Pavement preservation is an asset management strategy that focuses on keeping roads in good condition. Unlike a worst–first approach that lets pavements deteriorate until more expensive treatments are needed, low–cost pavement preservation techniques reduce expenses and incrementally enhance pavement condition. Rather than executing immediate improvements to a small number of pavement sections, pavement preservation emphasizes making long–term improvements to network–level conditions. Just as it is more cost–effective for a homeowner to make minor repairs to a roof before significant damage occurs, low–cost, timely pavement preservation treatments typically defer or eliminate more costly repairs later. This series of articles describes KYTC’s approach to pavement management from its early stages in the 1960s to the present day techniques used by the Division of Maintenance to manage this valuable asset.
