Georgia roads [Summer 2006]

A newsletter of Georgia's Local Technical Assistance Program

Vol. 16, No. 3 Summer 06

Route To:

Using the Asphalt PASER Manual

Inside Page 4 LTAP Resources

Page 5 Web News

Page 6

The Safety Edge

Page 7

Calendar of Events

What in the world is an asphalt PASER manual? It is a field guide for maintenance personnel who have the responsibility of evaluating the condition of asphalt roadways and recommending action to be taken as part of an overall pavement management system. That's a fancy way of saying that the PASER manual helps you know when to repair a road, and how to do it.
Now available through the Georgia Local Technical Assistance Program, the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) Manual was developed by the University of WisconsinMadison Transportation Information Center, and distributed to you through the Georgia Local Technical Assistance Program.
PASER is a "windshield" road rating system developed by Don Walker, director of the Transportation Information Center at UW-Madision. The system uses a 1-to-10 rating scale. A "10" rating indicates a new, well-constructed road. A "1" indicates a road that has failed inspection. Condition rating are assigned by monitoring the type and amount of visual defects along a road segment while driving the segment. The PASER system interprets these observations into a condition rating. The intent of the PASER system is to give inspectors, engineers and

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GEORGIA LOCAL TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

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www.dot.state.ga.us/dot/personnel/training/training_ext/index.shtml Summer 2006

Editor's Notes Hello everyone,

Georgia Roads
Dennis Rice, Editor
Bobby Vaughn, Reporter
Dennis Rice, Program Director
Beverly Fontenot, Program Training Coordinator II
Adele Samuel, Program Assistant
Address
GDOT, LTAP 276 Memorial Drive, S.W.
Atlanta, GA 30303
The Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) is a nationwide effort financed jointly by the Federal Highway Administration and individual state departments of transportation and/or universities. Its purpose is to disseminate the latest state-ofthe-art technologies in the areas of roads, highways and bridges to municipal and county highway and transportation personnel.
The Georgia LTAP is supported by FHWA and the Georgia Department of Transportation. The Georgia Roads Newsletter is one of the LTAP activities. The opinions, findings or recommendations expressed in this newsletter are those of the Georgia LTAP Center and do not necessarily reflect the views of the FHWA nor the Georgia Department of Transportation.
The Georgia Roads Newsletter is distributed free of charge to counties, cities, towns and others with transportation responsibilities.

I hope everyone enjoyed the summer. Well school has started back for everyone and your employees are no different.
We have a new on-line training opportunity offered with RedVector. This is an opportunity to provide training to everyone without the requirement of leaving their own office. Take a look at the next page for more information about this program.
We also are in the process of hiring a new employee to further enhance our abilities and to better respond to your needs for on-site training. The Work Zone Traffic Control course has been popular with everyone. With this new employee, we can provide this and even more training opportunities to you.
We'll also be providing training for chain saw safety, zero-turn mower, trimmer/brushcutter and other course the remainder of the year. Take a look at the Calendar of Events on page 7 for these training opportunities in your area. This training can be provided at your location if you wish. Be sure to call soon, opportunities for these classes are filling up fast.
I look forward to seeing everyone soon. Give me a call and let me know what I can do to help.
Dennis S. Rice LTAP Director 404.656.4664 dennis.rice@dot.state.ga.us

LTAP Advisory Committee
Barbara Bennett Candler Co. Public Works/ Landfill 912.685.2822
Keith Braswell Bibb County Engineering 478.621.6660
Matthew Hicks Association of County Commissioners of Georgia 404.522.5022
Georgene Geary State Materials & Research Engineer, GDOT 404.363.7512
Tom Gehl Georgia Municipal Association 678.686.6247
Charles McGiboney Rockdale Co. Public Works & Engineering 770.785.6908
David Painter FHWA - Georgia Division 404.562.3658
Eric Pitts Asst. State Maintenance Engineer, GDOT 404.635.8734
Jeff Geisen City of Cartersville 770.387.5602
Dan Buckingham R/W and Utilities Pickens County 706.253.8875

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Summer 2006 www.dot.state.ga.us/dot/personnel/training/training_ext/index.shtml

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State Bicycle & Pedestrian Conference
October 24th - 25th Decatur Holiday Inn, Decatur Georgia

Make your hotel reservations today!
Call the Decatur Holiday Inn at 404.371.0204; mention the "GDOT Bike/Pedestrian Conference" for a discounted rate of $99.

