Pavement Condition
About the measures
MnDOT tracks the annual percentage of total interstate, other National Highway System (NHS), and non-NHS state highways rated as having good or poor ride quality. Roadways with good ride quality have even surfaces and pavement that provides safe driving experiences. Roadways with poor ride quality range from uneven surfaces to cracks in the road surface that can make driving quality poor. Pavement rated poor can still be driven on, but the ride is sufficiently rough that most people would find it uncomfortable and may reduce their speed. Rough pavement can also negatively impact freight movement by increasing the risk of damaging cargo.
Remaining service life (RSL) refers to how many years a road has left, until the end of its pavement design life. Roads that have reached the end of their design life can still be driven on but have deteriorated to a point where vehicle discomfort is felt by drivers and a major rehabilitation is likely needed.
Recent trends
In 2022, over three-quarters of roadways across all three types had good ride quality. Interstate had the highest percentage (92.2%) followed by NHS (82.2%) and then non-NHS (77.5%). Less than 1% of Interstate and NHS roadways had poor ride quality. For non-NHS roadways, 1% had poor ride quality. However, based on Capital Highway Investment Plan (CHIP) estimates, the share of roadways with poor ride quality will increase and exceed statewide targets by 2033.
For statewide RSL, the average remaining service life for interstate, NHS, and non-NHS roadways has gradually increased year-to-year between 2015 and 2020.
Where we want to go
MnDOT monitors the condition of roadways on an ongoing basis. As guided by the Transportation Asset Management Plan (TAMP) and its focus on life cycle planning, monitoring, and measuring the condition of these assets helps MnDOT and its partners strategically build, manage, maintain, operate, and adapt the transportation system.