Economic Analysis of Crack Treatment Methods Using HDM-III Modeling

Crack sealing treatment includes the use of a router to create a reservoir on the intended cracks, whereas crack filling is given without any modification to the crack wall. With sealing treatment the pavement can have longer service period because of its good adhesion and cohesion performance. However, the initial cost of sealing is higher due to the use of extra material, equipment and labor. As a result, the aim of this study is to investigate the long-term cost-effectiveness in between these two treatment techniques in Texas and to observe if the longer service period can compensate the higher initial cost of sealing treatment. For this purpose, the initial cost inputs have been identified and a highway design and maintenance standard model (HDM-III) used to evaluate the most cost-effective pavement maintenance between crack sealing and filling treatment over a 25-year analysis period. Agency, capital and net present value have been calculated by using HDM-III based upon average daily traffic (ADT), altitude and road length. The results of this study indicated that (1) crack sealing is more cost-effective pavement maintenance compared to crack filling over a long period of time; (2) agency cost can be reduced by 15% and 14% based on ADT and road length analysis, respectively, by implementing crack sealing treatment; (3) capital cost in terms of ADT and road length with crack sealing maintenance can be saved by 24% and 19%, respectively; (4) the net present value with crack sealing treatment after a 25-year analysis period is higher for ADT and road length compared to crack filling by 18% and 19%, respectively; (5) the cost-effective resealing interval years of 5 years is proposed when the unit cost of routing increased by 25%.