(November 6) Developing a Continuous Pavement Friction Measurement (CPFM) Program to Support Safety Management in Florida

Continuous Pavement Friction Measurement (CPFM) is an established approach for continuously measuring pavement friction at normal operating speeds. FHWA recognizes and emphasizes CPFM as a tool for improving pavement friction and safety management. The Florida CPFM program combines high-resolution pavement friction and surface-condition data with crash, roadway, and traffic data to better understand how friction affects crash risk. Safety Performance Functions (SPFs), Crash Modification Functions (CMFs), and friction Investigatory Levels (ILs) are developed to identify locations where pavement friction may create safety concerns. The study also demonstrates how friction and safety information can be incorporated into FDOT’s 3R (Resurfacing, Restoration, and Rehabilitation) project selection process to prioritize roadway improvements and make more effective use of limited resources.

Zhenyu Wang, PhD
Senior Research Associate, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Traffic Operations, and Safety
Center for Urban Transportation Research

Zhenyu Wang, Ph.D., is Senior Research Faculty and Principal Investigator with the ITS, Traffic Operations & Safety Program at CUTR, University of South Florida. With more than two decades of experience, he integrates AI, computer vision, machine learning, large-scale data analytics, and VR/AR with statistical modeling and traffic engineering to improve roadway safety and operations. He has been PI or Co-PI on projects funded by FHWA, FRA, FDOT, NCHRP, and U.S. DOT University Transportation Centers, and develops practical decision-support tools including DNT, LITA, and ALMS. He publishes regularly and presents at the TRB Annual Meeting. He also teaches graduate and undergraduate transportation courses.