical
Acceleration (RMSVA). Regardless of the index, the goal is to mathematically reflect the
comfort that the user experiences while driving. For example, RN is an indicator that
was proposed by the United States in the 1980s to determine how users felt when driving
on pavement [26,27]. It is evaluated by a panel of raters representing road users, who
subjectively rate the service quality of the road on a scale of “0” to “5”, with “0” being the
worst and “5” being the best.
Simultaneously with scoring, the roughness of a road section is measured using a
mechanized or computerized profilograph, expressed by the profile index (PI); the unit is
meters per meter. The PI ranges from “0” to “5”. A score of “0” indicates that the pavement
is the roughest, while “5” means that the pavement is very flat. Then, the PI is converted
into the RN in a nonlinear mode. In fact, the PI and IRI are related, and many papers
have provided the relationship between these two indicators [28]. On the other hand, the
Transportation Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of the
Republic of China established the Pavement Riding Quality Index (PRQI) in 2005 and listed
its corresponding IRI range as a road inspection standard, as shown in Table 2 [29].
Table 2. The Pavement Riding Quality Index and its corresponding IRI range [29].
Grade Corresponding IRI Range Vertical Acceleration Comfort Description

A <1.5 m/km <0.2m/s2 Quite comfortable
B 1.5–3.5 m/km 0.2–0.6 m/s2 Comfortable
C 3.5–6.5 m/km 0.6–1.0 m/s2 Somewhat uncomfortable
D 6.5–10 m/km 1.0–1.6 m/s2 Quite uncomfortable
E >10 m/km >1.6 m/s2 Extremely uncomfortable
Roads are important city facilities. They must have the characteristics of stability, com-
fort, and safety. In addition, it is necessary to provide a quality of service that satisfies road
users at a moderate maintenance level. In recent years, the New Taipei City government
has actively promoted various road leveling projects and completed the renewal of roads
throughout the city year by year to improve the quality of public traffic. This research
analyzed and compared the IRI values produced by the New Taipei City government. Our
analysis is mainly based on the difference in the IRI before and after the road maintenance
under its jurisdiction in order to analyze and improve the effectiveness. On the other
hand, in view of the large differences between the IRI thresholds used by countries around
the world, an amendment to the accepted IRI threshold of the existing pavement surface
characteristics of the New Taipei City government is proposed here, which could be used
as a reference for the subsequent implementation of IRI testing.
2. Implementation of the Road Leveling Project in New Taipei City

New Taipei City is an international city located in northern Taiwan. Its territory
surrounds Taipei City and Keelung City, forming a co-living circle in the Greater Taipei
Metropolitan Area. The population of New Taipei City is estimated to exceed 3.9 million,
and its area is 2052 square kilometers, accounting for 6% of Taiwan’s area. With its superior
location advantage, today’s New Taipei City is Taiwan’s major commercial city, second only
to Taipei City. As the overseer of an international city, the New Taipei City government
attaches great importance to the quality of road construction under its jurisdiction. Its
roads are divided into express roads, main roads, secondary roads, and branch roads.
Management of the pavement roughness is the most important factor in the acceptance of
new pavement or road maintenance. This not only relates to driving comfort and driving
safety; it determines the service life of the pavement.
At present, the road inspection standards promulgated in Taiwan are mainly formu-
lated by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications and the Construction and
Planning Agency of the Ministry of the Interior. In addition, local governments formulate
road inspection standards in their jurisdictions. Among these specifications, several use
traditional indicators such as the standard deviation of a three-meter straight edge, while
others use an inertial profiler to directly or indirectly calculate the IRI. However, analysis
of the standard deviation of the three-meter straight gauge is time-consuming and labor-
intensive, and cannot fully reflect the real road conditions. In contrast, the IRI is more
objective, and is an internationally recognized indicator. In particular, the advantage of
the IRI lies in its reproducibility; when different inertial profilers are used to measure the
same road section, nearly equal IRI values can be obtained. In addition, the IRI has a linear
relationship with road flatness, which reflects the feeling of ride comfort and is converted
into various flatness indicators. Therefore, the New Taipei City government has established
relevant regulations and inspection standards for the roughness inspection of roads under
its jurisdiction, mainly using the IRI as the basis for inspection.
2.1. Brief Description of the Road Leveling Project

