Cost Effectiveness Analysis of Design Methods for Rigid and Flexible Pavement: A Case Study of Urban Road

Asadullah Ziar; Shahzada Ulfat; Zainullah Serat; Mohammad Ashraf Armal

doi:10.47852/bonviewAAES32021264

Authors

Asadullah Ziar Department of Civil Engineering, Ghazni Technical University, Afghanistan https://orcid.org/0009-0003-0712-484X
Shahzada Ulfat Department of Civil Engineering, Kandahar University, Afghanistan
Zainullah Serat Department of Energy Engineering, Ghazni Technical University, Afghanistan
Mohammad Ashraf Armal Department of Civil Engineering, Ghazni Technical University, Afghanistan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.47852/bonviewAAES32021264

Keywords:

rigid and flexible pavement, cost-effectiveness, design parameters, design methods, Afghanistan

Abstract

Roads play a vital role in a country's economic, cultural, and social development, with significant budget allocations financial each year. Expenses for road construction include design, material acquisition, construction equipment, maintenance, rehabilitation, and overall operations, requiring substantial government investment. A meticulous evaluation of alternatives is essential before implementing such projects. This study aims to comprehensively analyze the cost-effectiveness of three design methods (AASHTO, AI, PCA) on an 8 km urban road, considering initial construction costs. Traffic data collected over two years resulted in a total estimated traffic load of 2.16 x 10⁶ ESAL for the road. The findings indicate that flexible pavement is more cost-effective than rigid pavement. Among flexible pavement design methods (AASHTO and AI), AI emerges as the most cost-effective. For rigid pavement design methods (AASHTO and PCA), PCA proves to be the most cost-effective, while rigid pavement stands out as the most expensive option.