Road Ratings
2012 Road Rating Information Road Rating Map (1.2Mb)
The road ratings are based on the Asphalt Institute’s pavement rating system for low-volume asphalt roads. The rating of roads in this manner is not an absolute method but a relative method to compare pavement conditions within the City. For this reason it is imperative that all the roads are rated by the same individual(s) so that consistency and uniformity in the ratings are established. The Planning and Engineering Department had two (2) individuals rate every road within the city. This redundancy provided additional consistency to the ratings and allowed for variance in the ratings to be established.
Attached is the Asphalt Institute’s asphalt rating form. All the roads within the City were rated for each of the thirteen (13) categories on the form on a ten (10) point scale with 0 meaning no defects and 10 is very poor. The scores were then normalized to fit the scale of the rating form, summed, and then deducted from 100. A final score of 100 is a perfect road and a score of 0 is the poorest quality road.
Exceptions to the ratings for an individual road may be presented by individuals but it must be understood that the roads are compared to one another and one road can not be viewed alone. This rating system is designed to provide the Capital Committee with guidance in the selection of which roads to reconstruct. Once again it is not an absolute rating so the road with the lowest score should not necessarily be reconstructed next. It should be noted due to the relative nature of the road ratings, roads within five (5) points of one another should be viewed as equally rated roads. In addition, the Capital Committee may select to reconstruct higher rated roads for other factors that are in the best long term interests of the City of Ocean City. Also a 10 rating in one category (e.g. drainage) may constitute the need to prioritize improvements to that road.
Roads receiving a rating from 100 to 85 should be considered in great condition and probably will not need to be resurfaced for 20 to 30 years. Roads receiving a rating from 85 to 70 should be considered in good condition and probably will not need to be resurfaced for 10 to 20 years. Roads receiving a rating from 70 to 60 should be considered in fair condition and probably will need to be resurfaced in 5 to 10 years. Roads receiving a rating of 50 or below should be considered in poor condition and should be considered for resurfacing in the near future.
DEFINITIONS
Rating with Bonuses – The City of Ocean City has placed a higher priority on the riding quality for more heavily traveled roads. In an attempt to quantify this, bonuses were added to this category. All roads were divided into four categories (Major Collectors, Minor Collectors, Local Roads, and Alleys). A Major Collector has its score reduced by 10 points. A Minor Collector has its score reduced by 7 points. A Local Road has its score reduced by 3 points. An Alley does not have its score adjusted.
Transverse Cracking - Cracks perpendicular to the pavement’s centerline or laydown direction. This is usually, a type of thermal cracking, caused by the weather extremes of the different seasons. Can also be evidence of reflective cracking as well as top-down cracking. This is a problem because of moisture infiltration further disintegrating the road surface. Transverse cracking also affects the overall smoothness of the ride.
Longitudinal Cracking - Cracks parallel to the pavement’s centerline or laydown direction. Can be a type of fatigue cracking or top-down cracking.
Shrinkage Cracking - Hair-lined cracks formed during the setting of the newly laid surfaces. A little bit of shrinkage is natural during setting, but if not controlled further road deterioration will pose a danger.
Alligator Cracking - A series of interconnected cracks caused by fatigue failure of the
Rutting - A sunken track of groove made by the passage of vehicles or the surface depression in the wheel path. This is often caused by an insufficient pavement thickness, a lack of compaction, or a weak asphalt mixture.
Corrugation - A form of plastic movement typified by ripples or a distortion across the pavement surface, perpendicular to the traffic flow. Usually occurring at direction points where traffic starts and stops.
Raveling - The progressive disintegration of an
Shoving/Pushing - A form of plastic movement typified by an abrupt wave across the pavement surface, perpendicular to the traffic flow. Usually occurring at directional points where traffic starts and stops.
Pot holes/Road openings – Are small bowl-shaped depressions in the pavement surface that penetrates all the way through the
Excess Asphalt - This condition appears when there is too much asphalt in relation to the aggregate mix. This can be dangerous because it could lead to skidding.
Polished Aggregate - Areas of the pavement where the portion of the aggregate extending above the asphalt binder is either very small or there are no rough or angular aggregate particles. This is a problem because roads exhibiting these conditions are subject to decreased skid resistance. Generally, caused by repeated traffic applications and aging.
Deficient Drainage – Areas of pavement that hold water 24 hours after a rain event or roads that can not drain the 10-year storm event. Tidal flooding is not considered deficient drainage.
Ride Quality - The smoothness or roughness or the ride based on the road conditions as affected by the above terms.
