Paving Management Overview
The objective of Paving Management in Norwell is to bring all roads up to present and future standards at minimum expense.
Prioritizing and budgeting the remediation of substandard roads, in combination with proactive maintenance of good roads is the most cost effective long-term strategy.
The three types of Paving Management treatments, from lowest to highest cost, are Routine, Preventive, and Rehabilitation.
The primary benefit of Pavement Management is best deomstrated by typical pavement deterioration curves showing the life cycle of pavement and its gradual deterioration over time. PCI is the Pavement Condition Index. As shown in this diagram, pavement deterioration over time is not linear, but curved.
Pavement degrades at a slow rate initially after it is installed. But as time goes on, without pavement maintenance, degradation becomes more rapid until reaching complete failure, at which time only costly full depth reclamation or reconstruction would remedy the failed pavement.
Routine Paving Management
Routine pavement management, the most cost effective, occurs regularly over time so as to maintain road safety and traveling conditions. Infrared and cold patch are routinely performed to compensate for ordinary wear and tear.
Preventive Paving Management
Preventive pavement management, aims to reduce, postpone or eliminate more costly repairs in the future. The fog seal and crack sealing techniques are often applied over larger areas to extend the road's life expectancy and reduce frequency of routine maintenance.
Rehabilitation Paving Management
Rehabilitation is necessary when severe conditions or circumstances have made roads impassable. Installation of water lines, gas lines or drainage systems necessarily disrupt transportation, making road rehabilitation necessary. The degree of rehabilitation is determined by road conditions prior to the disruption, and the extent to which the road must be improved to sustain future traffic requirements. These methods, from lowest to highest costs per linear foot, are
- Microsurfacing (M),
- Leveling & Microsurfacing (LM I, LM II),
- Mill & Overlay (MO), and
- Full-Depth Reclamation (FDR).