Overview of Skid Resistance on Ohio Pavements

Results of an overview of about 30,000 skid numbers from state highway pavements throughout Ohio are described. Traffic volumes and aggregate types are strongly associated with mean skid numbers within a county. County mean skid numbers vary widely in the state, but are correlated with physiographic types. Skid number variations within each of 12 Ohio Department of Transportation administrative districts can be modeled by suitably selecting the parameters of a beta distribution. Limited data are available as corroboration, but they indicate that the distribution of skid numbers within a district is largely invariant with time, apparently a steady‐state condition associated with two complementary stochastic processes: Deterioration of skid numbers under traffic and weather conditions and improvements due to maintenance and reconstruction. The equalization of mean skid numbers among districts is cited as a desirable policy goal; and a program of research aimed at the implementation of that goal and based on the results of the present study is briefly outlined.