Oconee County: Oconee County Will Use State-Of-The-Art Laser-Equipped Van To Map Condition Of Roads

Press release from the Oconee County:

August 24, 2021

Oconee County Government is undertaking a specialized survey of the condition of all county roads in order to plan for future maintenance needs. This survey will begin Saturday, August 28, and will be completed in approximately one week. 

Oconee County owns and maintains approximately 390 miles of paved roads, and the typical life cycle of a road is 15 to 20 years, depending on usage. The county must resurface about 25 miles of road per year in order to adequately maintain the transportation infrastructure. 

Oconee County has engaged IMS Infrastructure Management Services, LLC, to complete a detailed inventory and condition rating of all roadways maintained by the county.  This inventory will provide an updated database of the condition of the roadway infrastructure. The data will be collected and analyzed by IMS engineers to develop a management program specifically designed to assist in the development of long-term road rehabilitation plans and future budgeting. 

The project will begin with a road survey to inventory and collect pavement performance data using a device known as a LCMS-2 survey vehicle.  This device measures pavement roughness, rutting, cracking, and other surface distresses as it travels down the roadway. It will also collect digital images and GPS information for integration with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The LCMS-2 survey vehicle is a Ford work van with multiple HD cameras and GPS receivers and a rear-mounted high technology laser crack measurement system (LCMS-2).  Operated by two field technicians, the LCMS-2 van travels at posted speed limits and will survey each roadway at least once.

Once all data is collected, it will be combined, managed by the IMS team, and used to develop a series of reports that will allow the County to cost effectively budget the long-term maintenance of the roadways using objective measures.

This press release was produced by the Oconee County. The views expressed here are the author’s own.