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Preservation key

KCRC's priority is to preserve and prolong the service life of the existing roadway system. This is accomplished by making improvements that address surface deterioration before it becomes too severe and the road base is damaged. Improvements consist of two general types:

Surface Treatments encompass a variety of activities to help prevent moisture from penetrating the road subsurface layers. This includes sealing cracks in the pavement with a black rubberized material. Surface treatments also include applying a thin new layer of material over the entire roadway surface to seal out moisture, cover patches, and provide a new wearing surface.

Resurfacing is generally for higher volume roads and where the surface has become more severely distressed. In many cases, the existing surface is milled off or pulverized and compacted, prior to the placement of a new hot-mix asphalt overlay.

Through KCRC's Pavement Management Program, annual assessments of existing and projected road surface conditions are made using a MicroPAVER-based data collection system to assign a Pavement Condition Index value in determining the appropriate type and timing of cost-effective repairs. The Pavement Management Program also enables KCRC to project future road conditions in order to analyze alternative investment scenarios that will help achieve its system condition goals.

In 2005, just six years after KCRC implemented its pavement preservation program, 62 percent of the primary road network was rated good or maintain condition, 28 percent in fair or preserve condition and 10 percent in poor or reconstruct condition.