Preventive maintenance techniques are considered useful in extending the life of a pavement if applied at the right time. Discussed here is a framework for a process that can be used to select the proper maintenance strategies for different distress types in asphalt pavements, depending on traffic level and environment. Maintenance treatments addressed include only crack seals, fog seals, slurry seals, microsurfacings, chip seals, thin asphalt concrete overlays, and other thin surface treatments. Types of distress considered include roughness, rutting, fatigue cracking, longitudinal cracking, raveling, weathering, and bleeding. Decision trees, based on the authors' experiences, are presented to illustrate the process in selecting appropriate maintenance treatments. A framework for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of the various maintenance treatments is presented. Existing methods for evaluating cost-effectiveness of maintenance are discussed together with their strengths and weaknesses. An example of cost-effectiveness for different maintenance treatments is also briefly presented.
