Existing performance models developed for interurban pavements are not applicable to urban pavements due to differences in traffic demands and deterioration trends. The objective of the study was to develop performance models for the management of urban pavement networks. Markov chains and Monte Carlo simulation were applied to account for the probabilistic nature of pavements deterioration over time, using data collected in the field. One of the advantages of this methodology is that it can be used by local agencies with scarce technical resources and historical data. Eight performance models were developed and successfully validated for asphalt and concrete pavements in humid, dry and Mediterranean climates with different functional hierarchies. The resulting models evidence the impact of design, traffic demand, climate and construction standards on urban pavements performance. Predicted service life of asphalt and concrete pavements in primary networks are consistent with design standards. However, pavements in secondary and local networks present shorter and longer service life compared to design life, respectively. Climate is a relevant factor for asphalt pavements, where higher deterioration was observed compared to that expected. Opposite to this, no relevant differences between design and performance can be attributed to climate in concrete pavements.

Deterioration indexes that may combine types of surface distresses, serviceability, and structural indicators are commonly used for pavement management at the network level. These indexes differ in the types of deterioration and criteria considered to quantify severity and density of distresses. Most of these indexes were developed for interurban road networks; therefore, their application to urban networks is complex and not representative. For this reason, there is a need for a better understanding of urban pavement behavior to enable collection of the distresses relevant to these types of pavements and development of an overall condition index for urban pavements that represents the mix of the more relevant distresses for use in network analysis. This study is part of a 3-year project developed in Chile: Research and Development of Solutions for Urban Pavement Management in Chile. The main objective of this study was to calibrate and to validate an urban pavement condition index (UPCI) representative of the overall condition of these pavements, according to objective measures of surface distresses and evaluations of an expert panel. The scope of this study included the development of distress evaluation guidelines for asphalt and concrete pavements considering manual and automated surveys, the application of these guidelines in different types of urban networks, and the assessment of these networks by an expert panel. Finally, three UPCI equations were obtained with satisfactory validation for asphalt pavements with manual and automated data collection and for concrete pavements with manual data collection.

Transportation assets play a crucial role in the development of society, being the backbone of socio-economic development but also a key contributor to climate change. Transportation asset management systems include a set of tools to support agencies in the decision on which infrastructure of a network should be preserved, maintained and/or rehabilitated. However, the evaluation of these networks has traditionally focused on economic and technical aspects of interurban networks. Considering the direct impacts on the evolution of social and natural environments, management of these assets needs to be sustainable. This article proposes a methodology for the sustainable management of transportation assets, by integrating technical, economic, environmental, social and political aspects in the Life Cycle-Assessment of a network. The methodology proposes a framework that integrates these aspects in the various components and processes considered in a management system. It incorporates a Geographic Information System as the main platform to pursue the socio-political analysis based on geographical referencing of formalized variables. The proposed framework is applied to a case study for the management of an urban pavement network. Outcomes demonstrate that it is possible to integrate sustainable aspects, despite their diverse nature, in a management system supported by a Geographic Information System.

Rural roads play a crucial role in the economic and social development of societies. Therefore, they should be managed accordingly and supported by consistent public policies and suitable management practices. Maintenance requirements and costs depend upon the desired serviceability expected for the prevailing traffic, which can be estimated from the road roughness. Given the increasing use of chloride stabilisers to improve the service level of rural roads, it is crucial to objectively assess the performance of these roads over time to perform life-cycle cost analyses for effective management. The objective of this study was to assess the roughness of chloride-stabilised rural roads over time and to propose a performance model from the analysis. As a result, a model for roughness prediction of chloride-stabilised roads was developed and successfully validated, considering an exponential estimation curve based on the age of the road. The proposed model is statistically significant, considering a 95% confidence level range of IRI predicted ± 0,88 m/km. This result indicates that age provides confident information about the IRI. This model is proposed for network-level management of rural roads in terms of IRI.