Long-Term Network Performance: Function of Pavement Management System Maintenance Selection Policy

Most road agencies operate under a scenario in which the maintenance need exceeds the available maintenance funds. In this environment pavement managers are forced to select maintenance and rehabilitation actions on the basis of a defined methodology. This is typically done through a ranking process or through modern optimization routines. In the ranking process the maintenance priority of a road is determined on the basis of the importance and condition of the road. Projects with a high priority rating are carried out first, and projects are then carried out until the available funds are depleted. The more sophisticated pavement management systems use optimization routines that allow for interproject trade-offs when generating a maintenance plan. The importance of the choice of maintenance selection methodology for the long-term network condition is described. Data from an actual road network were used and were subjected to various ranking and optimization functions. This included policies such as fix worst first, use priority index, maximize asset value, minimize transportation costs, and the traditional maximization of area under a condition curve approach. The outcome was evaluated in terms of network condition, network asset value, overall transportation costs, and road user cost. It is shown that the maintenance policy should be compatible with agencies’ long-term maintenance objectives.