Network Optimization

The time it takes a pavement to return to the condition rating it had just prior to a treatment application. For example, before a treatment was applied, if a pavement was rated as a 60 PCI and it took 5 years to drop back to a 60 PCI, it can be said that the treatment provided 5 years of life extension.

The life extension of a given treatment varies greatly depending on roadway condition, quality of treatment, climate, and a number of other factors. Additionally, there are many best practices road owners can implement to achieve better than average life extension.

To provide conservative estimates, all calculator tools throughout the site use the median range of average performance. See the Expectations section of the Treatment Resource Center for detailed Life Extension information on each treatment, and visit the Best Practice section to learn how to maximize the life of each treatment.

Create a profile on RoadResource.org to enter and maintain information on cost, unit of measure, and life extension that is relevant to you. Once entered, this data will automatically populate the features of the site using your information.

Displayed costs are the result of a US and Canada cost survey conducted by an impartial third party. Localized costs vary greatly based on materials, labor, location and other factors. Replace pre-populated data with your local costs to make these tools more relevant or contact a contractor/supplier for a quote or for more locally relevant information.

Create a profile on RoadResource.org to enter and maintain information on cost, unit of measure, and life extension that is relevant to you. Once entered, this data will automatically populate the features of the site using your information. Note: Your data will not be reviewed or used by PPRA or any of its members and affiliates, nor will it be shared with external organizations.

Used to measure the total length and lane count of a given road. Lane-Miles are calculated by multiplying centerline mileage by the number of lanes.

Example: A four-mile stretch of a six-lane highway has 24 lane-miles.

Lane-mile-years are the measurable loss or addition of pavement life. A 300 lane-mile network will lose 300 lane-mile-years each year, unless treatments are added to increase remaining service life. A treatment with a 10 year life extension on 5 lane-miles of pavement will add 50 lane-mile-years to the network. See A Quick Check of Your Highway Network Health for additional information.

A conventional method of pavement management which uses limited budgets to address the most deteriorated roads first. Miles of good roads go untreated each year, accelerating the decline of the overall network.

Many agencies are identifying pavement management strategies that use limited resources more efficiently, and designing treatment plans that reallocate budgets to make incremental network gains (instead of losses) each year. Use our Remaining Service Life tool to find out if your treatment plan is adding or subtracting life from your network. Learn more about basic Network Optimization here.