Developing a Methodology to Quantify User Costs of Pavement Maintenance Types

Abstract: Pavement maintenance is crucial for ensuring the longevity and safety of roadways. While pavement management systems (PMS) effectively allocate limited budgets, they primarily focus on agency costs (construction and operation & maintenance). However, user costs, including emissions, travel time, and vehicle operating expenses, can be significantly influenced by different maintenance treatments. This study aims to develop a comprehensive methodology to quantify these user costs. The proposed methodology will involve: 1) a thorough literature review to identify relevant research, 2) data collection on traffic volume, pavement conditions, maintenance activities, and user characteristics, and 3) the creation of a cost model to estimate various types of user costs. The model will consider different user costs including travel time delay, vehicle operating costs, crash costs, emission costs and health impacts. To demonstrate the methodology's effectiveness, it will be applied to a specific road network. Sensitivity analyses will be conducted to assess how changes in different variables (e.g., traffic volume, maintenance frequency) impact user costs. The findings will provide valuable insights for transportation agencies and policymakers, enabling them to make informed decisions about pavement maintenance strategies that balance the needs of both agencies and users. By quantifying user costs, this research contributes to the development of more sustainable and cost-effective transportation infrastructure.