Assessing the Life-Cycle Costs of Pavement Rehabilitation Strategies Used in Long-Term Pavement Performance Program

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the life-cycle costs of asphalt pavement rehabilitation strategies using the Long-Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program. For this study, 649 pavement sections and their respective rehabilitations were analyzed from the LTPP Specific Pavement Studies 3 (SPS-3) and 5 (SPS-5). The life-cycle costs of each pavement section was determined using a retrospective life-cycle cost analysis process. The retrospective life-cycle cost analysis was developed based on equivalent uniform annual cost (EUAC) with a nominal discounting procedure, which separated the inflation and discounting portion of the life-cycle cost analysis. The life-cycle costs of each pavement rehabilitation were then compared based on climatic zone and traffic conditions. The results of the study showed that preventative maintenance treatments had lower life-cycle costs compared to structural asphalt concrete (AC) overlays. The average EUAC of preventative maintenance treatments were between $740 and $2,105 per lane kilometer; whereas, the EUAC of structural AC overlays were between $1,774 and $3,542 per lane kilometer. Specifically, chip seal, slurry seal, and crack seal yielded the lowest EUAC for all climatic and traffic conditions. Climatic zone impacted the EUAC of structural overlay rehabilitations with dry regions have higher EUAC for AC overlays and mill and overlays compared to wet regions. Finally, interaction charts were developed in an effort to aid in the selection process of pavement rehabilitations. This study provides an overall life-cycle cost assessment for various asphalt pavement rehabilitation techniques and provides a rehabilitation selection strategy for practitioners.