Improving Winter Maintenance for Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) Pavements in Tennessee

US Transportation Collection2022PDFTech ReportOnyango, MbakisyaWu, WeidongOwino, JosephUniversity of Tennessee at ChattanoogaTennessee. Department of TransportationUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway AdministrationTennessee. Department of TransportationTennesseeUnited StatesFriction courseHighway safetyOpen graded aggregatesPavementsWinter maintenanceOpen Graded Friction Course (OGFC)RES 2019-25Final Report May 2019 to April 2022Open Graded Friction Course (OGFC) is a thin permeable surface layer on pavements constructed to ensure higher air void content that provides drainage from the pavement surfaces. This results in a safer riding surface, especially on wet conditions. OGFC pavements have been reported to reduce about 30% more wet crashes compared to densely graded surfaces in similar conditions. However, durability and winter maintenance are some of the challenges facing OGFC pavements. This study was conducted to document the winter maintenance practices on OGFC pavements. The study was limited to literature review and survey to state DOTs. This report presents the research results and the recommended winter maintenance guidelines for Tennessee Department of Transportation. Some best practices on winter maintenance of OGFC pavements worthy of highlighting include the use of anti-icing. It was reported that using anti-icing before snow and ice events results to faster cleaning of roadways. Likewise, dedicating a snow operation vehicle on some trouble sections or inclines has resulted to clearing the sections faster. It should also be noted that it is expected that OGFC will use more material for winter maintenance than densely grades surfaces and abrasives are not recommended on OGFC. Therefore, it is advised to plan for winter maintenance with this knowledge in mind.137