Research Brief: Influence of Treatment Types on Performance-based Planning

Abstract

U.S. departments of transportation (DOTs) currently face significant budget shortages: According to the ASCE 2017 Infrastructure Report Card, the backlog of repairs for existing highways is $420 billion. To optimize DOT spending and improve pavement network performance, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Act requires transportation agencies to use performance-based planning to develop a strategy for meeting performance targets within a budget constraint using pavement treatments, which mainly include preservation, overlay, and reconstruction (POR). For many DOTs, preservation has had a higher priority due to its low price. However, when compared to overlay and reconstruction, preservation is less durable and offers shorter-term performance. In this study, we explore the influence of different treatment types on pavement network performance and provide insights into performance-based planning.