World-first technology to support Victoria’s road recovery

Australian Road Research Board, data, iPAVe, Pavement assessment vehicle, technology, Victoria,

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The Intelligent Pavement Assessment Vehicle is a world-first technology being used to assess Victoria’s flood-ravaged roads as part of a $165m emergency road repair blitz.

Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne today announced the Australian Road Research Board’s Intelligent Pavement Assessment Vehicle (iPAVe) will join the blitz, assessing the condition of more than 8,400 kilometres of Victoria’s roads in the wake of recent floods and extreme rainfall, gathering a broad spectrum of data.

The collected data will help plan upcoming large-scale repairs and road maintenance across regional and metropolitan Victoria.

Equipped with a range of data collection systems, iPAVe can assess the road’s structural and functional condition, using laser technology developed in Denmark to look at characteristics including roughness, surface texture and rutting.

Cracking and other surface data are assessed using an automated 3D monitoring system. At the same time, cameras mounted to the truck’s exterior will give road maintenance experts a first-hand look at the state’s road network.

“We’re using the latest technology to ensure we deliver the repairs needed right across our roads following the devastation caused by recent floods and extreme rainfall,” says Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne. 

Thanks to an onboard ground-penetrating radar, the iPAVe can collect sub-surface data simultaneously, giving experts a better understanding of what’s happening underneath the road surface.

These datasets are collected simultaneously, in one trip, at highway speed, making the iPAVe a cheaper, faster and safer way to gather intelligence.

Data collected as part of iPAVe’s most recent assessments will then be compared with similar information collected in 2021 to gauge the impact of the recent floods.

More than 170 of the state’s roads will undergo inspection by iPAVe, including major freight and tourist routes like the Hume, Western, Midland, Goulburn Valley and Calder highways.

Thanks to the Labor Government’s $165 million emergency road repair blitz, larger-scale repairs are already underway on a range of roads across the state, with more to come as warmer, drier weather delivers more suitable conditions for major roadworks.

Since mid-October, a team of more than 500 workers has repaired more than 116,000 potholes and delivered emergency repairs to re-open more than 930 roads – both local and state-managed roads.

“Already, crews are making a start on delivering large-scale, long-term repairs, and this data will help to plan for further works, ensuring that the communities hit hardest by these floods remain connected to vital supplies and services,” says Minister for Roads and Road Safety Melissa Horne. 

Click here to learn more about ARRB’s Intelligent Pavement Assessment Vehicle. 

Source: © Copyright State Government of Victoria 2023

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