Implementing an Automated Road Maintenance Machine (ARMM): Lessons from the Field

Crack sealing, a routine and necessary part of pavement maintenance, is a dangerous, costly, and labor-intensive operation. Within North America, about S200 million is spent annually on crack sealing, with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) spending about $7 million annually (labor alone accounts for over 50 percent of these costs). Prompted by concerns of safety and cost, the University of Texas at Austin, in cooperation with TxDOT and the Federal Highway Administration has developed a unique computer-guided Automated Road Maintenance Machine for pavement crack sealing. Successful field tests have been undertaken in several TxDOT districts. This paper first describes the ARMM's field implementation and its productivity analysis results. The paper then discusses current research efforts, and improvements and modifications suggested though the technology evaluation during the field trials. The ARMM's future implementation and work plans are also presented in this paper.