§ 2705-590 — Roadbuilding criteria; life-cycle cost analysis

(a) As used in this Section, "life-cycle cost" means the total of the cost of the initial project plus all anticipated future costs over the life of the pavement. Actual, relevant data, and not assumptions or estimates, shall be used to the extent such data has been collected. (b) The Department shall develop and implement a life-cycle cost analysis for each State new construction, reconstruction, or replacement road project under its jurisdiction for which the total pavement costs exceed $500,000 funded in whole, or in part, with State or State-appropriated funds. State rehabilitation and preservation projects shall be exempt from this requirement. The Department shall design and award these paving projects utilizing material having the lowest life-cycle cost. All pavement design life shall ensure that State and State-appropriated funds are utilized as efficiently as possible. When alternative material options are substantially equivalent on a life-cycle cost basis, the Department may make a decision based on other criteria. At the discretion of the Department, interstate highways with high traffic volumes or experimental projects may be exempt from this requirement. (c) Except as otherwise provided in this Section, a life-cycle cost analysis shall compare equivalent designs based upon this State's actual historic project schedules and costs as recorded by the pavement management system, and may include estimates of user costs throughout the entire pavement life. (d) For pavement projects for which this State has no actual historic project schedules and costs as recorded by the pavement management system, the Department may use actual historical and comparable data for equivalent designs from states with similar climates, soil structures, or vehicle traffic.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 104-404, eff. 8-15-25.)