Quantifying and Benchmarking the Economy and Durability of North Carolina Pavement Infrastructure
North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is committed to constructing and maintaining an economical, durable transportation system that provides the desired service over the lifecycle at an efficient cost. Additionally, NCDOT has committed to improving its resilience. Much investment has been made by NCDOT and other agencies to support identification of strategies to improve the economy and durability of new construction and repair, rehabilitation, and reconstruction projects and to increase its resilience through hardening strategies. Need still exists, however, to develop guidance and tools to support decision-making and to justify investment in technologies and approaches that improve economy, durability, and resilience while also lowering the impact of infrastructure on the state’s natural resources. This project will use Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)-accepted approaches to quantify benefits/impacts and benchmark the current level of durability and economy of typical NCDOT projects and options that could provide improved durability and/or resilience, providing insight into the areas where the improvements could be readily achieved and where investment can be made to support mid-range and longer-term improvements. Life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) will be performed in accordance with FHWA-supported approaches for “typical” design and construction approaches and for approaches using technologies to improve resilience and lower the impacts of several types of asphalt and concrete pavement sections. Analysis will include alternatives used for aggregate, stabilized soil and bases, asphalt surface layers, concrete surface layers, and both asphalt and concrete overlays. Effort will be made to quantify cost benefits and other impacts to assist NCDOT in (1) identifying potential projects for pilot programs, (2) justifying approaches and investment in emerging technologies, (3) justifying investment in pavement hardening strategies to improve resilience, and (4) soliciting funding for improvements to vulnerable infrastructure and areas that are in need of reconstruction or repair due to adverse events. Pilot projects will offer the opportunity to evaluate emerging products or design approaches, longer-life or lower-impact materials, and potentially resilience hardening strategies. As part of this study, the research team will prepare tools, training, and technology transfer products for projects using pilot project funds, and will engage a range of stakeholders (NCDOT, industry, consulting partners, material suppliers) in the use of technologies proven by NCDOT-supported research (and other research as appropriate) to improve economy, durability, and/or resilience. Targeted technologies will be incorporated into projects as either design or construction approaches for projects currently in the development or design stage, project special provisions for projects already let/bid, or both. The end products of this work will include data that benchmarks where NCDOT infrastructure as currently designed, constructed, and maintained currently stands in terms of economy, durability, and resilience, and an improved understanding of what strategies can be readily integrated into practice. Opportunities for improvements will be identified for asphalt and concrete pavement systems, along with cost analysis to support application for funding for proactive improvements and recovery. Objectives and activities to support mid-range and longer-range advancements will support future research and implementation activities. Products will include guidance to support NCDOT’s use of pilot project funds for asphalt and concrete pavement projects, as well as guidance to support stakeholders in these projects. For pilot projects providing sufficient data, a report will be prepared that quantifies the economic, social, and environmental benefits of the project, as compared to typical approaches. For other pilot projects not achieving sufficient data to support LCCA and/or LCA, the effort invested into the project will be documented, along with means to best document the remainder of the project to support later analysis. Stakeholders involved in the pilot projects will gain valuable experience in deploying these technologies and approaches, and data obtained from pilot project efforts can be leveraged to support future initiatives. Best practices and lessons learned can be transferred to policy, specifications, or practice as appropriate.
Language
- English
Project
- Status: Active
- Funding: $290,238.00
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Contract Numbers:
RP2026-12
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Sponsor Organizations:
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Research and Development
1549 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC United States 27699-1549 -
Managing Organizations:
North Carolina Department of Transportation
Research and Development
1549 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC United States 27699-1549 -
Project Managers:
Kadibhai, Mustansir
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Performing Organizations:
University of North Carolina, Charlotte
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
9201 University City Boulevard
Charlotte, NC United States 28223-0001 -
Principal Investigators:
Cavalline, Tara L
- Start Date: 20250801
- Expected Completion Date: 20270731
- Actual Completion Date: 0
- USDOT Program: Pavements and Materials
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Benchmarks; Benefit cost analysis; Durability; Life cycle costing; Mix design; Pavement performance; Technological innovations
- Geographic Terms: North Carolina
- Subject Areas: Construction; Design; Highways; Materials; Pavements; Planning and Forecasting;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01957962
- Record Type: Research project
- Source Agency: North Carolina Department of Transportation
- Contract Numbers: RP2026-12
- Files: RIP, STATEDOT
- Created Date: Jun 13 2025 12:24PM