Selecting Preventive Maintenance Treatments in Texas: Using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution for Specific Pavement Study-3 Sites

Abstract

Although the cost-effectiveness of preventive maintenance (PM) treatments for pavement is important, literature addressing this issue is limited. Even under the well-controlled FHWA long-term pavement performance (LTPP) study, incomplete data and sections exist. Criteria for selecting PM treatments often conflict and have to be compromised. The multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) method is one of numerous approaches available for resolving variations of results. The technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), an MCDM method, was used to analyze successfully all 14 specific pavement study (SPS)-3 sites in Texas. The distress score (DS), international roughness index (IRI), and treatment costs were used as criteria to determine the cost-effectiveness of various PM treatments (thin overlay, slurry seal, crack seal, and chip seal). With TOPSIS, the cost-effectiveness of these treatments can be quantified, with variations caused by subjective judgment thus minimized. When all ...