Development of a Decision-Making Tool to Select Optimum Preventive Maintenance Treatments in a Hot and Humid Climate

Abstract

Preventive maintenance treatments are widely used throughout the United States to extend pavement service life (PSL), and therefore, defer costly rehabilitation activities. However, optimizing the use of these treatments faces several key challenges. First, the benefits resulting from these treatments are not well-defined. Second, there is considerable debate over the optimal timing of these treatments. Third, concerns exist that these treatments may be responsible for moisture damage if the surrounding moisture conditions are not adequately considered before installation. Although significant research has been conducted to address these challenges, few efforts have been directed toward technology transfer and implementation of the research findings. Therefore, the objective of this study was to combine the results of a comprehensive research study addressing these challenges into an enhanced decision-making tool that can be used to select the best maintenance treatment to be applied to an existing asphalt concrete (AC) overlay based on the project conditions. For a given project, this tool will predict the most cost-effective maintenance treatment (crack sealing, chip seal, microsurfacing, or do nothing) to address existing surface distresses without causing moisture damage. The tool will also provide the optimal timing of installation of the recommended treatment. To ensure that the developed tool is practical and simple to use, it was developed using macros in Microsoft Excel. The developed tool is implementation-ready and should be utilized by the relevant Department of Transportation to maximize the benefits from pavement maintenance activities.