Pavement Preservation Process at the Maryland State Highway Administration

The need for pavement preservation is widely recognized by transportation agencies. Over the past few years, the Maryland State Highway Administration (MDSHA) has made significant advancements in developing guidelines for pavement preservation in Maryland. The Pavement and Geotechnical Division (PAGD) within MDSHA has developed a pavement preservation guide that will assist in determining the "right fix for the right road at the right time" when used in conjunction with network-level and project-specific data. This guide was developed based on review of state-of-the-practice literature pertaining to pavement preservation, past experiences and the resource base of MDSHA pavement engineers. Step-by-step instructions on determining treatment options were developed through the use of flow charts, decision trees and treatment tables. At the end of the step-by-step process, there will be many viable treatment options available for consideration. In addition, various treatment options are also defined, along with information regarding treatment cost, advantages, disadvantages and other items. These options, along with the use of good judgment, common sense and research of current best practices help facilitate good decision-making. The ultimate selection of a preservation strategy by the District is based on the most cost-effective engineering design considering cost, practicality of construction, and benefit in terms of life extension. This paper presents an overview of the guide as of December 2014. Updates are made to this guide as new paving technologies emerge, and as feedback about performance of treatments is available. Efforts are also underway to integrate this guide into the pavement management optimization analysis.