Road User Cost Models for Network-Level Pavement Management

Life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) of pavements is a process for evaluating total economic worth of a usable project segment by analyzing initial costs and discounted future costs, such as those for maintenance, reconstruction, rehabilitation, and resurfacing. One of the most important ingredients in the LCCA process, at either a network level or a project level, is the determination of road user cost (RUC) during maintenance and rehabilitation operations. RUC models are also important in contracting strategies, which take into account time for a project to be completed for award and payment. Methods used to date to determine RUC are exclusively analytical in nature. Microscopic estimates of traffic are used to determine RUC. CORSIM, a microscopic traffic simulation program developed by FHWA, was used for this research. Models for additional travel time, added fuel consumption, and RUC for standard two-to-one lane closure scenarios are presented.