Registration Coming Soon:
Registration is available at www.dot.state.ga.us/ bikeped/. Check or money orders will be accepted.

Regular Rate: $195.00 Government/Non-profit Rate Student Rate: $75.00

$125.00

Program Includes:
Bicycle, pedestrian & multi-use train facility design Updates from GDOT, FHWA Bide/Ped friendly communities - Best Practices Bike/Ped & greenway planning Funding sources Safe Routes to School programs Economic development/tourism (related to
Bike/Ped) Travel Demand Management Data collection and analysis Mobile bike/walk workshops And more...

In our continuing effort to expand our education opportunities, we are pleased to announce the availability of on-line training through www.RedVector.com. Georgia LTAP has contracted with RedVector to provide training that is available on a first come, first request basis to everyone seeking to:
Obtain "just in time training" related to a specific project issue or need
Gain valuable continuing education credits to maintain state licensure or meet organization membership requirements
Visit the website www.dot.state.ga.us/dot/ osd/techtran/Resources.shtml to review the document titled, "Overview of RedVector OnLine Courses" This document will provide you with step-by-step instructions for accessing RedVector to create your profile, select courses, request course approval through LTAP, and go online to take your approved course anytime and anywhere you have access to an internet connection.
In order to take advantage of this opportunity and sign up for this training, please contact the LTAP Office @ 404.656.4664 to get your coupon code today!

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www.dot.state.ga.us/dot/personnel/training/training_ext/index.shtml Summer 2006

LTAP
Resources
Videos:
1) Making the Effort Works: Reducing Utility Delays During Construction
2) ProtectingOurPavement:Preventative Maintenance
DVDs
1) Fundamentals of Short Term Traffic Control 2) Herbicide: An integral part of IRVM 3) Straight Line Mowing: Procedures and Methods 4) Deep Patching: Milling 5) Deep Patching: Base Repair 6) Shoulder Building 7) Edge Rut Repair 8) Flagging in the Workzone: Safety in Your Hands 9) Customer Service Training:
The Irate Caller 5 Forbidden Phrases From Curt to Courteous

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others better tools for making decisions as to when to overlay streets, patch potholes or completely rebuild roadways.
The asphalt PASER manual provides guidelines for preventive asphalt pavement maintenance techniques for a variety of distresses and conditions. The manual covers: crack treatments (clean and seal, rout and seal, full-depth crack repair), surface treatments (fog seal, seal coat, thin hot-mix overlays), and pothole patching and repair (cold-mix asphalt, spray injection patching, hot-mix asphalt, slurry or microsurfacing material). Asphalt PASER manuals are available free of charge from the Georgia Local Technical Assistance Program Center. Please contact:
Dennis S. Rice, LTAP Director Office of Strategic Development Georgia Department of Transportation 276 Memorial Drive Atlanta, GA 30303 404.656.4664

Compact Discs:
1) Managing Pavement Edge Drop Offs: to Improve Safety and Reduce Tort Liability
2) Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety Resource Set

Or you can download a copy from the following webpage: tic.engr.wisc.edu/publications.lasso

Publications:
1) Basic Asphalt Recycling Manual (BARM) 2) Roadside Design Guide 3) A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways
and Streets 4) Full Road Closure for Work Zone
Operations: A Case Study 5) Roundabouts: An Informational Guide
FHWA Publication No. FHWA-RD-00-067 6) Covered Bridge Manual FHWA Publication No.
FHWA-HRT-04-098

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Summer 2006 www.dot.state.ga.us/dot/personnel/training/training_ext/index.shtml

Web News

Roundabouts

Page 5

A new joint publication released by the National Association of County Engineers (NACE) and the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA) titled, "Low Cost Local Road Safety Solutions," was made available to NACE members April 9-13 during the 2006 NACE Annual Conference in Grand Rapids, MI. The 39-page booklet contains 16 examples of numerous low-cost solutions that address roadway safety issues such as signs and pavement marking improvements, rumble strips, longitudinal channelizers and roadside cable barriers. The concise studies were compiled by the Texas Transportation Institute. The booklet also contains a section titled, "How Can I Conduct a Crash Study," as well as a list of resources on the overall topic. This document is also available at www.atssa.com/galleries/ default-file/LowCostLocalRoads.pdf
Call LTAP at 1-800-5736445 for information

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has added a Roundabout Q&A to their website. The Q&A includes a short video clip that can help explain the function and benefits of roundabouts to a lay audience. Please visit the following site for more information. www.iihs.org/research/qanda/roundabouts.html
The Pedestrian Bicycle and Information Center (PBIC) is a clearinghouse for information about health and safety, engineering, advocacy, education, enforcement and access and mobility. The PBIC serves anyone interested in pedestrian and bicycle issues, including planners, engineers, private citizens, advocates, educators, police enforcement and the health community.
For more information and resources please visit www.walkinginfo.org/.

