Standard Practice for

Collecting the Transverse

Pavement Profile

AASHTO Designation: PP 70-141

American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials

444 North Capitol Street N.W., Suite 249
Washington, D.C. 20001

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
Standard Practice for

Collecting the Transverse Pavement Profile

AASHTO Designation: PP 70-141

1. SCOPE
1.1. This practice outlines a method for collecting pavement transverse profile, including its
relationship to a level horizontal reference in pavement surfaces utilizing automated measurement
devices. The profile can subsequently be used to quantify cross slope and pavement distresses
such as transverse deformation, rut characteristics, water entrapment, or edge drop-off. Detailed
specifications are not included for equipment or instruments used to make the measurements.
Equipment that can be adequately validated to meet the functionality stipulated herein is
considered acceptable. The goal is to achieve a standardized data set that supports a wide variety
of interpretation methods to characterize pavement transverse profile characteristics in order to
capture properties of engineering significance, without unduly restricting innovative methods.

1.2. This standard addresses data collection utilizing a measurement device traveling at or near the
posted speed limit.

1.3. This practice does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use.
It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health
practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations related to and prior to its use.

2. TERMINOLOGY
2.1. Definitions:

2.1.1. report interval—the travel distance between the reported data.

2.1.2. transverse profile—vertical deviations of the pavement surface from a level horizontal reference
perpendicular to the lane direction of travel.

2.1.3. transverse measurement width—distance between the first and last measurement points in the
transverse profile.

2.1.4. vertical measurement resolution—the smallest distance of measurement in the vertical axis stored
by the measure device.

2.1.5. vertical measurement accuracy—the difference between the vertical distance reported by the
measuring device and a standard reference measurement.

3. SIGNIFICANCE AND USE

3.1. This standard provides guidelines for collecting transverse pavement profile for the subsequent
extraction of selected pavement characteristics such as rut, cross slope, deformation, and edge
drop-off.

TS-5a PP 70-1 AASHTO

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
3.2. Two data reporting intervals are to be selected based on the level of detail required in the
subsequent analysis. The longer interval is typical of network data collection, while the shorter is
more often related to project-level data acquisition.

4. DATA COLLECTION
4.1. General Guidelines—Each agency shall designate the lane(s) and direction(s) of travel to be
surveyed or rated based on sound engineering principles and management needs within the
agency. The following guidelines are recommended as minimums to provide a necessary database
and for long-term uniformity.

4.2. The report interval between collected transverse profiles should not exceed 3.0 m (10 ft) for
network-level collection and 0.5 m (1.5 ft) for project-level collection.

4.3. For network-level collection, at least one direction should be surveyed on undivided roads and
both directions on divided highways. On undivided roads, measurements on the side carrying the
heaviest truck loads are desired, when this knowledge is available in advance of the survey.

4.4. It is desirable to survey the same direction of travel and the same lane during subsequent
survey cycles.

4.5. The transverse profile shall have a minimum width of 4.0 m (13 ft) for detecting distresses in the
lane (between the longitudinal lane markings, when present) and 4.25 m (14 ft) if interpretation of
edge drop-off is desired. The extra width should be on the shoulder side of the lane, beyond the
edge marking. These widths include 300 mm (12 in.) beyond the normal requirements to account
for vehicle wander. Data measured outside the location of interest may be discarded before
reporting if a lane identification algorithm is employed at the collection stage.
Note 1—The technology for high resolution transverse profile data collection is advancing
rapidly. Currently, the most widely deployed technology involves mid-angle optical methods that
are subject to providing false or no data due to the nature of the surface. Highly reflective surfaces
such as rail tracks, manholes, steel patch plates, or ponding water cause measurement difficulty.
Different pavement surface types also require the camera to adjust, which can take several
potential profiles to recover. These issues typically involve a limited portion of the pavement and
can be dropped without a significant impact on the values required for pavement management. A
right-of-way camera image can be of significant value when resolving issues of this type. Newer,
high-angle optical techniques may significantly reduce the occurrence of these problems.

5. DATA REQUIREMENTS
5.1. The transverse profile shall have data points with separation of less than or equal to 10 mm
(0.4 in.).

