Effectiveness of crack sealing on pavement serviceability and life.

134364This report presents the details of a study to evaluate effectiveness of Ohio Department of Transportation\u2019s prevailing crack sealing program. Evaluation was performed through field monitoring a large number of crack sealed and control sections. Field monitoring included collection of performance data for over five year period after crack sealing. The data collected was used to address the following specific issues: Do existing crack sealing practices within ODOT enhance pavement performance? What is the optimum timing of the treatment? Does crack sealing extend pavement life? Is crack sealing a cost effective treatment?The analysis revel that crack sealed pavements, in general, performed better than the control sections on a 5-year cycle. Regardless of pavement type, aggregate type used in the surface layer, and the prior pavement condition crack sealing always results in performance gain. Maximum performance gain can be achieved by treating pavements with Pavement Condition Rating ranging from 66 to 80. The performance prediction models indicate crack sealing treatment can extend the service life of pavements by up to 3.6 years. The cost analysis using a common metric such as the Net Present Value illustrates that crack sealing, as a maintenance strategy, is economically viable for pavements in the prior PCR range of 66-70. From a practical point of view, it is hereby recommended that ODOT develops a policy to allow crack sealing as a strategy for pavement preventive maintenance for all pavements in the prior PCR range of 66 to 80