Bridges can provide a lower ride quality when compared to pavements. To provide a good ride quality, attention should be paid to constructing smooth bridge decks. TRB hosted a webinar on Monday, February 6, 2023 from 2:00 PM to 3:30 PM Eastern that presented the practices used by state departments of transportation (DOTs) to evaluate the smoothness of newly constructed bridge decks. Presenters identified the equipment used to measure the smoothness, the method or index to measure the smoothness, and the smoothness thresholds contractors are required to achieve.

This webinar is based on NCHRP Synthesis Report 580: Practices for Ensuring the Smoothness of Concrete Bridge Decks.

This webinar was sponsored by TRB’s National Highway Cooperative Research Program and the Standing Technical Committee on Pavement Surface Properties and Vehicle Interaction.

The slides are linked in the meeting materials. View the recorded webinar below.

Webinar agenda and presenters

• Practices used by state DOTs – Rohan Perera, SME
• Practices used by Illinois DOT – John Sengar, Illinois Department of Transportation
• Practices used by Ohio DOT – David Flood, Ohio Department of Transportation
• Question and answer session moderated by Magdy Mikhail, Trimble

The first 60 minutes of the webinar will be for presentations and the final 30 minutes will be reserved for audience questions.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe the methods used by state DOTs to evaluate the smoothness of newly constructed concrete bridge decks
• Identify the various equipment and methods that are used to measure smoothness of newly constructed concrete bridge decks
• Understand the indices used to quantify smoothness and the threshold limits established by DOTs for smoothness

Professional Development Hours

Professional Development Hours (PDHs) earned on completion of this program were reported to the Registered Continuing Education Program (RCEP). Certificates of Completion are issued to all participants via the RCEP.net online system. Complaints about registered providers may be addressed to RCEP, 1015 15th Street, NW, 8th Fl., Washington, DC, 20005.