A method has been developed for estimating the cost of pavement strengthening (cops). the method is based on analysis of measurements obtained from a deflectograph survey on a multi-lane carriageway. Treatment lengths are identified from the deflection measurements and for each length minimum strengthening costs are calculated. Strengthening ranges from a thick overlay through overlays of varying thickness combined with local reconstruction to total reconstruction. The costs of traffic delay at roadworks are not included in cops but their effect on treatment selection is discussed. Future costs are allowed for in the analysis by considering the performance of the strengthened pavement and the cost of subsequent treatments. The use of cops is illustrated by application to a deflectograph survey from a three lane motorway. Calculated treatment costs show that financial savings could be achieved in comparison with current strengthening practice. Cops is a simplified analysis of strengthening costs and does not take into account all the factors that influence the normal process of formulating a treatment plan. To overcome this limitation cops shows the cost of a range of alternative treatment plans from which the best may be selected. (Author/publisher)
Abstract