Evaluation of Partial Depth Pavement Repairs on Routes Heavily Traveled by Amish Horse and Buggies - Phase 2
Start Date: April 2, 2017
End Date: April 4, 2020
Project Completed
Researcher: Sang-Soo Kim, Ohio University
Download the Final Report: Click here.
Download the Fact Sheet: Click here.
View the Results Presentation: Click here.
As part of preserving pavement infrastructure and providing safe roads to the traveling public, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) performs pavement maintenance. Areas in the state with heavy horse and buggy traffic see frequent partial depth repairs because of the pavement distress. The frequent repairs are believed to be caused by the impact of the horse shoes on the pavement. In Holmes County the problem is compounded by an estimated additional four million tourists that visit the area each year.
Phase 1 of this research documented current practices for partial depth repairs performed on roadways with and without Amish buggy traffic, identify and evaluate the cost-effectiveness of alternative repair mixtures and methods, and identify all possible changes that could be made to the Amish horse and buggies to mitigate their damage to pavement structures. The results of Phase 1 indicated that the service life of partial repairs for non-Amish routes ranges between 5 to 7 years. However, partial depth repairs lasted about two years on routes with heavy Amish buggy traffic. The main distress in repairs on Amish buggy routes was found to be rutting in the surface layer(s), which was caused by the high stress intensity due to the Amish buggy traffic. The life cycle cost analyses (LCCA) results conducted in Phase 1, showed that partial depth repairs performed on routes with heavy Amish buggy traffic were about three times more expensive than those of routes without Amish buggy traffic.
Phase 2 will evaluate the performance and cost effectiveness of all alternative mixtures/ method that were identified in Phase 1 to improve the service life of partial depth repairs performed on Amish buggy routes in Ohio. In addition, Phase 2 will examine the effectiveness of using screw-in studs and horse boots to reduce the Amish buggy damage. The main outcome of this project will be to develop a long-term and cost-effective solution for construction and maintenance of routes with heavy horse and buggy traffic. Thus, this project will help in extending the service life of pavements in Ohio and reducing their costs.