Improvement Recommendations for Unsealed Gravel Roads

Abstract

of the most appropriate timing of a maintenance treatment to maximize life extension or benefit.The existing literature shows a variety of project evaluation methods based on three main economic attributes-cost, benefits, and a combination of the two. In a typical project evaluation approach, alternatives capable of accomplishing the required function are analyzed, and the one associated with the least long-term cost is often selected (1, 2). The cost-only approaches assume that all alternatives provide similar levels of service and the preferred option is one that minimizes costs (2). However, if the evaluation factors can be articulated in monetary terms, the engineering economics has been used to select the alternative satisfying the need for the lowest construction and maintenance costs over time (1)(2)(3)(4). Approaches involving benefits have been used only for evaluating capital investment projects involving a single large investment associated with significant uncertainty, in which alternatives have similar costs (5). These types of evaluation approaches have been applied to most pavement preservation and maintenance alternatives because they are often more economical and take a relatively shorter period for completion. Finally, a combination of cost and benefit approaches is also recommended to evaluate pavement investments as benefits accrue to the users and costs are incurred to provide those benefits. However, such evaluation is possible only when benefits and costs could be quantified in monetary terms (2). Life-cycle cost analysis is one of the most powerful tools available for evaluating the cost-effectiveness of maintenance activities (1).The effectiveness of preservation treatments is an integral part of all evaluation processes. Generally, the effectiveness, for benefits only, can be measured in the short and long term by using the attributes determined from the observed pavement performance with and without preservation treatments. To evaluate short-term effectiveness, two measures have been reported: (a) performance jump (J ) and (b) deterioration rate reduction (DRR) (4, 6). J represents the change in performance just after the fix and can be measured in the units of the performance measure [e.g., m/km for international roughness index (IRI) or mm for rutting]. However, DRR is determined as the difference in the slope between before-and after-treatment curves and has rate of change units for the specific distress (e.g., change in IRI per year). The magnitude of DRR is influenced by the pretreatment pavement condition and treatment type (7). The long-term effectiveness of preservation treatments can be evaluated by using (a) treatment service life, (b) increase in average pavement condition, and (c) area bounded by treatment performance curve (4). Treatment service life is determined from the treatment performance curve by extrapolating the curve to the point at which the treated pavement reverts to an The evaluation of pavement preservation interventions is the most important component of a p...

Developing an Optimization Tool for Selecting Gravel Roads Maintenance Strategies using a Genetic Algorithm

“…WYT2/LTAP algorithm for selecting the best maintenance practice ( 11 ). Note: Wyoming Technology Transfer Center = WYT2/LTAP.…”

“…Researchers have been mainly concerned about setting general rules or guidelines for managing gravel roads with minimum effort. This has resulted in a general lack of GRMSs that are suitable for small local agencies ( 4 – 11 ). Additionally, researchers’ efforts were more directed towards solving specific issues related to managing gravel roads within the jurisdiction of a particular agency ( 4 ).…”

“…As a result, WY2/LTAP conducted a pilot study to set the main rules for building a GRMS in Wyoming. In addition to addressing the inadequacy of the currently available GRMS, this pilot study resulted in many recommendations, guidelines, and some practical methodologies for maintaining gravel roads in Wyoming ( 1, 4, 11, 14–16 ). The outcomes of this pilot study and other efforts by WYT2/LTAP are gathered in this research study to formulate the optimization model and develop the tool.…”

Estimation of Gravel Roads Ride Quality Through an Android-Based Smartphone

“…Collecting feasible gravel road condition data is considered one of the main challenges of building any GRMS ( 4 ). Gravel roads are very dynamic and their conditions vary quickly based on different traffic and weather conditions ( 2, 4–7 ). This leaves any plans for scheduled condition monitoring without any significant value ( 7 ).…”