Develop Guidelines for Routine Maintenance of Concrete Pavement: Project Summary Report (0-5821-S)

This project addresses the maintenance and repair of concrete pavements in Texas. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) is interested in finding ways to improve the repair selection process and to facilitate timely rehabilitation that will enhance the preservation aspects of a pavement system which will extend the structural and functional capacity of the existing pavement. Recent developments in decision making tools for pavement repair can be employed to assist TxDOT in formulating standards and specifications in which to optimize repair selection. The key to repair optimization is achieving a preservation type posture in maintenance and repair selection which can be implemented by determining small areas of a pavement system that are beginning to weaken and then to repair those areas before they develop further into large areas of failed or distressed pavement. This helps to keep the repair costs at a minimum while getting the most out of the life of the pavement - which are measures of effectiveness and are the objectives of an optimization process. This project focuses on identifying the type of distresses that require preservative measures taken in advance of deterioration, along with a list of repair methods, to achieve a high level of performance and developing guidelines for optimizing repair. This project will also provide materials to train engineers on distress identification, preventative measures of repair and when they should be applied, and the use of guidelines to apply effective repair strategies in pavement maintenance programs.