SECTION 653 - PAVEMENT RIDE QUALITY (Last revised May, 2024)
653-1 DESCRIPTION. Provide and operate an inertial profiler to measure and report pavement ride
quality data on Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) and/or asphalt pavements.
653-2 MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT. The inertial profiler and operator shall both be certified in
accordance with Materials Method 653-01. A certification letter shall be provided to the Engineer prior to beginning the ride quality data collection.
653-3 Construction Details.
653-3.01 Pavement Ride Quality (PRQ) Data Collection.
PRQ data collection shall consist of measuring the longitudinal profile of the surface of the finished pavement. The Contractor shall notify the Engineer at least 24 hours prior to performing the PRQ data collection operations. When the finished pavement can be opened to construction traffic , the PRQ collection may be performed. Collect PRQ data in accordance with Materials Method 653 -01. Areas requiring corrective actions shall be retested upon completion of corrective actions. The recalculated quality units for the lot will be used for final payment.
652-3 02
NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Section 600 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 VOLUME 3 The Contractor shall submit the ride quality data collection results to the Engineer in accordance with Materials Method 653-01 within 30 days of completion of paving or by November 30 th, whichever is sooner. The Engineer will verify the results and the calculated quality units submitted by the Contractor.
653-3.02 Corrective Action.
PRQ lots failing to meet an acceptable International Roughness Index (IRI) as specified in Table 653 -1 and/or Table 653-2 are subject to corrective action to bring into compliance with this specification. With the approval of the Engineer, the Contractor shall execute a plan of corrective action.
A.Diamond Grinding: The provisions of §505- Diamond Grinding of the NYS Standard Specifications apply for Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) and/or Asphalt pavements, except as modified below. • When more than 20% of the PRQ lot requires grinding based on localized roughness , a minimum of 95% of the lot shall be ground. The Engineer will determine when the 20% threshold is exceeded.
B.Remove and Replace:
1.Asphalt Pavement: Perform corrective work to the depth necessary to resolve all irregularities so no more than two transverse joints are made in the pavement surface of the lot.
2.PCC Pavement: Perform corrective work by r emoving and replacing full pavement panels between existing transverse joints to correct all irregularities.
653-4 METHOD OF MEASUREMENT. The quantity to be measured for payment will be in quality
units. Quality Unit Calculation. Pavement Ride Quality (PRQ) pay adjustments will be based on Total Quality Units (TQU). The Total Quality Units is the summation of the IRI Quality Units (IRIQU) and the Localized Roughness Quality Units (LRQU): TQU = (IRIQU) + (LRQU)
A.International Roughness Index Quality Units (IRIQU) • Determine Quality Units for each PRQ lot using Table 653 -01 for Asphalt Pavements and Table 653-02 for PCC Pavements and Materials Method 653. • For PRQ lots of a length different from 528 ft, adjust the number of Quality Units as follows: IRIQU = (Quality Units from appropriate table) * (Length of PRQ lot (ft)/528(ft)) • Determine the total number of IRI Quality Units for the project by summing the Quality Units from all PRQ lots. Table 653-01 Determination of IRI Quality Units (IRIQU) for Asphalt Pavements Level 1 Level 2
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NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Section 600 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 VOLUME 3 PRQ lot IRI (in/mile) Quality Units PRQ lot IRI (in/mile) Quality Units ≤45 8 ≤50 4
46-59 (60-Iri)*0.5 51-64 (65-Iri)*0.25
60-74 0 65-79 0
75-90 (74-Iri) 80-95 (79-Iri)*0.5
>90 1Corrective action >95 1Corrective action Table 653-02 Determination of IRI Quality Units (IRIQU) for PCC Pavements Level 1 Level 2 PRQ lot IRI (in/mile) Quality Units PRQ lot IRI (in/mile) Quality Units ≤50 8 ≤57 4
51-64 (65-Iri)*0.5 58-64 (65-Iri)*0.5
65-79 0 65-79 0
80-95 (79-Iri) 80-95 (79-Iri)*0.5
>95 1Corrective action >95 1Corrective action
1.If the Department elects to not require corrective action – the segment(s) left in place shall receive double the maximum disincentive show in tables 653-01 and 653-02.
B.Localized Roughness Measurement (LRQU) • Determine the localized roughness lane lot percentage based on Materials Method 653 Localized Roughness Summary Report. Calculate the Localized Roughness Quality Units (LRQU) based on the following equation: LRQU = lane percentage * total quality units in contract * (-2)
653-2 Basis of Payment.
Include the cost of all labor and equipment necessary to satisfactorily complete the work. Payment of Quality Adjustments will be made based on the number of Quality Units multiplied by the fixed price for Quality Adjustment Items listed in the contract documents for the quantity placed on the day the Quality Units represent. Payment will be made under: Item No. Item Pay Unit 653.1010 Pavement Ride Quality Adjustment to Asphalt Level 1 Quality Unit 653.1020 Pavement Ride Quality Adjustment to Asphalt Level 2 Quality Unit 653.2010 Pavement Ride Quality Adjustment to PCC Level 1 Quality Unit 653.2020 Pavement Ride Quality Adjustment to PCC Level 2 Quality Unit
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Source: Standard Specifications (US Customary Units), 2026 (Jan) Edition. Pages 955–957 of 1,489. View official source ↗