Pavement surface distress evaluation using terrestrial laser scanner

The accurate measurement of pavement distresses is essential for setting preservation and rehabilitation priorities. The manual measurement of surface distresses is the most commonly used method for evaluating the severity of pavement distresses. However, the manual method has less accuracy and consistency. So that in the present study, the images of different pavement distresses, potholes, cracking, patching, and ravelling for the selected sections were captured using terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). The surface area of these distresses was measured in Leica Cyclone software. The obtained results were validated by collecting a similar distress pattern at a different location using the same equipment. The measured surface area is executed in a GIS platform to develop an automated database for the prioritization of selected pavement sections of Mumbai city for pavement maintenance. It was observed that the TLS technique could be used effectively for safer and more accurate surface distress measurement.