Field Performance Analysis Of Open Graded Friction Course: A Case Study In Shreveport, Louisiana

This project was aimed at evaluating the performance of the open graded friction course (OGFC) installed on a 1.029 mile-long section of the 70th Street in Shreveport, Louisiana. Pavement roughness, friction, tire-pavement noise, and road user satisfaction data in three cycles, before, during, and after installation of OGFC, were collected. Paired sample t-tests was performed to compare the international roughness index (IRI) before and after installing the OGFC. Tire-pavement noise was evaluated using the on-board sound intensity (OBSI) method. OGFC test section skid resistance was compared with a hot mix asphalt (HMA) pavement to compare friction performance. The results indicate that the overall decrease in roughness after the OGFC installation is statistically significant and decreased 112.52 in./mile (51.82%) on average. In addition, the noise level also decreased by about 1.24 dB, and the pavement friction performance was significantly improved. The results from the survey analysis indicate that the road users' satisfaction increased, scoring a minimum of 4 out of 5 on the Likert scale.