Sustainable Pavement Maintenance Practices (2011)

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

In most cases, the fundamental elements of a com- prehensive environmental sustainability program are part of design and construction activities and could potentially be adjusted for application in pavement preservation and maintenance operations. Table 16 suggests that the relationship between pavement monitoring of maintenance and preservation treat- ments and their direct relationship to environmen- tal sustainability is not currently fully developed. The mantra of the pavement preservation movement is “put the right treatment, on the right road, at the right time” (Galehouse et al. 2003). Overall, a robust pavement in-service monitoring and management system is the foundation upon which the decisions that ultimately impact the environment are made. The conclusion argues that integration of environ- mental sustainability metrics into agency pavement management information systems is necessary to maximize the ultimate environmental sustainabil- ity of the pavement preservation and maintenance program. Summary This chapter summarized the case study findings and how the lessons learned could be leveraged into future research. Overall, the current state of the prac- tice is characterized by a systems approach in that most of the information found was developed for design and construction. This is no criticism of the case study agencies. It is however validation of the conclusions reached from the survey and literature review that most agencies are not connecting envi- ronmental sustainability and pavement preservation and maintenance. Consequently, if the environ- mental sustainability impact factor areas were to be applied to pavement preservation and maintenance treatments, additional detailed guidelines and pro- tocols would need to be developed. Conclusions The synthesis of the eight case studies led to the following conclusions: • The case studies showed that environmental sustainability can be incorporated into pave- ment preservation and maintenance practices. • Environmental sustainability metrics could be developed and integrated into pavement preservation and maintenance treatment programming. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE RESEARCH NEEDS This synthesis has identified and quantified seven environmental sustainability impact factor areas: virgin material usage, alternative material usage, a program for pavement in-service monitoring and management, noise, air quality/emissions, water quality, and energy usage, which are of strate- gic importance to pavement preservation and main- tenance. A survey was conducted to evaluate how environmental sustainability was being incorporated into pavement preservation and maintenance. The results of the survey were coupled with information found in the literature and eight case studies to iden- tify trends, form conclusions, and locate gaps in the body of knowledge that require future research. Conclusions The following conclusions were reached in this study: 1. Environmental sustainability research that is related specifically to post-construction oper- ations is an emerging field. 2. Thin asphalt overlays are the most prevalent treatmentforasphaltandcomposite pavements. 3. Diamond grinding and joint sealing are the most commonly used treatments for concrete pavements. 4. Regrading and regraveling are the most preva- lent treatments for graveled roads, whereas chip seals are the preferred treatment for sur- face-treated roads. 5. Quantification of environmental sustainabil- ity with pavement preservation and mainte- nance programs is not commonly practiced in the United States and Canada. 6. Various construction and design environmen- tal sustainability initiatives are available in the literature. However, an assessment tool to properly quantify environmental sustainability in the pavement preservation and maintenance context is required. 7. The case studies showed that environmental sustainability can be incorporated into pave- ment preservation and maintenance practices. Future Research Needs The following future research needs have been identified in this synthesis to assist practitioners in the 22