This paper was presented at the `Strategic R&D investments for sustainable transportation' session. Strategic investment on rehabilitation of freeways for sustaining the desired level of service requires a careful assessment of all costs and benefits of the potential treatment alternatives. Some agencies use simplified life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) to determine the relative cost advantages of alternative treatments because of the lack of reliable information on the user costs. This approach may not be suitable for freeways where the cost associated with traffic congestion during construction and the vehicle operating cost over the analysis period may have a significant impact on the overall life-cycle cost of the project. This paper presents the impacts of vehicle operating cost (VOC) and user delay cost (UDC) on the outcome of a LCCA study. This study was conducted by the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario (MTO) on one of the stretches of Highway 401-rehabilitation project as part of the research effort to determine the preferred alternative approach toward pavement rehabilitation treatment. In 1997, after recognizing the need for surface improvements, a rehabilitation design strategy was proposed based on a comprehensive field evaluation study. The study recommended the use of asphaltic concrete overlay with an open friction course (OFC) or a dense friction course (DFC) after repairing the deficiencies and restoring the structural integrity of the existing joint reinforced concrete pavement (JRCP). (A)
Abstract