Thanks to the 'Seoul-type Pavement Design Method,' road lifespan extended by 2 years... Annual budget savings of 5.6 billion KRW

Development of 'Seoul-type Pavement Design Method' Proposing 2015 Road Pavement Maintenance Law
Life Extended by 2 Years in Pilot Application at 76 Sites

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 17th that the application of the ‘Seoul-type Pavement Design Method,’ first developed in 2015, to 76 resurfaced roads within Seoul has improved the functionality of paved roads, extending their average lifespan by more than 2 years (from an average of 7 years to 9 years). Although resurfacing work was due this year after 7 years, roads where the ‘Seoul-type Pavement Design Method’ was applied had their lifespan extended by 2 more years until 2024.

If this technology is fully applied to resurfaced roads throughout Seoul, it is expected to save about 5.6 billion KRW, which is 10% of the annual maintenance budget for aging pavements (56.1 billion KRW). Social costs such as traffic control and congestion caused by pavement construction can also be significantly reduced.

The ‘Seoul-type Pavement Design Method’ is a design method that proposes and applies the optimal repair methods such as pavement materials and cross-sectional thickness through scientific analysis and evaluation. It accurately assesses the traffic volume of roads requiring resurfacing and analyzes and evaluates load strength and pavement conditions using state-of-the-art specialized equipment. Through this, it induces optimal maintenance to strengthen road functionality and extend lifespan. For new road pavements, the ‘Korean Pavement Design Method’ based on the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport standards is applied, but there was no standard for maintenance design of resurfaced roads.

Previously, only pavement design methods suitable for new road pavements existed, and there was no pavement design method for maintenance, so designs considered only pavement conditions such as milling 5?10 cm and overlaying. This had limitations in that it could not consider the subgrade conditions accumulated by heavy vehicle traffic and damage.

Since the effectiveness of the ‘Seoul-type Pavement Design Method’ has been proven, Seoul City plans to expand its application to all roads in Seoul that require resurfacing. The resurfacing of 19 bus-only lanes, for which design was completed last year, is scheduled to be finished in the first half of this year. This year, about 35 locations with poor pavement conditions or early damage, including general lanes and bus-only lanes, will undergo the ‘Seoul-type Pavement Design.’

Additionally, the city will publish the Seoul-type Asphalt Concrete Pavement Construction Guidelines in March to improve the quality of pavement construction and construction safety. The guidelines will be distributed to related departments, and specialized training will be provided to road pavement personnel.

The main improvements include clarifying construction materials and production procedures, creating a safe and rapid construction environment, and presenting reasonable quality control standards. In particular, for tack coat work that ensures good adhesion between existing and new asphalt pavement layers, the curing time for the tack coat will be shortened from the existing 4 hours or more to within 30 minutes by recommending the use of rapid-curing tack coat, enabling more efficient construction. Furthermore, safety devices to prevent entrapment will be installed on rollers, which are machines used for base compaction, to thoroughly prevent worker safety accidents.

Han Je-hyun, Director of Seoul City’s Safety General Office, said, “By developing a pavement design method suitable for large cities, timely repairs are made, and scientific maintenance has improved the level of road pavement. We will continue to do our best to create safe roads by continuously supplementing the pavement design method in line with changing environments.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.