Twofold Appraisal of Pavement Maintenance Technologies

Abstract

Pavement is an essential component of the road and as such, its proper maintenance is a crucial issue for road managers, constructors and users. In the context of pavement maintenance, several technologies are used in common international practice. These applications are often proven either insufficient in terms of distress treatment adequacy or difficult to be applied due to insufficient resources (financial, labor, equipment etc.). Especially in the context of modern infrastructure management, a question arises: Which is the top-notch maintenance technology? This research evaluates these techniques using criteria proposed by a recently published study and conducting a twofold appraisal in engineering and economic terms by applying the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. As resulted, in engineering terms, the optimal maintenance technique is the thin hot mix asphalt (HMA) overlay whilst in economic terms, microsurfacing is proven to be of the lowest cost. If the case is equally weighted engineering and economic importance, the overall optimal maintenance technique stands for the thin HMA overlay. The fruitful findings indicate that the decision for the option to be finally implemented is a complicated task depending on engineering and financial factors. The twofold appraisal proposed, serves as a tool for road authorities and constructors to decide for the best, in each case, option. © 2022. School of Science, IHU. All rights reserved.