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(Editor’s note: Why are Georgia’s highways among the smoothest in the nation, and a pleasure to drive on? It didn’t just happen. We asked a 35 year veteran of the Georgia Department of Transportation, Larry Dent, a native of Jesup who now lives in Gainesville, that question and got this detailed response. Dent retired in 2006 while serving as deputy commissioner to Commissioner Harold Linnenkohl. –eeb)
By Larry Dent
GAINESVILLE, Ga. | Early in Buford resident Tom Moreland’s era of the Department of Transportation, an emphasis was placed on the smoothness of the roads of the State Highway System of Georgia. There were roughly 18, 000 miles of roads maintained by the Georgia Department of Transportation in the late 1970s.
Dent
As commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT, Tom Moreland had surrounded himself with engineers who knew pavement maintenance. Alan Childers, director of Maintenance; Stanley Lord (of Gwinnett), State Maintenance Engineer; Hugh Tyner, Dan Vandiver, Paul Hooper and other GDOT employees were part of the team that was instrumental in creating the rating system for the 18,000 miles of roads in the state of Georgia.
The outcome of this system was PACES (Pavement Condition Evaluation Survey), which required that every mile of road in the state be rated every year. A 100 foot section within each mile of roadway was tested, which represented the condition of that mile as physically rated by individuals who were specifically trained for this task. The ratings covered all aspects of the pavement condition, such as cracking, rutting, raveling and other conditions. A numerical rating was assigned to each section of roads in the state. Thresholds were established and second ratings were done on potential sections that met the threshold.
When sections warranted resurfacing, staff would determine if it would be more economical to place thin overlays of asphalt (1.25 to 1.75 inches) plus approximately a half inch of leveling on sections of distressed pavement. This approach would alleviate the need to do major rehabilitation. This alternative would last 7 to 10 years and was much less expensive than performing major rehab on a section of road. This approach would require approximately 6-8 percent of the mileage in Georgia to be resurfaced each year.
Also during this time, testing for the smoothness (GDT 126) was established for new roads that were being built, as well as sections of roads that were being widened, resurfaced or reconstructed. The criteria required that the finished pavement would meet or exceed the desired smoothness numbers. These numbers are the result of a recording made by a road profiler on every lane mile under construction. As a result of this approach to pavement maintenance, Georgia roads have consistently been ranked among the smoothest roads in the United States.
Lastly, another area of improvement that contributed to the smooth roads was the continuous improvement in the designs of asphaltic concrete mixes. With crushed granite as the backbone of the mixes in Georgia, testing to produce mixes that did not rut or ravel was a constant project. This has been a major factor in GDOT’s ability to maintain such a smooth ride.
One of the old adages in GDOT has always been: “Build the roads in Georgia where the road is pleasant to the eye and pleasing to the behind.” GDOT has been consistent in their efforts to provide a smooth ride across one of the most beautiful states in the United States.
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