A decision-support framework for selecting pavement maintenance strategies using life cycle cost analysis

For concession-based highway projects, pavement maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) strategies are typically developed during the design phase based on expected pavement performance. Alternative strategies are usually selected based on performance criteria, while economic evaluation is often limited to engineering judgement or simplified analyses largely based on agency costs. Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) is a process for comparing the long term economic implications of alternative maintenance strategies. This study presents a decision-support framework for evaluating M&R alternatives using LCCA under identical pavement structure and traffic conditions. A motorway section in the design phase is used as a case study to compare two maintenance philosophies: (i) a preservation-oriented strategy and (ii) a rehabilitation-oriented strategy. The analysis integrates detailed agency costs with work-zone user costs and evaluates economic performance using Present Value (PV) and Equivalent Uniform Annual Cost (EUAC). The results demonstrate the value of incorporating comprehensive economic assessment into maintenance planning during the early stages of highway design. The proposed framework provides a practical decision-support methodology for evaluating alternative pavement maintenance strategies in concession-based highway projects and can be readily adapted to other pavement management applications.