Resiliency Assessment of Flood Damage in Pavements

About the project:

There is an ongoing need to understand the impacts of flood inundation on pavement performance throughout the United States. This is especially true in coastal states like Virginia that have robust riverine systems that are subject to flooding after heavy rainfall events. This study seeks to identify flood susceptible areas through ongoing research efforts at VDOT and document the pavement condition before flooding and after flooding. A quantification of pavement damage in terms of layer structural capacity and visual distress due to flooding will be performed, along with an identification of specific factors that influence the pavement damage. Inexpensive moisture sensors next to the roadway will be employed to understand the drainage characteristics of the pavement system as to connect the structural performance and eventual surface distresses. The outcome of this research is an understanding of the impact of flooding on VDOT’s roads and the potential impacts on maintenance and rehabilitation schedules. This will potentially benefit VDOT as it evaluates different pavement adaptation options for flooding and future budgets to accommodate shifting maintenance and rehabilitation schedules.

Project Team

Principal Investigators

Project Monitor

Other Investigators