Many gravel roads have been treated with a sealcoat surface. These roads lookand perform differently from either gravel roads or asphalt pavement roads. This manual is intended to help local officials plan the maintenance and overallmanagement of sealcoat roads. It discusses common problems and typical repairs and presents a simple system for evaluating and rating sealcoat roads.The ratings are included in the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s LocalRoad Inventory.

The Sealcoat-PASER Manual complements the Asphalt-PASER, Gravel-PASERand Concrete-PASER Manual also produced by the Wisconsin TransportationInformation Center (T.I.C.).

Taking an organized approach to roadway management has many benefits. By documenting the actual conditions of roads you can establish realistic projectbudgets, make timely repairs, and plan cost-effective maintenance procedures.Developing an overall plan for the roadway system lets local agencies make moreaccurate annual budgets and anticipate future needs and expenses. In addition,local officials can respond more effectively to questions from the public whenthey have detailed and systematic information. A planned, objective approach iseasier to explain and receives greater public support.

There are several key steps in developing a meaningful roadway managementplan. First, you must inventory existing conditions. This is normally done bydividing the roadway into segments with similar characteristics. During theinventory, you collect information on construction history, roadway width,shoulder width, pavement type, and drainage conditions.

Next you need a method for assessing the condition of the existing roadway. The Sealcoat-PASER Manual uses visual observations and a simple rating system.Other information from material sampling, testing, and traffic counts can beuseful for a more detailed system plan.

Setting priorities for roadway improvements is another necessary step. You can use roadway condition and the local importance of these roads to assignpriorities. Budgets can then be developed based on cost estimates for theprojected improvements.

Since the number and cost of improvements usually exceed one years’resources, a pavement management system will help you establish a multi-yearplan. You can develop three-year to five-year plans for both maintenance andcapital improvement. These are normally adjusted and updated each year.

The T.I.C., in cooperation with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation(WisDOT), has developed a computerized pavement management system calledPASERWARE. It uses information on road condition and the rating systemsdescribed in the PASER manuals to produce suggested budgets. Local officialscan use this information to evaluate whether their annual road budgets areadequate to maintain or improve current road conditions. PASERWARE also helpsusers evaluate the most cost effective strategies and priorities for annual projects.

Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating

Sealcoat PASER Manual

Rating surface conditions of sealcoated roads10

Rating the surface condition of sealcoated gravel roads

The extent and severity of each typeof distress are used to rate the overallcondition. Distress may graduallyworsen with age or may deterioraterapidly, depending on volume of heavytraffic and road quality. Inspectingroads every year or two helps trackthe rate of deterioration and lets local officials plan for maintenanceand improvement.This section presents a simplified

rating system to help you managesealcoated roads and to supplyinformation for your local roadinventory. It uses a scale of 1 to 5,with 5 being new condition and 1 a failed surface.The photographic examples will

help you become familiar with thegeneral patterns of each rating. Before

Surface age

Visible distress

General condition, drainage, andrecommended improvement

No distress. Excellent surface and ride.

New surface condition. Excellent drainage. No maintenance required.

1 year old

Slight surface wear from traffic.Slight loss of surface aggregate.Minor flushing or tracking.

Excellent or good drainage. Little or no maintenance required.

2-4 years old

Moderate surface wear and/orflushing. Slight edge cracking.Occasional patch or loss of top layer of sealcoat.

Good or fair drainage. May need spotdrainage improvement and/or minorpatching. Preventive maintenancesealcoat recommended.

3-5 years old

Severe wear or flushing. Moderateto severe edge cracking or patching.Potholes or significant loss of surfacesealcoat. Alligator cracking.

Fair or poor drainage. Ditching orculvert improvements needed.Patching or surface wedging needed.New surface sealcoat required.

morethan 5 years old

Extensive loss of surface sealcoat.Severe edge cracking and/or alligatorcracking. Extensive patching in poorcondition and/or rutting.

Extensive poor drainage. Needs baseimprovement and new doublesealcoat.

morethan 5 years old

Surfacerating

5Excellent

4Good

3Fair

2Poor

1Failed

selecting a rating, inspect the roadsegment, looking at the types, extent,and severity of visible distress. Deter -mine the age of the sealcoat surfaceand then locate the age in the table.Consider distress and needed repairsto help select the final rating. The rating can be no higher than

the segment’s age. For example, a 5-year-old sealcoat surface should notbe rated higher than 3 even thoughthere are few visible signs of distress.However, the rating may be lowered if distress is severe or extensive. Thatis, a 5-year-old surface could be rated2 or 1.The rating also reflects your judge -

ment of needed repairs or improve -ments. Ratings of 5 and 4 require nomaintenance. Rating 3 needs preven -

tive maintenance to extend life. Thesurface may require a few patches orminor drainage improvements. A newsealcoat is recommended.Roads with a rating of 2 need

more extensive repairs or significantdrain age improvement. Repairs mayinclude asphalt wedging or extensivepatch ing. Ditch cleaning or culvertrepairs may also be required to restoregood drainage. A new sealcoatsurface should be applied to a roadsurface with a rating of 2. A road condition rating of 1 indi -

cates failed conditions and the needfor significant repair or rebuilding.New gravel base, re-grading, and/orsignifi cant drainage improvement, and a new double surface sealcoat are typical for roads rated 1.

