COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF EVALUATION CRITERIA FOR UNPAVED RURAL ROADS: A CASE STUDY

This study focused on the evaluation of the condition of the unpaved rural road: Sauces Norte-Imbana in the province of Loja, using two main indicators: Unsurfaced Road Condition Index (URCI) and the International Roughness Index (IRI). The IRI was measured using three different devices: MERLIN, Roughometer III, and a mobile application. The collected data were statistically analyzed to determine their distribution and the correlation between the variables. The results revealed a weak correlation between these variables, indicating that each methodology may be assessing different aspects of the road condition or due to the particular conditions of the road. The lack of a strong relationship may be related to the specific characteristics of the studied road, such as its sinuosity and the influence of environmental conditions on roughness measurements. This study underscores the importance of considering a variety of factors when evaluating the condition of unpaved roads and the need to develop and apply suitable evaluation techniques for the specific conditions of each road.