Development of Pavement Performance and Remaining Service Life Prediction Tools for Iowa Jointed Plain Concrete Pavement Systems

Moving Ahead for Progress in the Twenty-First Century (MAP-21) requires US state highway agencies (SHA) to utilize performance-based approaches in their pavement management decision-making processes, and use of a remaining service life (RSL) model would be one of such performance-based approaches for facilitating the pavement management decision-making process for SHAs. In this study, statistical and artificial neural network (ANN)-based pavement performance and RSL models were developed for Iowa jointed plain concrete pavement systems (JPCP) using actual pavement structural, traffic, construction history, and pavement performance records obtained from the Iowa Department of Transportation pavement-management information system database. While both models were found to be potentially useful for project and network level performance and RSL predictions, statistical and ANN-based models were respectively found to be more suitable for project and network level analysis. Using these models, efficient Microsoft Excel-based automation tools were created to predict future performance of a JPCP section and estimate RSL values based on predicted future performance and threshold limits for the performance indicators. Consequence analysis was also conducted to investigate the impact of traffic and preservation treatment (diamond grinding) on the RSL of a JPCP. The tool, also capable of estimating realistic pavement pretreatment and posttreatment performance and RSL, could be successfully used as part of performance-based pavement management strategies and helping decision-makers make better-informed pavement management decisions to properly allocate agency resource expenditures. Moreover, this study provides a better understanding of RSL and the factors that influence both the project and network level RSL.

Automated summary

Moving Ahead for Progress in the Twenty-First Century (MAP-21) requires US state highway agencies to use performance-based approaches for decision-making processes, and a remaining service life (RSL) model is considered useful in the pavement management decision-making process. Statistical and artificial neural network (ANN) models were developed for Iowa jointed plain concrete pavement systems (JPCP), with statistical model suitable for project level analysis and ANN model suitable for network level analysis. Excel-based automation tools were created to predict future performance and estimate RSL values, aiding in better-informed pavement management decisions. The study also provides a better understanding of RSL and factors affecting project and network level RSL.