Lifetime Engineering for Roads

Abstract

Lifetime engineering is the concretisation of an innovative idea for solvingthe dilemma existing between in infrastructure as a long-term product andthe short-term approach to its design, management and maintenanceplanning. Although lifetime engineering was originally developed forbuildings and bridges, its principles can be readily utilised for roads.Sustainable road construction needs the assessment of Life Cycle Costs(LCC) of the structures, the encouragement of data collection forbenchmarks, as well as public procurement and contract awardincorporating LCC. The use of lifetime-oriented road management hasbecome world-widely more and more widespread The possible highrecycling rate in road construction is strived for. Several lifetimeengineering elements (life cycle costing, pavement performance models,user cost calculation, internalisation of external road effects, evaluation ofthe actual effect of road maintenance to pavement performance etc.) alreadyavailable in Hungarian road management are also introduced.