Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of four pavement treatments: Fid-Bau Portal

Evaluating the cost-effectiveness of four pavement treatments

Swedberg, Jamie / Bygness, Ron / Sprague, Joel

A study evaluating the cost-effectiveness of using paving fabrics in roadway maintenance projects is getting a new look. This exhaustive study compared the cost-effectiveness and performance of four road-maintenance treatments: (i) in-place, cold mill recycling and an overlay, (ii) patching, followed by paving fabric and an overlay, (iii) paving fabric and an overlay and (iv) overlay only. The road condition rating allowed the study to take into account the condition of the pavement at the time that the maintenance work is done. Common sense suggests that different treatments rare best under different conditions and this study confirmed that supposition. In the past, some transportation departments and local contractors have chosen not to use paving fabrics, viewing them as an unnecessary and extra cost. The results of this study show that including a paving fabric interlayer is always at least cost-competitive with other repair strategies. And in the most common scenario, where the road is at or near its terminal serviceability, the use of a paving fabric is clearly the most economical solution. While previous studies have shown that nonwoven paving fabrics extend the life of asphalt overlays of up to 10 years, none have quantified that the maximum benefit is achieved within a specific pavement condition type. This is extremely helpful to pavement maintenance engineers around the country as they develop the most cost-effective solutions to repair their roadway systems. These conclusions will be highly useful to maintenance professionals as they plan their road repair strategies. The study presented clear evidence of what many have known all along: Paving fabric is a smart economic choice. The full study may be found on the Geosynthetic Materials Association's Web site: www.gmanow.com.