A comprehensive life cycle costs analysis of in-place recycling and conventional pavement construction and maintenance practices

Abstract

Recent studies based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) have highlighted the potential of in-place recycling techniques to enhance the sustainability of agency pavement management decisions for asphalt pavements. However, a solution which an LCA finds environmentally advantageous might not be preferred over another which is technically equivalent, if it is not economically competitive. In this context, it is necessary to evaluate the economic costs of such alternatives taking into account the perspective of the main stakeholders who interact with a pavement system throughout its life cycle. This paper presents a comprehensive pavement life cycle costs (LCC) model that accounts for the different categories of costs incurred by highway agencies and road users in every phase of the pavement life cycle. The results of the application of the pavement LCC model to a specific highway rehabilitation project in the state of Virginia showed that in-place recycling practices are beneficial for both highway agencies and road users.

Keywords:

• Life cycle costs analysis
• highway agency costs
• road user costs
• in-place recycling
• pavement construction and management

Funding

This work was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the Grant [SFRH/BD/79982/2011]; European Regional Developing Funding [CENTRO-07-0224-FEDER-002004]; Transportation Pooled Fund TPF-5(268) National Sustainable Pavement Consortium [TPF-5(268)].

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.