Practical advice on rating roads16

Inventory and field inspectionMost agencies routinely observe road -way conditions as a part of theirnormal work and travel. However, anactual inspection means looking at theentire roadway system and preparing awritten summary of conditions. Thisinspection has many benefits overcasual observations. It can be helpfulto compare segments, and ratingsdecisions are likely to be more consis -tent because the entire roadwaysystem is considered at the same time.An inspection also encourages a

review of specific conditions importantin roadway maintenance, such asdrainage and adequate strength.A simple written inventory is useful

in making decisions where otherpeople are involved. You do not haveto trust your memory, and you canusually answer questions in moredetail. Having a written record andobjective information also improvesyour credibility with the public.Finally, a written inventory is very

useful in documenting changing road -way conditions. Without records span -ning several years, it is impossible toknow if road conditions are improving,holding their own, or declining.Annual budgets and long range

plan ning are best done when based on actual needs as documented with a written inventory.The Wisconsin DOT local road

inventory is a valuable resource formanaging your local roads. AddingPASER road condition ratings is animportant improvement.

Averaging and comparingsectionsRating a roadway segment involvesevaluating conditions over a consider -able length (a mile or more in ruralareas, or many blocks in urban areas).Obviously, no roadway segment hasentirely consistent conditions. Alsosurfaces in one section will not have allof the types of distress listed for anyparticular rating. They may have onlyone or two types. Therefore, someaveraging is necessary.

The objective is to rate the condi tionthat represents the majority of theroadway. Small or isolated condi tionsshould not influence the rating. It isuseful to note these special conditionson the inventory form so this informa -tion can be used in plan ning specificimprovement projects. For example,some spot repairs may be necessary.Occasionally surface conditions vary

significantly within a segment. Forexample, short sections of goodcondition may be followed by sectionsof poor surface conditions. In thesecases, it is best to rate the segmentaccording to the worst conditions andnote the variation on the form.The overall purpose of condition

rating is to be able to compare eachsegment relative to all the othersegments in your roadway system. Oncompletion you should be able to lookat any two pavement segments andfind that the better surface has ahigher rating. Within a given rating, say 3, not all

pavements will be exactly the same.However, they should all clearly be inbetter condition than those rated 2 or 1. When rating a difficult segment,it can be helpful to compare it to othersegments that you have already rated.For example, if it is better than thoseyou rated 2 and worse than a typical4, then a rating of 3 is appropriate.Having all pavement segments rated in the proper relative order is mostimportant and useful.

Separating road function from conditionsSealcoated gravel roads often arefound where traffic volumes are verylow. This can be confusing. Peoplerating roads are sometimes morewilling to accept poor condition on aroad if it is little used. In higher trafficsituations, they expect the road shouldbe in better condition.Therefore, there may be a tendency

to evaluate the condition more harshlyin higher traffic volume situations andto be more lenient in evaluating little-used roads. This tendency should be

avoided. The evaluation must be anobjective description of the actualroadway condition.The road’s function or importance is

also a factor in making managementdecisions, but it must be consideredseparately from the condition ratingprocess. Roads can be categorized bytheir use or their function. In choosingwhich projects to include in a budgetor repair cycle and to set priorities, it ishelpful to consider both the surfacecondition and the road’s importance.

Planning maintenance and repairWe have found that relating a normalmaintenance or rehabilitation proce -dure to the surface rating schemehelps local officials use the ratingsystem. However, an individual surfacerating should not automati cally dictatethe final maintenance or rehabilitationtechnique. You should consider futuretraffic projections, original construc -tion, and pavement strength sincethese may dictate a more comprehen -sive rehabilitation than the ratingsuggests. On the other hand, it may beappropriate under special condi tions todo nothing and let the pave ment fullydeteriorate, then rebuild when fundsare available.

SummaryUsing local road funds most efficientlyrequires good planning and accurateidentification of appropriate rehabili -ta tion projects. Assessing roadwayconditions is an essential first step inthis process. The PASER pavementsurface evaluation and ratingprocedure has proven effective inimproving decision making and usinghighway funds more efficiently. It can be used directly by local officialsand staff. It may be combined withadditional testing and data collectionin a more comprehen sive pavementmanage ment system. For additionaltraining and information, contact theTransportation Information Center.

Practical advice on rating roads