Cost-Benefit Highway Pavement Maintenance

Abstract

Many methods used in highway maintenance plans are complex, and agencies often exclude components related to user costs in the work zone (such as vehicle operating costs, delay costs, and crash costs) when making project improvement decisions. Highway users are taxpayers, and considering the user costs in project rehabilitation, resurfacing, and reconstruction provides the greatest return on project tax dollars spent. A simple five-step procedure that includes user work zone costs in the selection of highway maintenance projects has been developed and applied to the city of Gainesville, Florida, roadway improvement network projects: (1) collect distress data, (2) prepare inventory forms for the roadway networks, (3) prepare a maintenance cost plan, (4) prepare priority rankings for project improvements, and (5) select and implement project rehabilitation on the basis of priority ranking. These five steps assist highway agencies (public works officials and highway engineers) in simplifying maintenance programs in light of limited funding and help agencies choose priorities for highway maintenance funding for projects.