EfficientNet-B0 leads ResNet50 in six-class pavement crack image classification

A transfer-learning framework using EfficientNet-B0 classified six pavement-surface categories with 89.8% accuracy in the study’s evaluation, outperforming ResNet50, which achieved 73.3%. The researchers applied the two models to real-world pavement images collected through the Multifunctional Pavement Assessment System, or SMAC. The six classes were longitudinal, transverse, alligator, branched and random cracks, plus pavement surfaces without cracks. The study concerns image classification and a derived road-condition assessment; it did not test whether the system improves road safety, reduces maintenance costs or extends pavement life.

The original research article, appearing in Frontiers in Signal Processing, presents the framework as an automated way to analyze pavement images for condition assessment and maintenance planning. The authors identify manual visual inspection as time-consuming, costly and subjective, while also noting that it can be difficult to apply across large road networks. Their system was designed to go beyond a simple crack-versus-no-crack distinction by assigning pavement imagery to six specific categories. This scope matters when interpreting the results: the reported performance concerns how well the models classified the selected image dataset, not how accurately they would assess every road under different environmental, material or camera conditions.

Methodologically, the study used transfer learning with EfficientNet-B0 and ResNet50. To address variation in pavement appearance and imbalance among the six classes, the training process included data augmentation and weighted cross-entropy loss. The researchers organized the data into training, validation and testing sets and evaluated the models using accuracy, precision, recall, F1-score and confusion-matrix analysis. EfficientNet-B0 performed best overall, with an accuracy of 89.8%, compared with 73.3% for ResNet50. Its class-level F1-scores were 0.92 for alligator cracks, 0.92 for longitudinal cracks, 0.93 for transverse cracks and 1.00 for non-cracked pavement surfaces. The supplied study abstract does not report corresponding F1-scores for branched cracks, random cracks or every other performance metric, so the full class-by-class pattern cannot be characterized from the available evidence.

The researchers also derived a Road Condition Index, or RCI, from the distribution of predicted crack categories. In their application, the index differentiated levels of pavement degradation, ranging from routine monitoring to urgent rehabilitation, and was used to support maintenance prioritization across multiple condition categories. The RCI therefore converted model classifications into an ordered assessment intended to assist decision-making. Because the index is derived from predicted categories rather than reported as a direct measurement of pavement strength, service life or repair performance, the study supports its use as a classification-based decision-support output. The reported results show that EfficientNet-B0 outperformed the tested ResNet50 configuration on the selected pavement-image data and that the proposed RCI distinguished condition categories. They do not establish that the framework is already deployed, that its classifications are universally reliable, or that prioritizing roads in this way produces measurable safety or infrastructure outcomes.

Subject of Research: Deep-learning classification of pavement cracks and model-based road-condition assessment using SMAC pavement images.

Article Title: Deep learning–based pavement crack classification and road condition assessment for intelligent transportation infrastructure

Article References: Chouiekh, C., Hammouch, W., Yahyaouy, A., & Sabri, M. A. (2026). Deep learning–based pavement crack classification and road condition assessment for intelligent transportation infrastructure. Frontiers in Signal Processing, 6, 1901600. https://doi.org/10.3389/frsip.2026.1901600

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.3389/frsip.2026.1901600

Keywords: pavement crack classification, EfficientNet-B0, ResNet50, transfer learning, road condition index, pavement monitoring, image classification, maintenance prioritization, SMAC, Deep, learning, based