NEWS

Morris County invests in hi-tech system to test roads

Peggy Wright
@PeggyWrightDR

Morris County has invested $230,000 in a sophisticated system that is measuring wear and tear on its 288-mile network of asphalt roads and will be used to develop a “pavement management database” to assist in prioritizing road projects.

The county’s contract with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Michael Baker International, a company that specializes in transportation technology solutions, was detailed Wednesday in the parking lot of the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy, where a cargo van outfitted with high-tech equipment for detecting pavement distress was displayed for county officials and the media.

“The county spends millions a year on road resurfacing and this will make us more efficient,” said county Freeholder David Scapicchio, liaison to the Department of Planning and Public Works.

Department Director Deena Leary said she heard about Michael Baker International and its mobile data collection system two years ago at a New Jersey Association of Counties meeting and brought the information back to county officials.

Nick Hutton, project manager for Michael Baker International, explained the multiple systems on the van -- specialized laser and sensor-based equipment and light imaging detection and radar -- that can be used to detect every rut, crack and road surface flaw as the van travels across pavement at the posted speed limit.

“That’s one of the beauties of the system -- you can travel at posted speed,” Hutton said.

The county specifically has contracted with the firm to use the  Pavemetrics Laser Crack Measurement System, a technology that detects  road surface characteristics and flaws. Hutton said the raw pavement distress data is collected and, with the assistance of Rutgers University, the data will be converted to a readable format and funneled to a software program for the county’s use in assessing road conditions, deterioration levels, and prioritizing future resurfacing and repair projects.

County Senior Engineer Jennifer Molter and county Engineer Christopher Vitz, who were on hand for the presentation, said planning began in July, and the van began traveling county roads last week. Hutton said the 288-mile road inventory should be completed by the end of next week, so long as the weather stays dry.

The equipment cannot detect road flaws when surfaces are wet or reflective, Hutton said.

Vitz and Leary said the assessment will save time expended by employees who have traditionally conducted visual road evaluations. Visual checks will continue, Leary said, but the data will give the county a detailed, comprehensive picture of the quality of every mile of county roads that will serve as “a baseline” and allow the county to forecast future problems.

Scapicchio predicted the data also will help the county if officials or residents in municipalities grumble that their roads are in bad shape or worse than others.

“This takes politics out of the equation,” he said.

In the past three years, the county has repaved nearly 100 miles of roadways. It currently is finishing a nearly three-mile portion of Changebridge Road in Montville, county Communications Director Larry Ragonese said.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@GannettNJ.com.