Network‐level optimization of pavement maintenance renewal strategies

Infrastructure systems in the US are in urgent need of maintenance and rehabilitation. According to the most recent factsheet published by the American Society of Civil Engineers, one of the top five infrastructure concerns of today in the US is the transportation system. The major challenge facing maintenance managers in state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) today is to preserve the road networks at an acceptable level of serviceability subject to the stringent yearly maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) budgets. Maintenance managers must allocate such limited budgets among competing alternatives. Absence of simpler decision‐making tools exacerbates the matter. This paper presents the development and implementation of a simpler, yet useful, network‐level pavement maintenance optimization model, which is a Linear Program (LP) subject to budget constraints and the agencies’ pavement performance goals in terms of total lane‐miles in each pavement condition state. A decision‐making tool is developed using Frontline Systems’ Risk Solver Platform add‐in for Microsoft Office Excel. This decision‐making tool can compute the optimal amount of investment for each pavement treatment type in a given funding period. Pavement condition data pertaining to one of the Districts within a state DOT is used to test the model presented herein. Within this context, nine treatment types along with their corresponding unit prices ($/Lane‐Mile), five pavement condition states, pavement deterioration rates, network‐level pavement performance targets, and available annual maintenance budget for a 15‐year planning horizon are defined. The results presented show how an annual highway maintenance budget needs to be allocated or determined to achieve the District’s value proposition for various scenarios. Comparing the results of these varying scenarios provides insight on long‐term strategies and the impact of target constraints on budget expenditures.