Evaluating pavement performance for network level pavement management: Provincial/state vs. municipal, what is the difference?

Pavement Management Systems (PMS) are used by transportation agencies to create and maintain safe, dependable and economically viable road networks. Evaluating pavement performance on a routine basis and identifying sections with a need for maintenance or rehabilitation are the methods that PMS has adapted to prioritize the pavement sections on the road network level based on the condition. To evaluate pavement performance, most provincial/state and municipal agencies in Canada and the U.S. perform data collection activities in one or more of the following four main areas: Distress, Roughness, Structural Adequacy, and Skid Resistance. This paper summarizes the types of pavement distresses, density and severity levels and pavement condition ratings which are utilized by provincial/state and municipal agencies to evaluate their pavement performance for the network level. In addition, this paper highlights the key considerations that provincial/state and municipal agencies should consider to evaluate pavement performance. The Ministry Transportation of Ontario (MTO) and the Town of Markham are included as case studies to illustrate the provincial and municipal approaches towards evaluating pavement performance for network level pavement management. In addition, this paper summarizes the up to date results of a survey to study the current state of the practice in pavement distress and condition evaluations for municipalities.