Life-Cycle Cost Comparison of Asphalt and Concrete Pavements on Low-Volume Roads; Case Study Comparisons

Abstract

The costs of pavement construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation are primary factors considered by most local agencies in the selection of pavement type [hot-mix asphalt concrete (HMAC) or portland cement concrete (PCC)] for new construction. The optimal use of agency funds for any given project can be determined only through an economic analysis of all associated agency costs and the performance of the pavement. Life-cycle cost analyses were performed on HMAC and PCC highway pavements in Olmsted and Waseca Counties, Minnesota. The Means Heavy Construction Historical Cost Index and the Minnesota Department of Transportation Surfacing Indices were used to convert all expenditures over time into equivalent constant-dollar values. Direct comparisons were made on roadway sections with similar traffic volumes, ages, and environmental conditions. For Olmsted County, the favored pavement type depended somewhat on the cost index values that were used in the analysis; however, index selection had no effect on the outcome for the Waseca County comparisons. When the results were normalized for traffic volumes (i.e., cost per lane mile per million vehicles carried), PCC pavements were clearly more cost-effective in all Olmsted County cases and all but one Waseca County case, regardless of the cost index value used. PCC pavements generally incurred significantly lower maintenance and rehabilitation costs than HMAC roadways in both counties.