For a portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement, it is important to achieve both a high level of smoothness during construction as well as a satisfactory long-term performance. It is not acceptable to construct a pavement with a high initial smoothness that will give poor long-term performance. Smoothness measurements for construction acceptance are usually performed shortly after paving is completed, using either a profilograph or a lightweight inertial profiler. However, it is unclear whether the smoothness of a pavement measured immediately after it is paved truly reflects the initial smoothness of the pavement because the smoothness can undergo changes over the short term (e.g., within 3 months) due to curling or warping effects. In other words, a pavement can have a very high smoothness immediately after construction, followed by a decrease in smoothness over a short time period because of changes in slab shape that occur with curling and warping. This research project was performed to:

• Assess whether high initial smoothness translates into better long-term performance.
• Identify design features and material properties in PCC pavements that can cause an initially smooth pavement to exhibit detrimental long-term performance.
• Provide guidance on adjustments that can be made to materials properties, design features, and construction procedures in order to avoid these detrimental effects.
• Investigate early age changes in smoothness of PCC pavements.
• Provide recommendations and guidelines regarding smoothness testing.