In order to ensure the safety of road users and drivers, in August 1998 the New Taipei
City government implemented the Road Leveling Project on the roads within its jurisdiction.
The specific pavement technology of the Road Leveling Project includes road roughness
detection, elevation adjustment of manhole and handhole covers, adjustment of the slope of
tion. The specific pavement technology of the Road Leveling Project includes road rough-
ness detection, elevation adjustment of manhole and handhole covers, adjustment of the
longitudinal and transverse
slope of longitudinal sections ofsections
and transverse the road,
of subgrade
the road, improvement works, pavement
subgrade improvement works,
scratching, sealcoatingsealcoating
pavement scratching, work, and work,
road marking.
and roadIts implementation
marking. process is process
Its implementation shown in is
Figure 2. The Road Leveling Project of the New Taipei City Government’s
shown in Figure 2. The Road Leveling Project of the New Taipei City Government’s Public Public Works
Department completed
Works Department a total ofamore
completed total than 2.1 million
of more than 2.1square
millionmeters
squareof meters
roads inof2012.
roadsThe
in
estimated cost of the project was approximately TWD 1.4 billion. In view of
2012. The estimated cost of the project was approximately TWD 1.4 billion. In view of the the fact that
the
factIRI has
that gradually
the become a pavement
IRI has gradually become a performance indicator consistently
pavement performance adopted by
indicator consistently
countries
adopted by around the world,
countries aroundthe New
the Taipei
world, theCity
New government
Taipei Cityconducted
government IRIconducted
detection and
IRI
analysis on road restoration within its jurisdiction as a reference for improving
detection and analysis on road restoration within its jurisdiction as a reference for improv- the road
service
ing the quality.
road service quality.
Figure 2.
Figure 2. The
The implementation
implementation process
process of
of the
the Road
Road Leveling
Leveling Project.
Project.
Before a road section is fully milled and paved, a road condition survey is carried out
Before a road section is fully milled and paved, a road condition survey is carried
and the subgrade, manholes, and handholes are investigated. For pavement renewal pro-
out and the subgrade, manholes, and handholes are investigated. For pavement renewal
jects, it is necessary to coordinate with the pipeline authority to handle manhole and hand-
projects, it is necessary to coordinate with the pipeline authority to handle manhole and
hole cover reduction and elevation adjustment. Except for those manholes and handholes
handhole cover reduction and elevation adjustment. Except for those manholes and
that cannot be landed because of disaster prevention or special reasons, manholes and
handholes that cannot be landed because of disaster prevention or special reasons, manholes
handholes are lowered before the road is paved. After paving, the pipeline authority ad-
and handholes are lowered before the road is paved. After paving, the pipeline authority
justs thethe
adjusts manholes andand
manholes handholes to beto
handholes flush with the
be flush withroad
thesurface to increase
road surface its flatness.
to increase its
Pavement
flatness. renewal must
Pavement be designed
renewal accordingaccording
must be designed to the concept
to theofconcept
the newof roads being
the new con-
roads
structed.
being The elevation
constructed. of the road
The elevation of surface
the roadshould
surfacebeshould
measured, the slopethe
be measured, of slope
the longitu-
of the
dinal and transverse sections of the road surface should be
longitudinal and transverse sections of the road surface should be redesigned,redesigned, and the horizontal
and the
drainage slope
horizontal should
drainage beshould
slope required between between
be required each street eachprofile. Rainwater
street profile. shouldshould
Rainwater imme-
immediately drain away from the updated road when it is raining, and undulatingcondi-
diately drain away from the updated road when it is raining, and undulating road road
tions should
conditions be removed
should in order
be removed to increase
in order the safety
to increase and comfort
the safety and comfortof driving. In order
of driving. In
to completely improve and eliminate the problem of uneven road
order to completely improve and eliminate the problem of uneven road surfaces, subgrade surfaces, subgrade im-
provement work
improvement work should
shouldbebecarried
carriedout
outprior
priorto toroad
roadresurfacing.
resurfacing. Subgrade
Subgrade improvement
improvement
is the most fundamental way to improve road flatness.
is the most fundamental way to improve road flatness. It can make the It can make the resurfaced
resurfaced asphalt
asphalt
concrete pavement smoother and improve the durability coefficient
concrete pavement smoother and improve the durability coefficient to avoid cracking and to avoid cracking and
damage to
damage to the
the pavement
pavementcaused
causedby byvehicles
vehiclestraveling
travelingover over poor
poorquality
quality subgrade.
subgrade. On On
the
other
the hand,
other the the
hand, IRI is
IRIused for both
is used roughness
for both roughness assessment
assessmentand as
and a basis for judging
as a basis road
for judging
sections
road that that
sections must be be
must repaired
repairedor or
maintained
maintainedtotoprioritize
prioritize pavement
pavement improvements.
Therefore,considering
Therefore, consideringthethelimitations
limitationsofoffinancial
financialand andworkforce
workforce resources,
resources, thethe
NewNew Tai-
Taipei
pei City government plans to use the results of IRI testing to prepare
City government plans to use the results of IRI testing to prepare a budget for damaged a budget for dam-
aged roads
roads and dangerous
and dangerous road sections
road sections within within its jurisdiction
its jurisdiction in orderintoorder to effectively
effectively implement im-
plement
road road maintenance
maintenance work. work.
2.2.
2.2. System
System Architecture
Architecture ofof the
the Intelligent
Intelligent Pavement
Pavement Inspection
InspectionVehicle
Vehicle
In this study, an intelligent pavement inspection
In this study, an intelligent pavement inspection vehicle vehicle that met
that thethe
met requirements
requirementsof
Eof950
E 950Class I was
Class usedused
I was to detect the roughness
to detect of road
the roughness of surfaces in NewinTaipei
road surfaces New City before
Taipei City
and after
before maintenance
and [30]. The[30].
after maintenance system
The architecture of this inspection
system architecture vehicle was
of this inspection divided
vehicle was
into a roughness inspection system, a road image recording system,
divided into a roughness inspection system, a road image recording system, and an inte-and an integrated
power
gratedsupply
power system, as shown
supply system, asin Figure
shown in3,Figure
including in-vehicle
3, including equipment
in-vehicle (video camera,
equipment (video
Global Positioning System (GPS) signal receiver, distance measurement
camera, Global Positioning System (GPS) signal receiver, distance measurement instru- instrument (DMI)
vehicle odometer, notebook computer, and information acquisition
ment (DMI) vehicle odometer, notebook computer, and information acquisition host) andhost) and sensors (a
laser rangefinder and an accelerometer) installed in the rear bumper.
sensors (a laser rangefinder and an accelerometer) installed in the rear bumper.
Pavement Inspection Vehicle
Roughness inspection system: Road image recording system:

Laser rangefinder Digital camera Integrated power supply
Accelerometer Differential satellite locator system
Encoder Data capture card
Signal capture card
Figure 3.
Figure 3. System
System architecture
architecture of
of the
the inspection
inspectionvehicle.
vehicle.
The main
The main function
function ofof the
the laser
laser rangefinder
rangefinder was was to
to detect
detect the
the vertical
vertical relative
relative distance
distance
between
betweenthe thevehicle
vehicleand
and thethe
road, while
road, the accelerometer
while measured
the accelerometer the acceleration
measured value
the acceleration
where the laser
value where therangefinder was located.
laser rangefinder The aforementioned
was located. data were
The aforementioned used
data withused
were the DMI
with
to
themeasure
DMI tothe distance
measure theofdistance
the vehicle, and
of the the longitudinal
vehicle, profile change
and the longitudinal in thechange
profile road survey
in the
line
roadwas calculated.
survey line was The laser rangefinder,
calculated. The laseraccelerometer, and vehicle odometer
rangefinder, accelerometer, transmitted
and vehicle odom-
the
etersignal to the data
transmitted the acquisition
signal to the host
datainstalled in thehost
acquisition car, and the host
installed transmitted
in the car, and the
the data
host
to the laptop computer in the car via a USB cable. At the same time, the system
transmitted the data to the laptop computer in the car via a USB cable. At the same time, cooperated
with the GPS
the system signal receiver
cooperated with theandGPSwebcam
signaltoreceiver
performand numerical
webcamoutput, IRI calculation,
to perform numerical
GPS positioning, and right-of-way image integration. For the inertial profiler used in the
Road Leveling Project in New Taipei City, the output profile elevation data and IRI values

output, IRI calculation, GPS positioning, and right-of-way image integration. For the in-
ertial profiler used in the Road Leveling Project in New Taipei City, the output profile
elevation
were datafor
verified and IRI values were
repeatability verified for
and accuracy, andrepeatability andthe
the results met accuracy, and theofresults
requirements CNS
met the
15,371 requirements of CNS 15,371 [31].
[31].
2.3.
2.3. Execution
Execution ofof Roughness
RoughnessInspection
Inspection
The New Taipei City
The New Taipei City Road Road Leveling
Leveling Project stipulated
Project stipulatedthatthat
the the
improved
improvedroadroad
sections
sec-
be
tions be tested and compared for roughness both before and after maintenance. Beforethe
tested and compared for roughness both before and after maintenance. Before the
inspection,
inspection, anan overall
overall plan
plan of
of the
the road
road section
section toto be
be inspected
inspected isis formulated
formulated in in order
order to to
determine
determinethe theplanned
plannedmaintenance
maintenancesectionsectionorordesignated
designatedroad roadsection
sectionand
andto toarrange
arrangethe the
inspection
inspectionschedule.
schedule.In Inorder
ordertotoimprove
improvethe thecomfort
comfort ofof
the
theroad,
road, before thethe
before road surface
road surfaceis
removed and sealed the manhole and handhole iron cover must
is removed and sealed the manhole and handhole iron cover must be lowered and buried be lowered and buried
in
inthe
theroad
roadsection.
section. InIn addition,
addition, thethe inferior
inferior subgrade
subgrade of of the
the road
roadsection
section isischecked
checkedand and
renovated to increase the service life of the road. The calibration and
renovated to increase the service life of the road. The calibration and maintenance maintenance of testing
of test-
equipment
ing equipmentsuch such
as theaslaser
the rangefinder, accelerometer,
laser rangefinder, and vehicle
accelerometer, odometer
and vehicle were carried
odometer were
out simultaneously with this process. Then, on-site testing was undertaken.
carried out simultaneously with this process. Then, on-site testing was undertaken. Dur- During the
execution of the Road Leveling Project, the testing instruments were
ing the execution of the Road Leveling Project, the testing instruments were calibrated calibrated regularly.
After completing
regularly. the inspection
After completing theoperations,
inspection the reasonableness
operations, of the measured
the reasonableness road
of the section
measured
data must be checked. If the data are within a reasonable range, the inspection operation of
road section data must be checked. If the data are within a reasonable range, the inspection
the road section is ended. Otherwise, it must be retested. The overall inspection workflow
operation of the road section is ended. Otherwise, it must be retested. The overall inspec-
is shown in Figure 4.
tion workflow is shown in Figure 4.
Confirmation of scheduled maintenance section or designated

