ABSTRACT
Pavement preservation is a cost-effective and environmentally sustainable strategy for extending pavement service life, while minimizing the use of resources. Effectiveness of preservation depends on several factors, including existing pavement condition, preservation schedule, and timing of treatment application. Most of the current studies focus on the cost benefits of a single pavement preservation treatment using life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) tools. In this study, preservation and maintenance schedules with a sequence of treatments applied at various times are designed considering the environmental impacts and energy consumption using life-cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. A user-friendly LCA tool was developed specifically for preservation of asphalt and concrete surfaced pavements by the Illinois Center for Transportation (ICT) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). The inventory analysis and data compiled were consistent with the ISO 14044:2006 standards. The system boundary of the LCA employed in the tool includes maintenance and use stages. Work zone is included within the construction process. The tool uses pay-items for each preservation treatment to calculate materials and construction impacts in the maintenance stage. The use-stage impact was calculated considering pavement related rolling resistance and radiative forcing. A summary of the tool development is presented along with two case studies to evaluate significance of evaluating use stage in preservation LCA as well as the importance of designing a preservation schedule as compared to a single preservation treatment.
