Cost-Effectiveness Analyses of Maintenance Treatments for Low- and Moderate-Traffic Asphalt Pavements in Tennessee

Abstract

The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of resurfacing maintenance treatments applied to low- and moderate-traffic asphalt pavements in Tennessee were evaluated based on the pavement condition data and costs of identified maintenance projects by single and multiple regression models. The investigated treatments include thin hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlay, mill and fill, and microsurfacing. Survey results indicated that treatment service life slightly decreased as the traffic volume increased and the service life of thin HMA overlay, mill and fill, and microsurfacing are 11, 10, and 8.5 years, respectively. Linear models were established for both pretreatment and posttreatment pavement performance trends. The treatment effectiveness was calculated as the area bounded by the pretreatment and posttreatment performance curves, the lower performance threshold, and the treatment service life. It was found that traffic level and pretreatment pavement condition are significant for the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of treatments. The effectiveness and cost-effectiveness decrease with an increase in traffic level and pretreatment pavement condition. The analyses indicated that thin HMA overlay had the highest effectiveness, followed by mill and fill, and microsurfacing; microsurfacing was the most cost-effective treatment due to its low cost.