section
Calibration and maintenance of the

Inspection schedule
instrument
On-site inspection
Reasonability check
No
of test results
Yes
Analysis and comparison of IRI test results
Report writing
Figure4.4.Workflow
Figure Workflowof
ofroughness
roughnessinspection.
inspection.
The driving
The drivingspeed
speedduring
duringdetection
detectionshould
shouldbe begreater
greaterthan
than2525km/h,
km/h, and
and the
thespeed
speed
should be
should be as
asstable
stable asaspossible.
possible. TheThe system
system software
software ofof the
the inspection
inspection vehicle
vehicle uses
uses high-
high-
frequencysampling
frequency sampling(recording
(recordingdatadataevery
every25 25cm)
cm)totoautomatically
automaticallydetect
detectand
andanalyze
analyzethe
the
longitudinalprofile
longitudinal profiledata
dataatatthe
thetrack
trackofofthe
thewheel.
wheel.During
During the
the detection
detection process,
process, thethe vehi-
vehicle
cle speed,
speed, distance
distance traveled,
traveled, laserlaser rangefinder
rangefinder measurement
measurement value,value,
and and acceleration
acceleration valuevalue
are
are displayed on the computer screen in real time. The software calculates
displayed on the computer screen in real time. The software calculates and outputs the IRI and outputs
the IRI
value at value at the
the wheel wheel trajectory
trajectory in real timein when
real time when the inspection
the inspection vehicle the
vehicle completes completes
length
the
of length
the of thesection
detection detection
(thesection
default(thewasdefault
100 m).was 100 m).
3. Analysis and Discussion of Actual Measurement Results

3.1. Detection and Analysis of the Pavement IRI Value
During the execution of the Road Leveling Project, the inspection vehicle was driven
over the planned maintenance section or designated road section in both directions. Digital
images, pavement roughness, and pavement distress data were collected. These data were
used to compare the performances of different roadways, pavement designs, and project
planning and programming. When performing IRI testing, several local factors must be
considered. These factors include inferior subgrade, manholes, handholes, alleys, street
profile, bridge expansion joints, rightmost lane, etc., which often result in high detection
data and affect the interpretation of pavement flatness. Therefore, in the process of IRI
detection, if there is any road segment with the above factors, the IRI value is deducted
and then re-measured to obtain the true value of road pavement flatness.
In this study, the detection direction of the inspection section was divided into a
forward lane and a reverse lane, and the detection interval was 100 m. In the inspection
record sheet, the vehicle speed, left (left wheel tracking) IRI, right (right wheel tracking)
IRI, and average IRI were recorded in detail. Then, the average IRI value was used as the
basis for various statistical analyses and calculations. Taking the inspection of the second
section of Xiwan Road in Xizhi District as an example, the length of the inspection was
1520 m; the direction from Balian Road to the third section of Xiwan Road was forward;
otherwise, it was reverse.
Every 100 m, the IRI corresponding to the detection and analysis interval was deter-
mined, as shown in Table 3. In the forward direction, the detection lane from 0 to 100 m in
the direction of Balian Road to the third section of Xiwan Road had an IRI of 5.63 m/km,
while in the reverse direction, the detection lane from 0 to 100 m in the direction of the third
section of Xiwan Road to Balian Road had an IRI value of 7.59 m/km. In the overall IRI
data of the second section of Xiwan Road, the average forward direction was 5.65 m/km,
the maximum occurred from 1k + 500 to 1k + 520, and its value was 8.00 m/km. The
reverse average was 5.99 m/km, the maximum occurred from 1k + 520 to 1k + 500, and its
value was 7.59 m/km.
Table 3. The inspection record of the IRI of the second section of Xiwan Road.
Forward Lane Reverse Lane