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www.dot.state.ga.us/dot/personnel/training/training_ext/index.shtml Summer 2006

The Safety Edge
Pavement Edge Treatment

Unsafe Pavement Edges are a Serious Safety Problem
Each year in America, unsafe dropoffs at the roadway pavement edge result in 160 deaths and 11,000 injuries. In addition, the annualized costs associated with unsafe pavement edges is estimated at $1.2 billion. The true extent of the problem is difficult to assess because the role of the hazardous pavement edge in the sequence of events leading to a crash often is not documented.

through over-steering. As drivers over-steer to reenter the roadway, they are prone to lose control of the vehicle. Compounding the danger, the rear wheel may catch the edge of the shoulder, swinging the car around. These actions may cause the car to veer into the adjacent lane, where it may collide or sideswipe oncoming cars, overturn or run off the road and crash.
Solutions to the Pavement Edge Drop-off Hazard Are To:
Require a 30-35 degree angle asphalt fillet "Safety Edge" as a contract specification in all pavement resurfacing projects; and

What is the Definition of an Unsafe Pavement Edge?

An edge dropoff of four or more inches is considered unsafe if the roadway edge is at a 90 degree angle to the shoulder surface. Near vertical edge dropoffs of less than four inches are still considered a safety hazard to the driving public and may cause difficulty upon reentry to the paved surface.
How do Unsafe Edges Cause Crashes?
Drivers who slip off a resurfaced road onto an unimproved shoulder are likely to lose control as they attempt to climb onto the roadway. The pavement edge creates a "scrubbing" condition that must be overcome

Routinely resurface shoulders when roadways are resurfaced.
The asphalt fillet provides a safer roadway edge, and a stronger interface between the roadway and the shoulder. The cost of an asphalt fillet is minimal in comparison to the total amount of the resurfacing contract, and
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Summer 2006 www.dot.state.ga.us/dot/personnel/training/training_ext/index.shtml

Page 7

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pays back in countless dollars saved from reduction of fatalities, injuries, property damage and lawsuits.
The fillet ties the existing shoulder into the resurfaced roadway and allows a vehicle to reenter the roadway safely. Highway agencies are able to restore the shoulder after the resurfacing project is completed.

Call FHWA or Georgia LTAP for More Information About the "Safety Edge".
Harry W. Taylor FHWA, Office of Safety Design 202.366.2175 Harry.Taylor@fhwa.dot.gov
Frank Julian FHWA, Resource Center,

Atlanta 404.562.3689 Frank.Julian@fhwa.dot.gov
Chris Wagner FHWA, Resource Center, Atlanta 404.562.3693 Christopher.Wagner@fhwa.dot.gov
Dennis S. Rice LTAP Director 404.656.4664 dennis.rice@dot.state.ga.us


Event

Calendar of Events

Sponsor/Contact

Date

Locations

Chain Saw Safety Trimmer/Brushcutter

LTAP/Dennis S. Rice 404.656.4664
LTAP/Dennis S. Rice 404.656.4664

August 28 August 31 September 1
August 30 September 25 September 28

Lagrange Savannah Port Wentworth
Gainesville Cartersville Gainesville

Zero Turn Mower

LTAP/Dennis S. Rice 404.656.4664

GDOT Bicycle/ Pedestrian Conference

LTAP/Dennis S. Rice 404.656.4664

September 26 September 27 September 29
October 24-25

Clarke County Macon Port Wentworth
Decatur

Call LTAP at 1-800-573-6445 for information
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Georgia Department of Transportation Local Technical Assistance Program 276 Memorial Drive Atlanta, GA 30303
Sponsors: Georgia Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration
Georgia Roads
is a technical newsletter about local roads published by the Georgia Department of Transportation Local Technical Assistance Program. It is written for Georgia's municipal and county employees who are responsible for planning and managing rural roads. All of your comments, questions, and suggestions are welcome. Please call us toll free at 1.800.573.6445.