Pavement damage cost estimation: a synthesis of past research

Abstract

In order to generate the funds needed for preserving highway infrastructure, highway agencies impose various types of fees on road users. For purposes of efficiency and equity, user fees must reflect appropriately the share of pavement damage occasioned by each vehicle class. This paper presents a review of the state of practice of pavement damage cost estimation, identifies the drawbacks in past approaches and makes suggestions for enhancement. The paper explains how past highway pavement damage cost estimation studies were plagued with a number of debilitating limitations, ranging from the lack of appropriate data or unrealistic or impractical assumptions, to inadequate consideration of criteria that influence such costs. The paper demonstrates that, for the equitable and efficient estimation of pavement damage cost, the methodology used should be comprehensive. In other words, it should clearly distinguish between strength-driven and capacity-driven expenditures; make use of relevant historical agency cost and traffic data spanning a sufficient length of time; incorporate realistic highway agency maintenance, rehabilitation, and reconstruction practices; and recognise that pavements in any network are not uniform but rather have different ages, surface types and functional classes. Other desirable features of a pavement damage cost estimation study include the use of an appropriate road use measure, due consideration of all the relevant costs associated with pavement damage and incorporation of the effectiveness of maintenance and rehabilitation treatments.