Item
Stake IRI (m/km) Stake IRI (m/km)
1 0k + 100 5.63 1k + 520 7.59
2 0k + 200 4.37 1k + 500 6.20
3 0k + 300 5.30 1k + 400 5.00
4 0k + 400 7.28 1k + 300 6.66
5 0k + 500 5.28 1k + 200 6.14
6 0k + 600 5.49 1k + 100 6.43
7 0k + 700 6.47 1k + 0 4.96
8 0k + 800 7.95 0k + 900 6.49
9 0k + 900 3.72 0k + 800 7.11
10 1k + 0 4.38 0k + 700 6.12
11 1k + 100 7.72 0k + 600 4.81
12 1k + 200 3.89 0k + 500 6.87
13 1k + 300 6.54 0k + 400 6.70
14 1k + 400 4.36 0k + 300 4.39
15 1k + 500 4.04 0k + 200 6.01
16 1k + 520 8.00 0k + 100 4.33
Average value 5.65 5.99
Standard deviation 1.502 0.994
Maximum value 8.00 7.59
Minimum value 3.72 4.33
Sustainability 2022,2022,
Sustainability 14, x14,
FOR PEER
x FOR REVIEW
PEER REVIEW 9 of
9 of 18 18
Minimum value
value 3.72 4.33
Minimum value
Minimum 3.72
3.72 4.33
4.33
Aspart
As part of of the
the Road Leveling
Leveling Project
Project in
inNew
NewTaipei
TaipeiCity,
City,a total of of
152152 asphalt concrete
As As part
part ofofthetheRoadRoadLeveling
LevelingProject
Project inin New
New Taipei
Taipei City,
City, aaatotal
total
totalofof152152 asphalt
asphalt
asphalt con-con-
con-
pavement
crete pavement
crete sections
pavement were
sections tested
were
sectionswere for
tested
weretested IRI values,
for
tested for IRI
for IRI with
values,
IRI values, a total
with
values, with length
a total of 479.8
length km.
of From
479.8 km. Figure
From 5,
crete pavement sections withaatotal
totallength
lengthofof479.8479.8 km.km.From
From
the
FigureIRI
Figure data
5, the
the
5, the before
IRIIRIdata road leveling
before
databefore road
beforeroad covered
leveling
roadleveling a wide range
coveredaaawide
leveling covered
covered of road
widerange
rangeofofroughness
ofroad
road values,
roughness
roughness ranging
values,
values,
Figure 5, IRI data wide range road roughness values,
from
ranging 2.62
ranging fromto 7.34.
from 2.62
2.62 In
toto contrast
7.34.
7.34. InIn to the IRI
contrast
contrast to data
the
the IRI
IRIbefore
data
data road road
before
before leveling,
road the distribution
leveling,
leveling, the distribution
the range
distribution
ranging from 2.62 to 7.34. In contrast to the IRI data before road leveling, the distribution
of the
range
range IRI
ofofthe data
the
IRI IRIafter
data road
dataafter
after leveling
afterroad
roadleveling
road was narrow,
leveling was
leveling was narrow,
was with
narrow,
narrow,withvalues
withvaluesranging
valuesranging from
ranging from 1.75
from 1.75to 5.04.
to to
1.75 5.04. The
to 5.04.
5.04.
range of
histogramsthe IRI
of data
the calculated IRI distribution before with
and values
after ranging
road from
leveling 1.75
are shown in
TheThe histogramsofofthe
histograms thecalculated
calculated IRI IRI distribution
distribution before
beforeandandafter
afterroad
road leveling
leveling areare
shown
shown
The histograms
Figures 6 and of
7, 7,the calculated
respectively. IRI distribution before and after road leveling are shown
in in Figures
Figures 6and
and 7,respectively.
respectively.
in Figures 66 and 7, respectively.
8 8
8 7.34
7.34 7.34
IRI IRI value
value before
before thethe road
road leveling
leveling 7.34
7.34
7 IRI
IRIvalue
valuebefore
IRI value afterthe
after thethe road
roadleveling
road leveling
leveling 7.34
7
7 IRI value after the road leveling
6
6 5.04
6 5.04
IRI (m/km)
5 5.04
(m/km)
5
IRI(m/km)
5 4
4
4 3
3
IRI
3 1.75
2 1.75
2 1.75
2 1
1
1 0
0 1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76 81 86 91 96 101106111116121126131136141146151
0
1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61Road
66 71 76 81number
section 86 91 96 101106111116121126131136141146151
1 6 11 16 21 26 31 36 41 46 51 56 61 66 71 76 81 86 91 96 101106111116121126131136141146151
Road section number
Road
Figure 5. Comparison of section
the IRI number
values before and after the Road Leveling Project.
Figure 5. Comparison of the IRI values before and after the Road Leveling Project.
Figure 5.
50Comparison of the IRI values before and after the Road 100 Leveling Project.
43
50 Frequency 100
Cumulative percentage (%)

