Mobile Laser Scanning System for Assessment of the Rainwater Runoff and Drainage Conditions on Road Pavements

Abstract

Lack of runoff and drainage on a road surface, due to its unevenness and non optimal alignment, is a significant safety issue. In the presence of water, friction and skid resistance are markedly reduced compared with the dry value, with increasing risk of accident. An efficient maintenance programme, based on a high performance survey system, can identify the sections having the greatest risk. The technique, known as Mobile Laser Scanning System (MLS), can be a very useful tool, allowing a large amount of data to be acquired in a short time and at low cost. Based on a MLS survey, the authors used the obtained data to identify the critical issues related to drainage and water runoff, verifying gradients, evenness, proper design of the drainage elements and the surface characteristics of the pavement. In particular, they have implemented the calculation of the water depth in a GIS environment to understand the existing runoff conditions. A comprehensive analysis of the functional characteristics allows defining an appropriate maintenance. The case study demonstrated how the proposed approach can be used to rationalize operations, implement pre-emptive measures and thereby optimize timing, use of materials and road work.