The Governors of the University of Alberta

Published purpose

This Project will focus on developing an advanced network that can provide accurate, real-time information about road surface conditions to ensure the safety of roadways for all users. The Project will investigate efficient methods of maintaining safe, optimal traffic flow, particularly for freight transportation by road, which is essential to support a robust, flourishing economy. This made-in-Canada research Project will guarantee that the systems adopted here will be able to withstand harsh environmental conditions, and the systems developed will be based on locally available data, thus ensuring that both the physical operating limits of the system (i.e. operation at cold temperatures) and the information used to complement the data collected from the physical sensors are relevant to the local context. Key Project activities include: - Developing a real-time active monitoring system for a major roadway, capable of giving real-time feedback about both structural capacity and surface conditions - Developing an information-based system that can monitor the structural capacity of a road and alert authorities to early signs of deterioration in the road structure - Developing a sensor-based system that accurately measures the frost and thaw depth of pavement - Developing roadway performance prediction models based on field and laboratory data - Developing a dynamic system capable of determining allowable speed limits for the roadway, based on real-time data related to the condition of the road surface