A PAVEMENT MAINTENANCE SYSTEM : WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO HEAVY VEHICLES AND ROAD DATA BANKS

The expenditure on pavement maintenance constitutes about 50 per cent of all costs related to maintenance and operation of the Danish main road network of approximately 4600 km. All through the 1960's and 1970's there has been a steady increase in the number and load of heavy vehicles. They contribute more than 80 per cent to the road wear caused by traffic. Since 1970 the funds available for road infrastructure have, however, decreased in real terms. Therefore pavement management is today an area of utmost concern. In the beginning of the 1970's initial steps were taken in Denmark which have now led to a fully operational technical-economical pavement maintenance system for the main road network. The paper describes the present maintenance model, which is based on: (1) road standards, (2) road data bank, (3) administrative procedures, which thoroughly describe how and when the various activities must be carried out, and (4) a priority model, which ranks proposed maintenance activities. The paper also outlines the development that takes place towards a more comprehensive system. Two subjects are given special attention: the development and registration of axle loads, and the structure and use of the road data bank. (Author/TRRL)