Up to the end of the 80's, most 13 m roads in Sweden had 3.75 m wide lanes and 2.5 m wide hard shoulders. At the beginning of the 90's, this type of road was modified to 5.5 m wide lanes and 1.0 m wide hard shoulders. An earlier VTI study indicated that with wider lanes the dispersion of traffic across the road varied to a greater extent. In order to study whether wider lanes produce a different transverse profile, measurements were made at three locations in Sweden. VTI's profilometer PRIMAL was used together with a laser profilometer. The results indicate that after modifying the roads to wide lanes, wear will be more dispersed as a result of the increased dispersion of traffic across the road. It will thus be possible to use the road for longer period without any maintenance of the pavement to remedy wear from studded tyres. The annual cost of maintenance of the wearing course should be reduced.
Samenvatting