Research
Funded Research
Civil engineers to help NMDOT analyze pavement performance
Dr. Jie Zhang, assistant professor of civil engineering, recently received an award from the New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) for $115,000. NMDOT currently designs pavement sections for a specific design life: 5 years for pavement preservation activities, 10 years for rehabilitation projects, and 20 years for new construction and reconstruction projects. Department personnel have expressed uncertainty as to whether these pavements are performing as expected during their design lives, and if not, what factors should be considered in evaluating potential causes for this difference. NMDOT has identified the need to determine how long pavements on New Mexico facilities are actually lasting. For example, a Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) must assume a pavement performance period for all pavement reconstruction, rehabilitation, and pavement preservation projects. If the assumed pavement lives are not accurate, the resulting analysis is worthless. Actual pavement performance is also needed in Pavement Management Systems analyses, such as health-of-the-network projections, and if assumed pavement performance is not accurate, then the analyses are not useful. Research is proposed to study how long pavements are actually lasting on New Mexico highways, to determine the causes for premature failure or service lives extending beyond design lives, and to identify system improvements in design, construction and maintenance to address this condition. The NMSU research team will identify those factors that are most critical to pavement life and to identify system improvements for the purpose of ensuring that pavements are optimally designed and perform as expected over their design lives.