What specific step should be performed before any cost analysis of pavement maintenance and repair?

Before any cost analysis of pavement maintenance and repair, a thorough condition assessment of the pavement should be performed. This involves conducting a detailed pavement condition survey to identify the types, severities, and extent of distresses present. The condition assessment provides the foundation for determining the appropriate maintenance or rehabilitation strategies and estimating their associated costs. Without a proper condition assessment, it is impossible to accurately determine the extent of the required repairs or to select the most cost-effective treatment. The condition assessment should include visual inspection, distress surveys, and potentially laboratory testing of pavement materials to determine the underlying causes of the distresses. The data collected during the condition assessment will be used to develop a list of feasible maintenance and rehabilitation options and to estimate the quantities of materials and labor required for each option. This information is then used to develop accurate cost estimates for each strategy. For example, if a pavement has extensive cracking and rutting, the condition assessment will reveal the severity of these distresses and inform the selection of appropriate treatments, such as milling and resurfacing, overlay, or reconstruction. The cost analysis can then be performed based on the selected treatments and the estimated quantities of materials and labor.