CRACKING THE MYTHS: THE TRUTH ABOUT PAVEMENT PRESERVATION
How early, consistent applications yield the highest return on your infrastructure investment
Welcome to the first installment of our six-part series dedicated to concrete pavement preservation (CPP) education.
Concrete pavement preservation has protected roadways for decades, yet
myths about its cost, performance and longevity still influence how agencies plan and budget their work. For county engineers, municipal public works directors and DOT decision-makers, these misconceptions can mean higher maintenance costs, shorter pavement life and missed opportunities to stretch limited budgets.
Over the next several weeks, we will examine these myths one at a time and set the record straight. Let's begin with Myth #1.
Myth: You can only start a pavement preservation program if your roads are already in good shape.
Reality:
CPP is a series of engineered techniques developed over 60 years ago to rehabilitate concrete pavement and manage the rate of deterioration in concrete streets, highways and airports. It is not a treatment reserved for pavements in pristine condition. Rather, it is the discipline that keeps pavements in good condition throughout their lifespan. Agencies that apply the right treatment at the right time manage deterioration proactively, while those that wait find themselves chasing failures at a far higher cost.
The IGGA Pavement Preservation Toolkit makes the technical case clear: CPP targets distress within structurally sound pavement. It repairs specific areas of deterioration rather than requiring treatment of the entire roadway, restoring the pavement to a condition close to or better than its original state.
It addresses the causes of distress, not just the symptoms. An asphalt overlay covers distress without correcting its cause, so the problem returns later as a larger, more expensive one. CPP addresses the underlying cause and minimizes further deterioration.
It extends pavement life significantly. Applying the right CPP treatment at the right time in the pavement's life cycle has been proven to extend pavement life 10 to 20 years, and even longer in many cases.
It delivers a strong return on investment. Georgia has used CPP with grinding for more than 50 years and found it to be three to four times more cost-effective than a 6-inch asphalt overlay.
The takeaway for decision-makers is straightforward: preservation is most effective when it begins early and continues consistently. Waiting until a pavement shows severe distress narrows your options to costly reconstruction or replacement. Managing the rate of deterioration from the start is how agencies keep networks in good condition while making the most of limited budgets.
This is the first of six myths we will tackle in this series. In the next installment, we will debunk another myth about CPP and continue building the case for smarter, more cost-effective pavement management. To learn more about CPP, check out our Pavement Preservation Toolkit: https://www.igga.net/pavement-preservation-toolkit