A Laser Road Surface Tester is a 2019 white Ford Transit with two roof mounted laser scanners on the rear-end of the vehicle pointing straight down. Operated by three field technicians, the RST travels at posted speed limits and will survey each roadway in Los Alamos County at least once. Photo Courtesy Los Alamos County
COUNTY NEWS
Los Alamos County recently selected IMS Infrastructure Management Services to perform Pavement and Asset Management Services for County roadways.
IMS will be in the Los Alamos and White Rock areas starting Monday, Sept. 14 for approximately three weeks.
The first phase is to inventory and collect pavement performance data using a device known as a Laser Road Surface Tester or RST. This device measures pavement roughness, rutting, cracking and other surface distresses as it travels down the roadway. It also will be used to collect digital video and Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) information for cataloging right of way assets.
The RST is a 2019 white Ford Transit with two roof mounted laser scanners on the rear-end of the vehicle pointing straight down. Operated by three field technicians, the RST travels at posted speed limits and will survey each roadway at least once.
The second phase consists of establishing the load carrying capacity of specific arterial and collector roadways using a device known as a Falling-Weight Deflectometer (FWD). FWD provides nondestructive, multi-sensor dynamic deflection data for pavement structure analysis.
FWD’s have a long history of collecting dependable, repeatable data, and may be used on asphalt and concrete roads.
Major roadway testing will be completed at least once in each direction in every street segment (500’ intervals, minimum 1 per block) along the outside lanes of the roadway.
Once all of the roadway network data is collected, it will be combined, loaded into the asset management application, and used to develop a series of reports that will allow the client to cost effectively budget the long-term maintenance of the roadways.
Direct questions and comments to the Public Works Department at (505) 662-8150 or email LACPW@lacnm.us.