Comparative analysis of financial costs between two flexible pavement design methods

Abstract

In Brazil, most pavement designs were carried out using the empirical method, which, although widely used, does not take into account the fatigue of the asphalt layer or the vertical stresses generated by traffic loads. With the development of the National Design Method (MeDiNa), a more accurate analysis is now possible, using mechanistic principles and computational tools. The objective of this study was to perform a comparative financial cost analysis between two flexible pavement design methods: the empirical method from the National Department of Transport Infrastructure (DNIT) and MeDiNa. For this, a structure was simulated and designed using both methods, and a budget was created to determine the cost per kilometer of road. The results indicated that the MeDiNa method, although presenting a structure with an initial total cost 42% higher than the empirical method, offers greater durability and less maintenance over the pavement's lifetime. Thus, considering the cost per year of useful life, the structure designed using MeDiNa had a cost approximately 34% lower than the empirical method. It was concluded that, despite the higher initial cost, MeDiNa proves to be a more efficient long-term solution, offering a better cost-benefit ratio.