Life cycle cost analysis of BBTM and traditional asphalt concretes in Latvia

Arturs Riekstins, Viktors Haritonovs, Valters Abolins, Verners Straupe, Janis Tihonovs

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Effective investing of public money in the road infrastructure should be the basis for construction of new roads or reconstruction of the existing ones. Funding for the maintenance of the road infrastructure in Latvia has been insufficient since the restoration of independence. This means the existing budget funds should be used sustainably. One of the solutions that are offered is the use of thin asphalt layers (BBTM). This solution has proven to be a cost-effective and sustainable asphalt wearing course. One of the main problems at the road design stage is to determine which asphalt concrete types would be most beneficial in the long-term due to the maintenance cost, which can significantly increase the overall cost. The current practice in Latvia is that there are some guidelines for choosing the best asphalt concrete types depending on the intensity. However, the initial construction costs do not reflect the costs of the owner to restoring and maintaining this road in the long term; for example, for a period of 40 years. For this purpose, the life cycle cost analyses (LCCA) is widely used worldwide. It is a method based on statistical data and the probable distribution of their forecasts, which makes it possible to compare different options for the road pavement. The aim of this study is to evaluate the possibilities of using thin asphalt concrete layers (BBTM) in Latvia and to compare it with traditionally used asphalt layers using the life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA). High-performance results were obtained from the Wheel Tracking test and Shear test during the research of testing a thin asphalt layer (BBTM) in the laboratory. Also, the life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) of asphalt mixes was performed for the road section.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1065-1072
Number of pages8
JournalEngineering for Rural Development
Volume18
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019
Externally publishedYes
Event18th International Scientific Conference Engineering for Rural Development, ERD 2019 - Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia
Duration: 22 May 201924 May 2019
Conference number: 18
https://www.lbtu.lv/en/notikumi/2019-04-16/18th-international-scientific-conference-engineering-for-rural-development

Keywords*

  • BBTM
  • LCCA
  • Maintenance
  • Reconstruction
  • Sustainability

Field of Science*

  • 1.6 Biological sciences
  • 1.5 Earth and related Environmental sciences
  • 2.2 Electrical engineering, Electronic engineering, Information engineering

Publication Type*

  • 1.1. Scientific article indexed in Web of Science and/or Scopus database

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