5.2. Vertical measurement resolution shall be less than or equal to 1 mm (0.04 in.).

5.3. Vertical measurement accuracy shall be less than or equal to:

5.3.1. 3 mm (0.12 in.) when the average elevation of that same profile is used as a reference; 5 mm
(0.20 in.) when an absolute-level horizontal elevation is applied as a reference.

5.4. The profile shall be measured along a transverse line that deviates less than 15 degrees
perpendicular to the lane centerline.

TS-5a PP 70-2 AASHTO

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
6. SYSTEM VALIDATION
6.1. The process of calibrating and checking the performance of the measurement equipment is the
responsibility of the agency. Agencies should evaluate and confirm the manufacturer’s
recommendations for calibrating and verifying the performance of the equipment relative to their
intended data use.

6.2. Measurement System Elements to Be Validated—The following elements of the measurement

system should be validated:

6.2.1. Distance measuring instrument accuracy.

6.2.2. Data point spacing.

6.2.3. Transverse measurement width.

6.2.4. Vertical measurement resolution and accuracy relative to the vehicle.

6.2.5. Vertical measurement accuracy relative to a level horizontal reference.

6.2.6. Effect of operational and environmental variables, including:

6.2.6.1. Sun angle, intensities, shadows, temperature, and precipitation on the pavement surface; and

6.2.6.2. Measurement speed variability.

6.2.7. Pavement cross slope, vertical grade, roughness, and horizontal curvature.

6.3. Validation reference for certification is manual measurements of surveyed lane sections made by
trained technicians on suitable test sections designated by the agency. Multiple 3-m (10-ft) long
test sample interval sections should be employed. One manual reference transverse profile
measurement is performed in each test sample interval. The manual transverse measurement
interval should not exceed 25 mm (1 in.). The test sample sections should be as uniform as
possible along their length to reduce differences in exact measurement location. The longitudinal
measurement interval of the manual reference transverse profiles should not be more than 150 mm
(6 in.). Artificially manufactured artifacts with known dimensions, such as steel plates or wires,
placed through the length of the test sections, may be used to assess system resolution and
accuracy. All validation reference values must be measured to a true level reference. The
variability in the reference measurement process needs to be assessed. When possible, at least
three repeat manual reference transverse profile measurements should be performed on at least
three test sections.

6.4. Validation/Acceptance Report:

6.4.1. The validation reference report will include assessments from multiple transverse
elevation profiles.

6.4.2. The acceptance report should tabulate the data from at least five equipment runs and the validation
reference values. It should also include:

6.4.2.1. The results from the resolution tests performed in at least four locations across the pavement.

6.4.2.2. The effects of operational and environmental variables investigated in the validation.

TS-5a PP 70-3 AASHTO

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.
6.5. The operator and driver are critical components of the total measurement system. They must be
trained in equipment operation including instrument failure detection and system management.
Smooth, precise operation of the instrument platform is necessary for optimum results.

6.6. The formal validation and performance measurements should be supplemented with a routine
operational check program in which the equipment measures a standard set of test sections on a
regular basis. The check sites should be representative of the pavement system being measured.
Time series analyses are used to check for changes in the measurement system not caused by
changes in the road being measured. A typical implementation of this system check process would
involve monthly measurements on a defined set of sections where the agency has knowledge of
maintenance, construction, or other activities that could change the transverse profile of the test
sections.

7. KEYWORDS
7.1. Automated pavement data collection; pavement cross slope; pavement distress; pavement edge
drop-off; pavement evaluation; pavement management; pavement monitoring; pavement surface;
pavement transverse profile; rut; rutting.

8. REFERENCES
8.1. AASHTO PP 69, Determining Pavement Deformation Parameters and Cross Slope from Collected
Transverse Profiles.

8.2. ASTM E1656/E1656M, Standard Guide for Classification of Automated Pavement Condition
Survey Equipment.

8.3. FHWA. Distress Identification Manual for the Long-Term Pavement Performance Program,
FHWA Report RD-03-031.

1
This provisional standard was first published in 2010.

TS-5a PP 70-4 AASHTO

© 2015 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.