Optimal Pavement Design and Maintenance Strategy for Developing Countries: An Analysis using HDM-4

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between optimal pavement design and maintenance strategy and the level of economic development (LED), using HDM-4. The LED affects the trade-off relationships between initial design and subsequent maintenance, and between road-user costs and agency costs. It was found that pavement strategy should be more economical in developing countries, both for the initial design and the subsequent maintenance. The extent to which pavement should be designed to be sturdier, in order to counteract the insufficient maintenance practices which are so prevalent in developing countries, was also quantified. Based on these results, a formula was derived that predicts the optimal pavement strength as a function of axle loading, LED and level of maintenance insufficiency. The pavement strengths predicted by the formula and determined by applying standard pavement design guidelines were compared, and HDM-4 was judged to be an appropriate design tool for pavements, if properly calibrated.