Framework to estimate the Benefit–Cost Ratio of establishing minimum pavement friction levels for roadway networks.

Low values of pavement friction increase crash rates. Some agencies such as FHWA and AASHTO have provided guidelines for the management of pavement friction, including the definition of minimum friction thresholds for roadway networks. Additionally, FHWA lists the Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) as one of the methodologies that can assist decision makers in the definition of these thresholds. However, there are limited studies that quantified the BCR of establishing minimum friction thresholds. The objective of this paper is to fill this research gap by providing a methodology to quantify the BCR of establishing minimum friction thresholds for roadway networks. Benefits are estimated in terms of the monetary value of crash reductions. Costs are estimated by considering: a) the cost for treating pavement sections, b) the monetary value of travel time delays, and c) the monetary value of road safety risks associated with work zones. The proposed framework was applied to a roadway network of 993 highway sections in Texas. The analysis was performed for Interstate Highways, Urban Freeways, and Arterials and Collectors. The proposed methodology can provide transportation agencies with an analytical tool to effectively estimate the BCR of maintenance policies intended to establish a minimum SN for a roadway network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]