50 40 43 100
80
Frequency 43
Frequency
(%)
percentage(%)
40 Cumulative 80
40 30 80
Frequency
percentage 27 60
Cumulativepercentage
Cumulative 22
Cumulative 27
Frequency
30 percentage 27 18 60
Frequency
30 20 percentage 60
40
14 22
22
18 10
20 8 18 40
Cumulative
20 10 5 14 40
20
14 3
10 2
0 8 10
10 5 8 20
10 0 5 3
020
73 2
0 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7.5
2
0 0 0
Boundary of IRI value (m/km)
0 0
2.5 3 3.5
4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5
2.5 3
4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.53.5
Figure 6. The histogram and cumulative
Boundary curve of the IRI values before the Road Leveling Project.
of IRI value (m/km)
55
Figure6.
Figure Thehistogram
6.The histogramandand49
cumulativecurve
cumulative curveof
ofthe
theIRI 100before
IRIvalues
values beforethe
theRoad
RoadLeveling
LevelingProject.
Project.
Figure 6.50The histogram and cumulative
Frequency 45
curve of the IRI values
90 before the Road Leveling Project.
Cumulative percentage (%)
45 80100
55
55 40 Cumulative 49 100
50 Frequency 49 45 7090
50 35 percentage
Frequency 90
45
(%)
Frequency
45 60
percentage(%)
45 30 80
40 Cumulative 80
50
40 25 Cumulative22 22 70
Cumulativepercentage
35 percentage 70
40
percentage
Frequency
35 20 60
Frequency
30 60
30
30 15 22 22 8 50
25 22 22 50
20
25 10 4 40
20 5
Cumulative
0 1 1 40
10
20 30
15 0 030
15 8 20
10 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 8
4.5 5
4
5.5 20
10 4
5 0 1 Boundary of IRI value (m/km) 1 10
5 0 1 1 10
0 0
0 7. The histogram and cumulative curve of the IRI values0after the Road Leveling Project.
Figure 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5
1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5
From Figure 6, it can be seen that 86.3% of the IRI value of the detected road section
before
Figure
Figure leveling
7. The
Figure 7.The
7. was and
histogram
Thehistogram
histogrambetween 3.5 and
and cumulative
andcumulative
cumulative 6.5 m/km;
curve
curve
curve ofofthe in values
of the IRI
theIRI
IRI particular,
values after the
valuesafter proportion
the Road
afterthe
theRoad of Project.
Leveling
RoadLeveling
Leveling the IRI
Project.
Project.
From Figure
FromFigure
From 6,6,itititcan
Figure6, can be
canbe seen
beseen that
seenthat 86.3%
that86.3% of
86.3%of the
ofthe IRI
theIRI value
IRIvalue of
valueof the
ofthe detected
thedetected road
detectedroad section
roadsection
section
before
before leveling
leveling was
was between
between 3.5
3.5 and
and 6.5
6.5 m/km;
m/km; in
in particular,
particular,the
theproportion
proportion
before leveling was between 3.5 and 6.5 m/km; in particular, the proportion of the of
ofthe IRI
theIRI
IRI
value less than 3.5 m/km was only 8.2%. By contrast, Figure 7 shows that 81.6% of the IRI
value of the detected section after road leveling was between 2.5 and 4.5 m/km, and the
value less than 3.5 m/km was only 8.2%. By contrast, Figure 7 shows that 81.6% of the IRI
value of the of
proportion detected section
IRI value less after
than road leveling
3.5 m/km was between
increased 2.5 and to
significantly 4.577%.
m/km, andthis
From the point
proportion
of view, theofIRI
IRI value
value less
afterthan
road 3.5leveling
m/km increased significantly
significantly to 77%.
decreased, From
which this point
indicated that the
of view, the
quality IRIroad
of the valuewas
afterimproved.
road leveling significantly decreased, which indicated that the
quality of the road was improved.
3.2. Analysis of the Effectiveness of Pavement Improvement
3.2. Analysis
The IRIofvalue
the Effectiveness of Pavement
is calculated Improvement
based solely on the observed results, without interpretation
and The IRI value
without human is calculated based
interference. solely on
Therefore, it the observed
is more results,
practical andwithout interpreta-
fairer than other flatness
tion and without
evaluation human interference.
indicators. Therefore,the
Table 4 summarizes it isstatistical
more practical and fairer
parameters thanIRI
of the other
value of
flatness evaluation
the detected road indicators. Table 4 summarizes
section, including the average,the statistical minimum,
maximum, parametersrange,
of the variance,
IRI
value of the detected
and standard road Among
deviation. section, including the average,
these indicators, maximum,
“range” minimum, between
is the difference range, the
variance,
maximum and
andstandard
minimum deviation. Among
IRI values these indicators,
calculated “range”road
for the detected is the difference
section and isbe-used to
tween the maximum
evaluate the dispersionand minimum IRI values calculated
of road roughness. The average for and
the detected
standard road section and
deviation of the IRI
isvalues
used to
of evaluate the dispersion
the detected of road
road sections afterroughness.
road leveling The were
average and standard
significantly deviation
reduced, as shown
of the IRI values of the detected road sections after road leveling were
in Figure 8. This result confirms that the pavement roughness after road rehabilitation significantly re-
duced, as shown in Figure 8. This result confirms that the pavement roughness
was improved. Therefore, it can be expected that the maintenance quality of the inspected after road
rehabilitation was improved. Therefore, it can be expected that the maintenance quality
section is at a good level. In other words, the difference in road quality became significantly
of the inspected section is at a good level. In other words, the difference in road quality
smaller after road leveling was carried out.
became significantly smaller after road leveling was carried out.
Table 4. The IRI values before and after the Road Leveling Project.
Table 4. The IRI values before and after the Road Leveling Project.
StatisticalParameters
Statistical Parameters Before
Before Road
Road Leveling
Leveling After After
RoadRoad Leveling
Leveling
Average
Averagevalue
value (m/km)
(m/km) 4.74
4.74 3.11 3.11
Maximum
Maximumvaluevalue (m/km)
(m/km) 7.34
7.34 5.04 5.04
Minimum value
Minimum value (m/km) (m/km) 2.62
2.62 1.75 1.75
Range (m/km) 4.72 3.29
Range (m/km) 4.72 3.29
Variance 0.86 0.37
Variance
Standard deviation (m/km)
0.86
0.93
0.37 0.61
Standard deviation (m/km) 0.93 0.61
7.34
Before the road leveling After the road leveling
5.04
4.74 4.72
3.11 3.29
2.62
1.75
0.86 0.93
0.37 0.61
Average value Maximum value Minimum value Range (m/km) Variance Standard
(m/km) (m/km) (m/km) deviation
Statistical parameters (m/km)
Figure8.8.Comparison
Figure Comparisonof of
thethe
IRIIRI
values before
values andand
before afterafter
the Road Leveling
the Road Project.
Leveling Project.
According
Accordingtotothe thedetection
detectionresults
resultsofof
the IRIIRI
the value
valueof of
each
eachroad section,
road thethe
section, cumula-
cumulative
tive percentage
percentage of the
of the IRI IRI value
value before
before andand after
after road
road leveling
leveling waswas calculated.Figure
calculated. Figure99shows
shows that
that the the cumulative
cumulative curvecurve after leveling
after road road leveling
moved moved significantly
significantly to left,
to the the left, indi- that
indicating
cating
the IRIthat the IRI
value value
of the of the detected
detected road had
road section section had a downward
a downward trend, trend,
mainlymainly
ranging rang-
from 2.5
ing from
to 4.0 2.5 toCompared
m/km. 4.0 m/km. Compared
with the IRI with thecorresponding
value IRI value corresponding to the Pavement
to the Pavement Riding Quality
Riding Quality in
Index (PRQI) Index
Table (PRQI)
2, theinIRI
Table
value2, the IRI value
before before road
road leveling wasleveling was only
only 7.89% for B7.89%
grade, and
for B grade, and as high as 88.82% for C grade, as shown in Figure 10a.
as high as 88.82% for C grade, as shown in Figure 10a. By contrast, the IRI value afterBy contrast, the road
IRI value after road leveling was as high as 76.97% for B grade, and it was
leveling was as high as 76.97% for B grade, and it was significantly reduced to 23.03% for Csignificantly
grade, as shown in Figure 10b. This result indicates that the pavement driving quality in
New Taipei City was significantly improved after road milling and repairing.
reduced to 23.03% for C grade, as shown in Figure 10b. This result indicates that the pave-
ment driving quality in New Taipei City was significantly improved after road milling
reduced
and to 23.03% for C grade, as shown in Figure 10b. This result indicates that the pave-
repairing.
ment driving quality in New Taipei City was significantly improved after road milling
and100
repairing.
90 IRI value before the Road
(%) (%)
100
80 Smoothing Project
percentage
90
70 IRI
IRIvalue before the
valueafter the Road
Road
Smoothing Project
80
60 Leveling Project
percentage
70 IRI valueafter the Road
50
60 Leveling Project
Cumulative 40
50
30
Cumulative
40
20
30
10
20
100
0 1 2 3
0 IRI value4 (m/km) 5 6 7 8
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
IRI value (m/km)
Figure9.9.Comparison
Figure Comparisonof
ofthe
theIRI
IRIvalues
values beforeand
before andafter
afterthe
theRoad
RoadLeveling
LevelingProject.
Project.
7.89%
3.29% A: IRI < 1.5 m/km A: IRI < 1.5 m/km
7.89%
3.29% A: IRI < 1.5 m/km A: IRI < 1.5 m/km
B: 1.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 3.5 m/km B: 1.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 3.5 m/km
23.03%
B: 1.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 3.5 m/km B: 1.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 3.5 m/km
23.03%
C: 3.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 6.5 m/km C: 3.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 6.5 m/km
88.82% C: 3.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 6.5 m/km 76.97% C: 3.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 6.5 m/km
88.82% D: 6.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 10 m/km 76.97% D: 6.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 10 m/km
D: 6.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 10 m/km D: 6.5 m/km ≤ IRI < 10 m/km
E: 10 m/km ≤ IRI E: 10 m/km ≤ IRI
E: 10 m/km ≤ IRI E: 10 m/km ≤ IRI
(a)
(a) (b)
(b)
Figure 10. The IRI distribution range and its corresponding Pavement
Figure 10. The IRI distribution range and its corresponding Pavement Riding
Riding Quality
Quality IndexIndex (PRQI):
(PRQI):
Figure
(a) 10.
before The
roadIRI distribution
leveling and range
(b) after and
roadits corresponding
leveling.
(a) before road leveling and (b) after road leveling.
Pavement Riding Quality Index (PRQI):
(a) before road leveling and (b) after road leveling.
The IRI
The IRIvalues
valuesofofroads
roadsprior
priorto to leveling
leveling were
were divided
divided intointo
five five categories
categories (as shown
(as shown
in TableThe
Table 5) IRI
5) invalues
inorder of roads
ordertotofacilitateprior to leveling
facilitateunderstanding
understanding were
of the divided
average
of the averageinto
effectfive categories
of improvement
effect of improvement(as shown
on on
in Table
the IRIIRI of5) in order
ofvarious to
variousroads. facilitate
roads.ItItcancan understanding
bebeseen
seen in in
Figure
Figureof the
11 that average
11 thatwhen when effect
the originalof improvement
the originalIRI value on
of the
IRI value ofthe
the
IRI
road
road of was
various
was lessroads.
less than Itm/km,
can be
than44m/km, theseen
the in Figure
average
average 11 that when
improvement
improvement inthe
in the IRIoriginal
the value
IRI value IRIafter
after value
road of the
leveling
road road
leveling
was
was less
was 0.78 than
0.78 m/km. 4
m/km.Whenm/km,
Whenthe the average
theoriginal
original improvement
IRIIRIvalue
valuewas in
within
was the
within IRI
7–87–8 value
m/km,m/km, after road
the average
the average leveling
improve- was
improve-
0.78
ment m/km.
ment in inthe
theIRIWhen
IRIvaluethe original
valueafter
afterroad
road IRI value
leveling
leveling was was within
3.42
was m/km.
3.42 7–8
m/km. m/km,
In other the
words,
In other average
when
words, improvement
the original
when the original
inIRIthe IRI
value value
of the after
road road
was leveling
less than 4 was
m/km, 3.42
them/km.
IRI In
value other
IRI value of the road was less than 4 m/km, the IRI value after the improvement only
after words,
the when
improvement the original
was IRI
was only
slightly
value
slightly ofimproved;
the road was
improved; when
when the
less original
than
the IRIIRI
4 m/km,
original valuetheofIRI
value the road
value
of the was
road afterbetween
was the 7 and7 8and
improvement
between m/km, the only
was
8 m/km, the
improvement
slightly improved; was more
whenobvious. From
the original IRIthis point
value ofofthe
view,
road in the
was
improvement was more obvious. From this point of view, in the case of a limited budget, case of
between a limited
7 and 8budget,
m/km, the
if priority is given
improvement to road
was more sectionsFrom
obvious. withthis poor flatness
point then in
of view, thethenumber
case ofofa road
limited sections
budget, if
if priority is given to road sections with poor flatness then the number of road sections
with poor
priority servicetoquality
is given can be effectively
road sections with poorreduced flatnessandthen thethe
overall
number roadofservice level canwith
road sections
with poor service quality can be effectively reduced and the overall road service level can
be improved.
poor In addition,
service quality can beusing the data
effectively in Figure
reduced and11theandoverall
basic information
road serviceabout levelthe
can be
be improved. In addition, using the data in Figure 11 and basic information about the
roads, it is possible
improved. to arrange
In addition, using athe budget
data for roads with
in Figure 11 andIRI values greater than about
basic information a threshold,
the roads,
roads, it is possible to arrange a budget for roadswithwith anIRI
IRIvalues
highergreater than avalue.
threshold,
itoristopossible
estimate the
to budget
arrange aneeded
budgettofor improve
roadsroadswith IRI values greater than
thana acertain
threshold, or to
or to estimate the budget needed to improve roads with an IRI higher than a certain value.
estimate the budget needed to improve roads with an IRI higher than a certain value.
Table 5. The classification of detected road sections.
Table 5. The classification of detected road sections.
Table 5. The classification
Classification of IRI of Average
detected road sections.
IRI Value before Average IRI Value after Road
Classification
Value of IRI Average
Road IRI Value before Average
Leveling IRI Value after Road
Leveling
Average IRI Value before Average IRI Value after
Value
IRI < 4
Classification of IRI Value Road Leveling
3.42 Leveling
2.64
Road Leveling Road Leveling
4 ≤IRIIRI<<45 4.44
3.42 2.94 2.64
IRI < 4 3.42 2.64
54 ≤≤ IRI
IRI<<65 5.45
4.44 3.45 2.94
4 ≤ IRI < 5 4.44 2.94
65 ≤≤5IRI
IRI<<76< 6
≤ IRI 6.26
5.455.45 3.70 3.45
3.45
≤ IRI
6 ≤6 IRI < 7< 7 6.266.26 3.70
3.70
7 ≤ IRI < 8 7.34 3.92
7 ≤ IRI < 8 7.34 3.92
8
7.34
IRI value before road leveling IRI value after road leveling
7
Average improvement of IRI value 6.26
6 5.45
IRI value (m/km)

