Because of the limited amount of money available to spend on your airport, it’s important that you get the most for the money you do spend. Maintenance of the airport is a case in point. The most common reason that proper maintenance is not accomplished is the seemingly high cost of doing maintenance. Although routine maintenance may seem expensive at first glance, it is much cheaper to perform remedial maintenance than to reconstruct. The most effective use of pavement dollars is for early detection and repair of pavement defects.
In all cases of pavement distress, the cause of the distress should be determined first, then repairs should be made, not only to correct the present damage, but to prevent or retard its progressive occurrence. All repairs should consider the long-term effects rather than the short-term fixes. It is much cheaper to make the correct repair once, rather than to continually make the wrong repair.
Since maintenance dollars are usually limited, it is often helpful to prioritize areas of the airport. High-traffic areas should receive a higher priority since the additional traffic will cause additional damage and the higher traffic volume is an indication of user needs. Areas of low traffic may not deteriorate as rapidly and may require less overall maintenance; however, they should not be ignored. Maintenance performed on any section of pavement should meet the preventive maintenance requirements for that section.
Most airport pavements do not fail because of load-induced damage, but instead, are eventually destroyed by the elements. Because the most destructive element to any properly constructed pavement section is excess moisture, if protected from weather-induced damage, the service life of the pavement can be prolonged indefinitely. Regardless of how strong the pavement material is or how well constructed, excess moisture in the pavement layers will speed up the deterioration process. Ironically, keeping pavement cracks and joints sealed is the most neglected maintenance item. Cracks and joints must be sealed and resealed in a timely manner to keep excess moisture out of the pavement structure. Far too often, sponsors feel that they can save money by postponing regular crack sealing eventually resulting in much higher costs when pavement sections fail and must be reconstructed.
We urge every airport sponsor to continually monitor the condition of the airport pavements even if the airport is not subject to compliance with the terms of a federal or state grant agreement. A few dollars spent on crack sealing now can save many dollars later. If you have any questions regarding appropriate pavement maintenance techniques or schedules, please call the Aviation Division.