Low-Cost Pavement Management System for Developing Countries

Governments face numerous challenges in sustaining road network conditions. This is attributed to road authorities’ shortages of financial and physical infrastructure. As a result, low-cost automated solutions are being pursued to solve these problems and provide people with appropriate road conditions. Several attempts have been made to improve these technologies and incorporate them into a Pavement Management System (PMS) but limited attempts are made for developing countries. This study aimed to design a low-cost pavement management system for flexible pavement maintenance. A detailed literature review has been carried out, followed by a qualitative assessment of the various indicators considered for PMS. The priority ranks of the PMS indicators were made using an Analytical Network Process (ANP) and each rank was validated by a sensitivity assessment test using the Super Decision-Making tool. This paper also provides the conceptual framework for the low-cost PMS, followed by a fishbone diagram of the indicators and sub-indicators. It is concluded that an emergency maintenance plan with an ANP weight of (0.41) is one of the most significant plans for a low-cost PMS, followed by a routine with an ANP weight of (0.39) and periodic maintenance plans with a (0.20) ANP weight. Moreover, the functional indicators with an ANP weight of (0.32) are the most significant indicators for a low-cost PMS, followed by structural (0.26), safety (0.24), and serviceability(0.18) indicators. This model will assist the road planners in making better decisions on pavement maintenance management plans. The model will suggest the pavement sections on a higher priority to be added in the maintenance plans, especially where the maintenance budget is limited.