Development of pavement preservation strategies with pavement ME design software for the state of Rhode Island

The objective of this study was to propose an approach to integrate AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design software into pavement preservation strategies of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation. The use of Pavement ME Design software could assist in the prioritization of mitigation alternatives; this procedure would optimize resources in Rhode Island. Four representative pavement sections on state highways in Rhode Island were selected and then analyzed with the Pavement ME Design software. Weigh-in-motion traffic data also were collected from nine stations in Rhode Island to establish representative state traffic patterns. This information was used as input to Pavement ME Design, and the predicted performance measures (i.e., international roughness index, rutting, longitudinal cracking) were then used to determine when the typical Rhode Island pavement mitigation alternatives [e.g., crack seals; level and overlay; mill and overlay with and without friction course; paver placed elastomeric surface treatment; rubberized chip seals; reconstruction and reclamation; and stress-absorbing membrane interlayer (SAMI)] were triggered. In addition, a cost-based approach and an incremental benefit-cost alternative prioritization method were analyzed to determine the most cost-effective alternatives and the most beneficial alternatives, respectively. On the basis of the analysis, the Pavement ME Design software was found to have potential for use in the enhancement of pavement preservation strategies. Crack seals, rubberized chip seals, and SAMI were found to be the most cost-effective and the most beneficial of all alternatives assessed.