Quantification of Agency and User Values of Pavement Performance

Studies have shown that there exists a need to include agency and user values for pavement performance in engineering economic analysis of pavement strategies. Very little is known about the magnitudes and characteristics of these values. A procedure for obtaining information on these aspects is described in this paper. Estimates of agency and user values of pavement performance for highway agencies of Indiana and a local group of users are derived based on data from interview surveys. The estimated agency values, expressed as percentages of project cost, are found to vary with the management level of highway agency and the overall average performance of pavement, but not with the size of project. The mean agency value ranged from 19% to 114% of project cost. The user value survey showed that the profession and sex of users did not significantly affect their assessments of the value of pavement performance. The effects of travel distance and road condition are found to be statistically significant. The estimated user values of pavement performance varied positively with these two factors. Their values ranged from $0.057 for travel distance to 10 mi (16 km) and a PSI (present serviceability index) of 2.5, to $1.706 for travel distance of 150 mi (241 km) and a PSI of 4.5.