Investigación de un plan de manejo del deterioro del pavimento de la vía Cumbe – La Jarata

Abstract

In order to preserve or increase a road lifespan is necessary to have a pavement deterioration management plan. Nevertheless, in Ecuador it is not executed in a planned way decreasing the structure lifespan, reducing the user’s safety, and having an early deterioration of the road.

This study provides a management plan to deal with the early deterioration of the Cumbe- La Jarata high road (40.4 kilometers long). Furthermore, the Accumulated Difference technique was used in order to divide the high road in homogeneous- length sections otherwise a unique solution for the whole road would have been no economical. The deflectometry test is used to evaluate the current structural state of the pavement and the load transference efficiency. Through the use of digital cameras was possible to determine the amount of traffic avoiding the manual count technique mistakes. Moreover, a visual inspection was performed to detect superficial cracks. These results were compared with spectroradiometry and image classification techniques so that an automatic system of crack detection is developed. The visual crack detection technique and the use of aerial photographs have the same result only in the identification of disintegration crack types.

This study concludes that the Cumbe-La Jarata high road pavement has structural damage due to the low concrete slabs elastic modules. Consequently, it requires not only maintenance but rehabilitation as well. The early deterioration is attributed to a low drainage quality and lack of planned maintenance. A wrong drainage consideration at the design level have resulted in early deterioration in some sections. To manage the road deterioration, this report suggests an asphalt concrete overlay with a projected lifespan of 10 years after repairing the concrete slabs.