Application of ROADLAB PRO Software in Pavement Condition Assessment: Insights from Auchi District Federal Roads, Nigeria

Abstract

Pavement deterioration has become a pressing concern in developing countries, particularly in Nigeria, where inadequate maintenance strategies, poor drainage, and vehicle overloading significantly shorten pavement service life. Conventional visual inspection approaches to road evaluation are subjective and reactive, limiting their usefulness for long-term planning. This study applied ROADLAB PRO, an advanced pavement management software, to assess the condition of three critical federal roads in Auchi District, Edo State: Auchi-Okene-Abuja Expressway, Auchi-Agenebode Road, and Auchi-Igarra-Ibillo Road. Key indicators, including pavement roughness, rut depth, crack density, and Pavement Condition Index (PCI), were evaluated and benchmarked against ASTM D6433 standards. The results show that while most road segments were in “Good” condition, localized weaknesses were evident: Auchi-Agenebode Road recorded 78.4% of sections in “Good” condition, while Auchi-Okene-Abuja Expressway revealed 13.3% “Fair” and 2.8% “Poor” segments, largely due to heavy truck traffic. The Auchi-Igarra-Ibillo Road had the highest proportion of “Poor” condition (5.3%), attributed to weak subgrade soils and insufficient drainage. These findings underscore the potential of ROADLAB PRO to provide reliable, objective, and data-driven insights for evidence-based maintenance planning. The study concludes that integrating ROADLAB PRO into the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency’s (FERMA) pavement management framework would significantly improve resource allocation, reduce life-cycle costs, and enhance road safety. Recommendations include adopting preventive maintenance, enforcing axle-load control, and institutionalizing digital pavement assessment technologies across Nigeria.