5 4.44
3.92
4 3.7
3.42 3.45 3.42
2.94
3 2.64 2.56
2
2 1.5
0.78
1
0
IRI < 4 4 ≤ IRI < 5 5 ≤ IRI < 6 6 ≤ IRI < 7 7 ≤ IRI < 8
Classification of IRI value
Figure 11. Average improvement of IRI values before and after the Road Leveling Project.
Figure 11. Average improvement of IRI values before and after the Road Leveling Project.
3.3. Appropriateness of the IRI Threshold for Road Rehabilitation in New Taipei City
3.3. Appropriateness of the of
With the popularity IRIthe
Threshold for Road
IRI, countries Rehabilitation
worldwide haveinformulated
New Taipei road
City acceptance
With the popularity
specifications related to ofit. the
In IRI, countries
keeping withworldwide
this trend,have formulated
Taiwan’s road acceptance
road authorities have
specifications
gradually begunrelated
to usetothe
it. IRI
In keeping with this
as a reference trend,
for road Taiwan’s The
evaluation. roadConstruction
authorities have
and
graduallyAgency,
Planning begun to use theofIRI
Ministry theas a reference
Interior, forTaiwan,
R.O.C., road evaluation.
completed The Construction
the draft and
specifications
Planning
for Agency, of
the acceptance Ministry
urban roadof the Interior, in
roughness R.O.C., Taiwan,
2005 [23]. Theycompleted
recommended the draft specifica-
that the IRI be
used as the
tions for the testing standard
acceptance of urban for road
the roughness
roughnessofinurban roads.
2005 [23]. Forrecommended
They urban roads with an
that the
original IRI as
IRI be used value greater standard
the testing than 6.5 m/km, the acceptance
for the roughness standards
of urban roads.for
Forroad rehabilitation
urban roads with
are those shown
an original in Table
IRI value 6 [32,33].
greater than 6.5Regarding
m/km, the newly-built
acceptanceurban roadsfor
standards androad
roads with an
rehabilita-
original IRI value
tion are those shown notin
greater
Table than 6.5 m/km,
6 [32,33]. the road
Regarding acceptance
newly-built standards
urban roads andareroads
as shown
with
in
anTable 7 [32,33].
original IRI value not greater than 6.5 m/km, the road acceptance standards are as
shown in Table 7 [32,33].
Table 6. The acceptance standard for urban roads with an original IRI greater than 6.5 m/km [32,33].
Table 6. The acceptance standard for urban roads with an original IRI greater than 6.5 m/km [32,33].
Original IRI Value Evaluation Result (m/km)
Road Grade Evaluation Result
Road Grade
Original
(m/km)IRI Value Qualified Area Corrected Area (m/km) Redone Area
(m/km)
IRI > 7.5
Qualified
IRI ≤ 4.5
Area Corrected Area
4.5 < IRI ≤ 5.0
Redone Area
IRI > 5.0
Expressway IRI ≤
> 7.5 IRI ≤ 4.5 IRI ≤≤4.5
6.5 < IRI 7.5 IRI ≤ 4.0 4.04.5<< IRI 5.0 IRI > 5.0
IRI > 4.5
Expressway
Main and minor road 6.5 7.5 ≤ 7.5
IRI <> IRI IRIIRI ≤ 4.0
≤ 5.0 IRI ≤≤5.5
5.04.0<< IRI 4.5 IRI>>5.5
IRI 4.5
Main and
(Road minor
width >20 m)road IRI
6.5 < IRI ≤ > 7.5
7.5 IRI ≤ 5.0
IRI ≤ 4.5 5.0 < IRI ≤
4.5 < IRI ≤ 5.0 5.5 IRI > 5.5
IRI > 5.0
(Road width
General >20 m)
minor road 6.5 7.5 ≤ 7.5
≤ 5.0 IRI ≤≤5.5
5.04.5<< IRI 5.0 IRI>>5.5
IRI 5.0
(11 mGeneral
< Road width
minor<road
20 m) IRI ≤
6.5 < IRI 7.5
> 7.5 IRIIRI ≤ 5.0
≤ 4.5 IRI ≤≤5.0
4.55.0<< IRI 5.5 IRI
IRI>>5.0
5.5
(11 m < Laneway
Road width < 20 m) 6.5 7.5 ≤ 7.5
≤ 5.5 IRI ≤≤6.0
5.54.5<< IRI 5.0 IRI>>6.0
IRI 5.0
(8 m < Road width < 11 m)
Laneway IRI ≤
6.5 < IRI 7.5
> 7.5 IRIIRI ≤ 5.5
≤ 5.0 IRI ≤≤5.5
5.05.5<< IRI 6.0 IRI
IRI>>5.5
6.0
(8 m < Road width < 11 m) 6.5 < IRI ≤ 7.5 IRI ≤ 5.0 5.0 < IRI ≤ 5.5 IRI > 5.5
Table 7. The acceptance standard for the construction of new urban roads or those with an original
Table
IRI 7. The
≤ 6.5 m/kmacceptance
[32,33]. standard for the construction of new urban roads or those with an original
IRI ≤ 6.5 m/km [32,33].
Original IRI Value Evaluation Result (m/km)
Road Grade Original IRI Value Evaluation Result (m/km)
Road Grade (m/km) Qualified Area Area Corrected Area Redone
(m/km) Qualified Corrected Area RedoneAreaArea
Expressway
Expressway ≤ 6.5≤ 6.5
IRI IRI ≤ 3.2≤ 3.2
IRI IRI 3.23.2 IRI≤≤3.53.5
< <IRI IRI
IRI>>3.5
3.5
Mainand
Main and minor
minor road
road
≤ 7.0≤ 7.0
IRI IRI ≤ 3.5≤ 3.5
IRI IRI 3.53.5 IRI≤≤3.83.8
< <IRI IRI
IRI>>3.8
3.8
(Road
(Roadwidth > 20
width m)m)
>20
Generalminor
General minor road
road
≤ 7.0≤ 7.0 ≤ 3.5≤ 3.5
(11 m < Road width < 20
IRI IRI IRI IRI 3.53.5 IRI≤≤3.83.8
< <IRI IRI
IRI>>3.8
3.8
(11 m < Road width < m)
20 m)
Laneway
IRI ≤ 7.5 IRI ≤ 4.0 4.0 < IRI ≤ 4.3 IRI > 4.3
(8 m < Road width < 11 m)
As seen in Tables 6 and 7, the assessed roads were divided into four levels, namely,
expressways, main and minor roads, general minor roads, and laneways. Taking the
main and minor roads in Table 6 as an example, if the original IRI was between 6.5 and
7.5 m/km and the IRI after road rehabilitation was less than 4.5 m/km, the assessment
result belonged to the qualified area. On the other hand, for all milled roads with a length
of more than 200 m and a width of more than 8 m, the current regulations of the New Taipei
City government mandated an IRI inspection. An IRI value less than 3.5 m/km represented
the qualified areas, an IRI value between 3.5 and 4.2 m/km represented the corrected area
and an IRI value higher than 4.2 m/km represented the redone area.
Among the 152 road sections detected in the Road Leveling Project, 147 had original
IRI values not greater than 6.5 m/km, while only five road sections had original IRI values
greater than 6.5 m/km. For road sections with an IRI value not greater than 6.5 m/km,
according to the acceptance standard in Table 7, 115 were qualified areas, 12 were corrected
areas, and 20 were redone areas. The road sections of the corrected areas and redone areas
are shown in Table 8.
Table 8. The evaluation result of detected sections with original IRI values not greater than 6.5 m/km.
Road Section IRI Value before IRI Value after

