Validity of Skid Resistance Data Collected Under Western Australian Conditions- Soet and Barnsley Validity of Skid Resistance Data Collected Under Western Australian Conditions

Main Roads Western Australia manages an extensive arterial road network across the vast state of Western Australia. The maintenance of the network is managed through long term performance based maintenance contracts. Pavement condition data, including surface skid resistance, plays a crucial role in the monitoring of the Contractors ’ performance. Given the highly important role of pavement condition data, it is essential that the data is both reliable and accurate to ensure confidence in its use in assessing the performance of the contractor during its maintenance of the network. In this paper, the authors discuss the validity of data collected using the methods and techniques adopted by Main Roads Western Australia for the purpose of monitoring skid resistance along the Western Australian arterial road network. In particular, the authors discuss the validity of estimating the International Friction Index (IFI) from the Rado Friction Model using data collected by variable slip testing under Western Australian conditions. Given the validity of IFI estimates obtained using this approach, the authors discuss the limitations of the application of skid resistance data in monitoring road network performance.