Integrating dynamic sensors and weigh-in-motion systems for pavement performance assessment

In July 2022, a newly instrumented test road was constructed in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, to monitor pavement conditions through embedded sensors in the asphalt layers. The test road is located on a high-traffic access route along Aurum Road leading to the Edmonton Waste Management Center. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of pavement performance by integrating data from dynamic sensors and a weigh-in-motion system, employing both direct sensor measurements and outputs from a layered elastic analysis to evaluate the pavement’s response to traffic loads. The findings revealed that the outer wheels of vehicles predominantly affected the middle longitudinal row of strain sensors, validating the need for multiple sensor rows to capture accurate strain data. Furthermore, relative errors of 4.3% for the horizontal strains and 22.5% for the vertical strains were found in the comparison between the observed data from the sensors and the calculated results from the computer software.