Evaluation Result
Number Leveling Leveling
1 6.27 4.41 Redone area
20 6.12 3.74 Corrected area
For the five road sections with an IRI value greater than 6.5 m/km, according to
the acceptance standard in Table 6, all were qualified after rehabilitation, as shown in
Table 9. From the above results, it can be seen that the percentage of qualified road sections
with original IRI values greater than 6.5 m/km after road leveling was 100%, while the
percentage of qualified road sections with original IRI values not greater than 6.5 m/km
after road leveling was only 78.2%. This meant that the current regulations for urban roads
from the Construction and Planning Agency have stricter requirements for road sections
with original IRI values not greater than 6.5 m/km after road leveling.
Table 9. The evaluation results of detected road sections with original IRI values greater than
6.5 m/km.
Road Section IRI Value before IRI Value after

Evaluation Result
78 7.34 4.17 Qualified area
On the other hand, according to the current road roughness inspection standards of the
New Taipei City government, among the 152 road sections detected in the Road Leveling
Project, 117 were qualified areas, 29 were corrected areas, and six were redone areas. The
road sections of the corrected areas and redone areas are shown in Table 10. From this
result, it can be seen that the current road roughness acceptance specifications in New
Taipei City are more stringent than the urban road roughness acceptance specifications of
the Construction and Planning Agency, Ministry of the Interior, R.O.C., Taiwan.
Table 10. The evaluation results based on the current regulations of the New Taipei City government.
Road Section Before the Road After the Road

