Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Low-Volume Pavements in Washington State (05-1511)**
Stephen T. Muench, University of Washington
George C. White, University of Washington
Joe P. Mahoney, University of Washington
Nadarajah Sivaneswaran, Federal Highway Administration
Linda M. Pierce, Applied Pavement Technology, Inc.

The vast majority of pavements worldwide can be classified as low-volume. Pavement maintenance and rehabilitation practices on these roads are vital to their continued serviceability. Proven successful and efficient strategies are in demand considering that low-volume roads are typically managed by agencies with extremely limited resources. The Washington State Pavement Management System (WSPMS), which has been functioning continuously for over 30 years, provides a rich data set from which to investigate maintenance and rehabilitation practices on low-volume pavements in Washington State. This investigation seeks to determine common maintenance, rehabilitation, design and material characteristics in WSDOT managed low-volume pavements and measures of their success. Records indicate that over two-thirds of WSDOT’s low-volume pavements are bituminous surface treatments, while almost one-third are hot mix asphalt surfaced pavements. These pavements, many of which have lasted in excess of 35 years, are in relatively good condition and are typically subject only to periodic rehabilitation treatments every 8 to 20 years and responsive pothole patching. This evidence suggests that the concept of a long-lasting low-volume pavement is viable and, in fact, already exists. More study is required to determine the physical, construction and preservation principles behind this phenomenon.