This paper presents a summary of an effort to develop a simplified pavement maintenance cost model for the Roads and Bridges Authority (RBA) of Egypt. The model was based primarily on modelling maintenance costs as a function of pavement condition. The study site included the highway network of the East-Delta district as well as several individual highways in the Delta region. The data collected for this study included information on pavement condition in terms of distress type and class. Pavement condition data were obtained from a previous large-scale study conducted in Egypt. Maintenance practices and unit costs were obtained from RBA's files, as well as from extensive interviews with experts from highway construction companies. The results indicated a significant sensitivity of maintenance costs to pavement condition at a certain condition range. It was determined that substantial savings in maintenance costs can be obtained by keeping pavement condition from reaching this condition range or at least by prolonging the period before this range is reached. In addition, it was recommended that the presence of such maintenance cost models can draw the attention of top management, particularly in developing countries, to the importance of the systematic monitoring of pavement condition as well as to the fact that maintenance budget allocation should not always follow the rule of "the worst is first.".
Samenvatting