Abstract

The road network system serves as an important piece of national infrastructure that supports social, economic, and cultural activities. As Taiwan’s road network has become largely complete, the focus of development has shifted from construction to maintenance and performance management. However, extreme weather events driven by climate change, along with higher traffic volumes resulting from social and industrial growth, have accelerated pavement deterioration. As a result, road agencies are commonly confronted with public complaints about uneven surfaces, potholes, and other issues that directly affect driving comfort-problems often rooted in surface distress, structural deformation, and related deterioration mechanisms. To address these issues, Taiwan has progressively adopted various inspection approaches-such as IRI (International Roughness Index) measurements, automated pavement imaging, FWD (Falling Weight Deflectometer) testing, and GPR (Ground-Penetrating Radar) surveys-to improve the efficiency and accuracy of road performance evaluation. Experiences from recent research and project applications demonstrate advancements in inspection efficiency and the value of collected data. However, challenges remain, including integrating varied datasets, inconsistencies in inspection standards across agencies, and limitations in applying certain technologies to dense urban environments. Consequently, strengthening the ability to promptly assess pavement conditions and combining advanced inspection technologies with effective data analysis has become essential for providing reliable evidence to support maintenance strategies, and has become a key issue in pavement management.