Construction quality has an immense impact in the durability of the pavement

The performance of pavement depends on the choices made during construction. The quality of the materials, the thickness of the layers and the moisture conditions all have an impact on the life of the pavement. To ensure quality, it is essential to have skilled workers and quality control during construction.

If the conditions and qualities are taken into consideration in advance, the pavement can last for many decades without requiring full reconstruction. Even if the pavement is well constructed, it will still need basic maintenance. It is very important to schedule the maintenance to be carried out at a specific time. The cost of repairing the pavement will go up to at least four times if the pavement has deteriorated into a poor condition because of a lack of maintenance.

In some countries the pavements are already built according to so called total offers, where the construction company makes the quotation not just for the pavement construction but for the maintenance, for example, for 10 years. This working model encourages the construction company to use the best materials but also to give their best effort in constructing the pavement durable for those 10 years at once with zero need for maintenance.

Read our article "Construction Quality" to better understand the diverse problems neglecting the importance of the pavement construction might cause.