An excellent asset management tool: the remaining service life

The paper provides the algorithm for the calculation of the remaining service life (RSL) along with some examples using field data. It is shown that knowledge of the RSL of each pavement section within the network allows the highway authority to design and implement balanced pavement rehabilitation and preservation strategies. It is also shown that the RSL of a pavement network is the true estimate of the size of the pavement investment and it is an excellent indicator of the budget level that is required to maintain and preserve such investment. The paper also shows that the RSL is a self calibrating tool whose accuracy improves as more historical pavement distress data becomes available. Relative to asset management, the paper shows that two pavement sections having the same value of distress index are not necessarily equal and may require different management strategies whereas two pavement sections having the same RSL value require equal management. The value of RSL as a management tool is not limited to pavements only. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E212095.