Pavement Preservation
A pavement preservation program consists primarily of three components: preventive maintenance, minor rehabilitation (non-structural), and some routine maintenance activities as seen in the chart below.
Pavement preservation is a combination of different strategies which, when taken together, achieve a single goal: a proactive approach to extending maintenance dollars and reducing user delay costs. For further information, please visit the Federal Highway Administration's Preservation web site.
Why Preventative Maintenance?
Preventive maintenance is a powerful tool for improving pavement condition and significantly prolonging the life of the pavement within existing budgetary constraints. Preventive maintenance extends the service life by applying cost-effective treatments to the surface or near-surface of structurally sound pavements.
The reasons for performing the various treatments range from minimizing the intrusion of water into the pavement, in the case of crack sealing, to eliminating raveling, retarding oxidation, improving surface friction, and reducing water penetration through chip seal applications. Pavement preservation provides greater value to the roadway system, improves safety, enhances mobility, and provides a higher level of satisfaction of roadway users.
The Maintenance Curve
As shown in the graphic below, the right treatment - at the right time - on the right pavement - is critical to a pavement's performance and its life cycle costs.
For further information on preventive maintenance, please visit the following Federal Highway Administration links:
7475 Montgomery Drive Plain City, Ohio 43064 Phone 614.873.2191 Fax 614.873.5850
