1. Pavement Preservation in South Carolina J. C. “Clem” Watson, P.E. Chief Engineer for Operations South Carolina Department of Transportation

2. Why is pavement preservation important to SCDOT? Money and Miles

3. Miles SCDOT maintains the 5 th largest road system in the nation. SCDOT maintains the 5 th largest road system in the nation. Approximately 41,500 centerline miles Approximately 41,500 centerline miles Over 90,000 lane miles Over 90,000 lane miles

4. Money Lowest receipts per mile in the nation Lowest receipts per mile in the nation SCDOT receives $31,685 per mile SCDOT receives $31,685 per mile National average is $128,538 National average is $128,538

5. What does this have to do with preservation? Economics – preservation is cheaper to perform with more bang for your buck Economics – preservation is cheaper to perform with more bang for your buck

6. Treatment Comparison Treatment Type Design Life Cost per Lane Mile Cost per Lane Mile Year of Service Life Added Reconstruction20$200,000$10,000 Rehabilitation15$130,000$8,666 Preservation5$20,000$4,000

7. Keys to Success Roads have to be in good condition Roads have to be in good condition Use the right treatment on the right road at the right time Use the right treatment on the right road at the right time Must have a well-qualified contractor Must have a well-qualified contractor Should have dedicated funding Should have dedicated funding

8. Challenges Getting away from worst first Getting away from worst first Educating the public Educating the public Industry resistance Industry resistance

9. Optimize Treatment Selection Find the optimal combination of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Preservation Treatments Find the optimal combination of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, and Preservation Treatments Goal is to increase the Remaining Service Life (RSL) of the system while addressing some of the really bad roads and minimizing the amount becoming really bad Goal is to increase the Remaining Service Life (RSL) of the system while addressing some of the really bad roads and minimizing the amount becoming really bad

10. Bucky the Beaver

11. SCDOT’s Strategy Use Pavement Management data to categorize road candidates Use Pavement Management data to categorize road candidates Distribute the maintenance funding to each category based on the estimated cost of need for that category Distribute the maintenance funding to each category based on the estimated cost of need for that category

12. Example of SCDOT’s Federal Aid System Project Category Miles of Need Cost of Need Percent by Cost Preservation7,109 $408 M 9% Rehabilitation7,674 $2,771 M 59% Reconstruction3,315 $1,487 M 32%

13. Types of Preservation Surface Treatments used by SCDOT 1. Crack Seal 2. Chip Seal 3. Microsurfacing 4. Ultra-Thin Asphalt Overlays

14. Which treatment? Pavement condition Pavement condition Traffic volumes Traffic volumes The location of the road (rural or urban) The location of the road (rural or urban) The availability of materials and approved contractors The availability of materials and approved contractors The cost effectiveness of the treatment The cost effectiveness of the treatment Volume of work Volume of work

15. Table 7: Treatment Selection Matrix

16. Life Cycle Cost TreatmentCost/LM Life Expectancy (Yrs) Life Cycle Cost ($/Yr) Crack Sealing $2,395 $2,395 2 – 3 $958 $958 Chip Seal $12,354 5 – 7 $2,059 Microsurfacing$25,588 $4,265 Ultra-Thin Asphalt Overlay* $30,628 6 – 8 $4,375 *If milling of the pavement is required these costs will increase

17. Summary SCDOT could not adequately maintain our large system with the limited resources available without a pavement preservation program SCDOT could not adequately maintain our large system with the limited resources available without a pavement preservation program Without preservation, it’s easy to see how quickly our system would deteriorate Without preservation, it’s easy to see how quickly our system would deteriorate Treatment selection critical for success Treatment selection critical for success

18. Questions?