Deciding When to Pave an Aggregate Road

A research project is described that provides local government agencies with information and procedures for deciding when to pave an aggregate road. Resources to facilitate public discussion are also provided. Two approaches are used for estimating future costs. The first is a historical cost analysis based on the spending history for low-volume roads found in the annual reports of selected Minnesota counties. The effects of traffic volume and type of road surface on cost are included. The second is the development of a method for estimating the cost of maintaining aggregate roads, which is useful when the requirements for labor, equipment, and materials can be predicted. Additional information is gleaned from numerous interviews with local road officials. The following activities are considered: maintenance grading, regraveling, dust control/stabilization, reconstruction/regrading, paving, and others. A case study is presented that compares the cost of maintaining a gravel road with the cost of upgrading to a paved surface. It is concluded that paving gravel roads should be considered an investment that will mostly reap rewards that do not result in monetary savings to the government agency. Neighbors and road users will benefit from an improved quality of life and economic development may follow resulting in some increase in property tax collection. Local officials may use the cost estimating and analysis techniques in this paper to target investments that will provide the best result.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Smith, Duane E
  • Jahren, Charles T
  • White, David J
  • Johnson, Greg
  • Rukashaza, Mary
  • Thorius, Jacob
• Conference:
  • Transportation Research Board 85th Annual Meeting
  • Location: Washington DC, United States
  • Date: 2006-1-22 to 2006-1-26
• Date: 2006

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 20p
• Monograph Title: TRB 85th Annual Meeting Compendium of Papers CD-ROM

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Benefit cost analysis; Cost estimating; Gravel roads; Low volume roads; Pavement performance
• Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Pavements; I22: Design of Pavements, Railways and Guideways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01020568
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: 06-0460
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 3 2006 10:21AM