Local Urban Transit Bus Impact on Pavements

Bus transit systems provide a valuable service to many residents living within urban areas. Like other vehicles, buses depend on paved streets and roads for a smooth ride. The pavement wear due to truck traffic has been monitored and researched for many years. The effects of urban transit buses on pavements owned and maintained by local governments are examined from the following three perspectives: (1) Pavement design; (2) pavement condition data analysis; and (3) visual observations. Each of the three perspectives suggests that significant pavement damage is caused by transit bus traffic. Another analysis probed pavements' damage if buses had a third axle. There are a number of significant conclusions offered which include the following: (1) Fully loaded transit buses exceed the California legal axle limit; (2) the construction cost to accommodate transit buses is approximately 5% for arterials and 58% for collectors; (3) the addition of a third axle will reduce the pavement damage by approximately three times; and (4) another approach to reduce pavement damage would be to use lighter-weight materials in the manufacturing of transit buses.