Simulation-Based Methodology for Developing Performance-Related Specifications for Pavement Preservation Treatments

Current materials and construction specifications for pavement preservation treatments are predominantly prescriptive and rarely correlate the initial quality of the treatment to its future performance. As a result, it is difficult for highway agencies to account for the performance lost or gained due to differences between the as-designed treatment and as-constructed treatment. Also, these specifications may not incentivize contractors to focus on factors that affect the treatment’s long-term performance. To account for these limitations, this paper provides a simulation-based performance-related specification (PRS) methodology for pavement preservation treatments, with application to thin hot-mix asphalt (HMA) overlays. Through performance prediction models and lifecycle cost analysis, this methodology determines pay factors based on the probability distributions of the total lifecycle costs of the as-designed and as-constructed treatments and the unit bid price. The developed PRS methodology was applied to four Long-Term Pavement Performance sections in Texas, Idaho, Florida, and New Jersey that received thin HMA overlay treatments. These case studies demonstrated the applicability of the developed methodology and provided insights into the relationships between the initial quality of thin HMA overlays and expected pay factors.