Field activities
also performed in Colorado, Maryland and Ohio
during the research phase.

Challenge

For years, transportation agencies have successfully extended the life of certain types of roads
by applying pavement preservation techniques. However, to realize the benefits of these techniques
for a broader range of roadways, agencies need a systematic approach that takes into account a variety
of road conditions and proper timing of treatments to reduce negative traffic impact.

Relatively small investments in preserving existing pavement can forestall the need for major
reconstruction projects. Many effective pavement preservation techniques exist, but until now they
have been used, especially in urban settings, primarily for low-volume roads.

Solution

A comprehensive SHRP2 report shows that many conventional techniques—and some new ones as well—can be
used to extend the life of high-traffic-volume roads and avoid disruptive and costly major rehabilitation
and reconstruction projects. Derived from an extensive literature review and a detailed survey of transportation
agencies, the report documents successful current practices and provides selection matrices to help match
specific high-volume-traffic situations with the best available treatments.

Benefits

By helping engineers to more quickly and confidently select the right treatment at the right time for a given pavement,
the guides can help transportation agencies embrace preservation as a key strategy in maintaining pavements, thereby saving
scarce transportation dollars. And by focusing on more than 20 treatments that have proven cost-effective, these documents
also help save money by reducing the risk of choosing preservation.

Follow-on benefits to choosing preservation strategies include reducing congestion and increasing worker and driver safety.
Small problems can be fixed before they become big problems, and the public can enjoy a smoother ride.

Save Lives

Shorter construction periods reduce risks and enhance safety for the traveling public and construction workers.

Save Money

Preserving existing pavements reduces the need for major and costly major rehabilitation projects.

Save Time

The guides speed decision making about which preservation strategies to use, and the strategies themselves can be applied more rapidly and with less disruption than major rehabilitation efforts, saving everyone time.