Estimating Optimum Timing for Preventive Maintenance Treatment to Mitigate Pavement Roughness

The evaluation of pavement preservation interventions is the most important component of a pavement management system. A rational methodology is needed to evaluate pavement preservation alternatives to maximize project- and network-level benefits. A lack of adequate guidance on the timing of preventive maintenance treatments was the main motivation for this study. On the basis of different evaluation criteria, several mathematical models to estimate optimum timing (OT) of various maintenance treatments were developed. On the basis of long-term benefits, the Area2T model was found to be a rational and practical tool to estimate OT for various maintenance treatments by adjusting the model's parameters. The sensitivity and practical use of the models are demonstrated in the paper. Although the modeling approach uses the existing understanding, the model can be used to estimate OT of a fix on the basis of the pretreatment pavement performance, jump in pavement condition just after treatment, and expected rate of deterioration after treatment application. The required data for the model can be obtained for various treatments from the existing historical performance data collected for pavement management purposes. The model can be calibrated to local needs by matching actual practice and calculated OT for different fix types.