The ministry of transportation of ontario conducted a comprehensive study on the feasibility of a rout and seal treatment of cracks in flexible pavement as a preventive maintenance procedure. The objectives of this study were to ascertain the cost-effectiveness of this procedure on the basis of the successful treatment of the distress, the resultant extension of pavement service life, and the optimum timing for application to achieve maximum cost benefit. Implemented in 1986 across the province of ontario, the study ensures complete coverage of different climatic and environmental conditions. Monitoring of the treatment performance and pavement conditions has been completed for a period including three winters. From the data, it has been established that (a) certain rout configurations are more effective in different regions in the province, (b) the rout and seal treatment effectively delays or even stops progressive distress deterioration, and (c) the treatment is essential to achieve maximum cost benefit, with the optimum time being from the 3rd to 5th years for initial treatment, and the 8th to 9th years for follow-up treatment. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1268, Highwaymaintenance operations and research 1990.
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