Pavements represent the largest capital investment in any modern highway system. Maintaining and operating pavements on a large highway system typically involves complex decisions about how and when to resurface or apply other treatments to keep the highway performing and operating costs at a reasonable level. Traditional methods, used since Roman times, left these decisions up to a road supervisor who would select treatments based on his extensive knowledge and experience. This system is still widely practiced and works well in low traffic areas or where repair/restoration funds are not limited. In most cases, however, this is not the situation. First, rarely are there enough funds to complete all identified road repairs, and second, high traffic levels severely restrict when roads can be closed for maintenance.
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United States Department of Transportation
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