Comparison of Treatment Timing between Aggregate Base and Full-Depth Asphalt Roads

Abstract

Aggregate base-course (ABC) pavements and full-depth asphalt (FDA) pavements are the two most commonly used types of asphalt pavements. During pavement design and pavement management, engineers need to know the expected performance of the two types of pavements. To this end, this paper compares the performance of ABC and FDA pavements in North Carolina. Pavement condition data for 34 ABC sections and 17 FDA pavement sections were obtained from the Pavement Management System database at the North Carolina Department of Transportation and used for analysis. An index parameter is developed that accounts for the effects of pavement structure, asphalt thickness, and traffic volume and is correlated to the appropriate time to apply maintenance and rehabilitation treatments. Life cycle cost analysis examples, with adjustments based on the developed treatment time prediction model results, also are presented. Although the prediction model is developed based on pavement conditions in North Carolina, the same method and philosophy can be applied in other states.