Evaluation Result
Table 10. Cont.
Road Section Before the Road After the Road

Evaluation Result
The IRI threshold value for road rehabilitation is not consistent around the world. As
mentioned earlier, the speed of the inspection vehicle is a key factor. Yu et al. defined five
ride quality levels based on the jolt and jerk experienced by the evaluator in a speed range
of 10 to 120 km/h, and provided the corresponding IRI thresholds shown in Table 11 [23].
In this study, because of the high traffic volume in the urban area the speed of the inspection
vehicle was maintained between 40 and 60 km/h. Therefore, if the driving speed was
40 km/h, the speed-related IRI thresholds were determined from the ride quality level in
Table 11 [23]. As shown in Figure 12, an IRI value less than 2.86 m/km indicated that the
ride quality level was “very good”; an IRI value between 2.86 and 4.49 m/km indicated
that the ride quality level was “good”; an IRI value between 4.50 and 5.69 m/km indicated
that the ride quality rating was “fair”; an IRI value between 5.70 and 8.08 m/km indicated
that the ride quality level was “mediocre”; and an IRI value greater than 8.08 m/km
indicated that the ride quality level was “poor”. In addition, it was determined from the
IRI range distribution in Figure 11 that more than 15% of the detected road sections had
poor roughness before leveling, which can make passers-by feel “very uncomfortable”. In
contrast, after leveling, no IRI values for any road section fell into this range. The IRI value
of the “very good” level of road sections increased significantly from 2.6% before leveling
to 40.8%, indicating that the roughness after leveling was significantly improved.
Table 11. The speed-related IRI thresholds at different speeds suggested by Yu et al. [23].
IRI Thresholds at Different Speeds (m/km)

Ride Quality Level
20 40 60 80 100 120
Very Good <5.72 <2.86 <1.90 <1.43 <1.14 <0.95
Good 5.72–8.99 2.86–4.49 1.90–2.99 1.43–2.24 1.14–1.79 0.95–1.49
Fair 9.00–11.39 4.50–5.69 3.00–3.79 2.25–2.84 1.80–2.27 1.50–1.89
Mediocre
Sustainability 11.40–16.16
2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 5.70–8.08 3.80–5.40 2.85–4.05 2.28–3.24 1.90–2.70
16 of 18
Poor >16.16 >8.08 >5.40 >4.05 >3.24 >2.70
0
0 3.2
100 15.8
80 56
Percentage (%)
39.5
60
40
42.1 40.8
20
2.6
0
Before road leveling After the road leveling
Ride quality level
Very Good (IRI < 2.86) Good (IRI: 2.86–4.49)
Fair (IRI: 4.50–5.69) Mediocre (IRI: 5.70–8.08)
Poor (IRI > 8.08)
Figure12.
Figure Comparisonof
12.Comparison ofIRI
IRIvalues
valuesbefore
beforeand
andafter
afterthe
theRoad
RoadLeveling
LevelingProject.
Project.
The 152 road sections detected by this project in New Taipei City were all located in
urban jurisdictions, and the detection standard was based on 3.5 m/km. For urban juris-
dictions, the current road roughness acceptance regulations can be used as the basis for
the acceptance of road service quality after rehabilitation. However, the various jurisdic-
tions in New Taipei City are vast, and the gap between urban and rural areas is obvious.
The 152 road sections detected by this project in New Taipei City were all located in
urban jurisdictions, and the detection standard was based on 3.5 m/km. For urban jurisdic-
tions, the current road roughness acceptance regulations can be used as the basis for the
acceptance of road service quality after rehabilitation. However, the various jurisdictions
in New Taipei City are vast, and the gap between urban and rural areas is obvious. As
for rural jurisdictions, mountainous roads are the primary road form. In this context, the
applicability of the current regulations requires further review. When stipulating the IRI
threshold on mountain roads, the influence of the vehicle body tilt when the pavement
detection vehicle turns may, owing to inertia and other factors, affect the detection results,
and should be considered. On the other hand, our IRI detection results showed that the
IRI value of the rightmost lane was higher. This is because the rightmost lane is either
the sidewalk side or the adjacent building side. These areas often have private slopes and
the elevation of building bases, resulting in undulating road surfaces. In addition, the
IRI values of intersections between the tested roads and alleys were higher. In view of
this, we suggest that when local governments carry out road surface repair they consider
the improvement of related road ancillary facilities (such as sidewalks, barrier-free ramps,
demolishing of private ramps, etc.). Under feasible conditions, the elevation of alleys can
be adjusted to improve the flatness of the rightmost lane.
4. Conclusions
Pavement performance evaluation is an important task in pavement management and
maintenance. This study used statistical methods to analyze and compare the IRI values
of each detected road section in New Taipei City before and after road leveling. Based on
analysis of the results, the following conclusions were obtained.
• The cumulative curve after road leveling moved significantly to the left, indicating
that the IRI value of the detected road section had a downward (improving) trend.
• The IRI value after road leveling was as high as 76.97% for B grade, and was signifi-
cantly reduced to 23.03% for C grade. This result indicates that the pavement driving
quality in New Taipei City improved significantly after road milling and repairing.
• The current road roughness acceptance specifications in New Taipei City are more
stringent than the urban road roughness acceptance specifications of the Construc-
tion and Planning Agency, Ministry of the Interior, R.O.C., Taiwan. However, the
applicability of current regulations in rural areas requires further review.
Author Contributions: Conceptualization, S.-L.C.; methodology, C.-W.T.; software, C.L.; validation,

H.-A.H. and C.L.; formal analysis, C.-W.T. and H.-A.H.; investigation, S.-L.C. and C.L.; resources,
S.-L.C.; data curation, C.-W.T. and C.L.; writing—original draft preparation, C.-W.T.; writing—review
and editing, C.-W.T.; visualization, S.-L.C.; supervision, C.-W.T. and H.-A.H.; project administration,
S.-L.C.; funding acquisition, S.-L.C. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of
the manuscript.
Funding: The research was supported by the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan, grant
number MOST 105-2221-E-027-018-MY3 (3/3).
Institutional Review Board Statement: Not applicable.
Informed Consent Statement: Not applicable.
Data Availability Statement: The data presented in this study are available upon request from the
corresponding author.
Acknowledgments: The authors sincerely thank the Ministry of Science and Technology of Taiwan
for funding this research work.
Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Sustainability 2022, 14, 6982. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14126982 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability

Grade Corresponding IRI Range Vertical Acceleration Comfort Description

2. Implementation of the Road Leveling Project in New Taipei City

2.1. Brief Description of the Road Leveling Project

Sustainability 2022, 14, 6982 5 of 18

Pavement Inspection Vehicle

Roughness inspection system: Road image recording system:

Sustainability 2022, 14, 6982 7 of 18

Confirmation of scheduled maintenance section or designated

Calibration and maintenance of the

Analysis and comparison of IRI test results

3. Analysis and Discussion of Actual Measurement Results

Forward Lane Reverse Lane

Sustainability 2022, 14, 6982 9 of 18

Cumulative percentage (%)

Sustainability 2022, 14, x FOR PEER REVIEW 11 of 18

Sustainability 2022, 14, 6982 12 of 18

7 ≤ IRI < 8 7.34 3.92

IRI value (m/km)

Road Section IRI Value before IRI Value after

Road Section IRI Value before IRI Value after

Road Section Before the Road After the Road

Table 10. Cont.

Road Section Before the Road After the Road

IRI Thresholds at Different Speeds (m/km)

Author Contributions: Conceptualization, S.-L.C.; methodology, C.-W.T.; software, C.L.; validation,

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