After several years of decline, pavement conditions in Southeast Michigan continue to trend upward. Importantly, local road quality is beginning to make up some of the gap it has faced compared with roads managed by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).
A high-quality transportation network has numerous benefits for all road users, including safe and efficient travel. Increased investment, guided by sound data and asset management principles, has been crucial to this improvement. The region has been making strides to enhance road quality, so it is rewarding to see progress. Maintaining this upward trend requires strategic planning and data-driven decision-making, as funding opportunities can evaporate quickly.
Asset management starts with an accurate assessment of existing infrastructure. In partnership with county road agencies and others, SEMCOG works to evaluate the condition of major roads in Southeast Michigan. This means we collect and document pavement condition data for all lane miles eligible for federal funds. SEMCOG uses the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) method to evaluate roads, which are rated and categorized into good, fair, and poor conditions (examples are shown below in Figure 1). Major roads are rated in a two-year cycle, so the latest road conditions are from 2023 and 2024, based on guidance from the Michigan Transportation Asset Management Council (TAMC).
Examples of good, fair, and poor roads can be seen in Figure 1 below along with examples of the work/costs associated with roads in each condition. An important part of asset management is preventing roads from reaching poor condition, at which point repairs are the most costly.
Figure 1
Southeast Michigan Pavement Condition
During the 2023-2024 rating cycle, 20,998 total lanes miles in Southeast Michigan were evaluated using the PASER method. Roads in good condition have shown a steady increase over the last 10 years. Data in Figure 2 shows that approximately 25% of roads are in good condition compared to 15% in 2014-2015. Roads in poor condition continue to decrease, as 2023-2024 data show 28% of lane miles are in poor condition, 2,122 fewer lane miles compared to 39% in 2014-2015.
Figure 2
Southeast Michigan Pavement Condition by Jurisdiction
Breaking down pavement conditions by jurisdiction, including MDOT, counties, cities and villages, MDOT roads are generally in better condition than local roads. In 2023-2024, however, city and village roads saw an increase of lane miles in good condition, at 23% compared to 17% in 2021-2022 (shown in Figure 3). All road owners saw reductions in the amount of pavement in poor condition, breaking a trend of steadily increasing roads in poor condition (figure 4).
Figure 3
Figure 4
SEMCOG updated its pavement condition map with 2024 road condition data. The map continues to have filters, such as data collection year, jurisdiction, community, or condition. The map will also calculate the miles and centerline miles represented in each condition category based on the filter applied to the map.
A new feature of the pavement condition map is the ability to download data based on the filter applied to the map. You have the option to generate a download the data as either a file geodatabase or an Excel spreadsheet using the ‘Generate Download’ button at the bottom of the filter on the right-hand pane of the map.
Leave a Reply