Making the right fix at the right time

Back Next

Household maintenance

We all have things in our life that require maintenance, like a house, car, bicycle or garden. Sometimes all it needs is little fix just to get by and sometimes it needs much more work.

Transportation maintenance

Just like you, we have to decide when to do which kind of fix. We do this using a tool called a Life Cycle Cost Analysis.

Photograph showing household maintenance
Photograph showing transportation maintenance

Looking for more detail about Lifecycle Cost Analysis at MnDOT?

View MnDOT’s Transportation Asset Management Plan
Back Next

The lifecycle of a road

Back Next

Minnesota's transportation system is made up of many parts

Roads, bridges, sidewalks, trails, buses, signs, lights and more help us move around Minnesota. All of these things need to be maintained. When making decisions, engineers and planners have to think about all parts of the system. However, to make it easier to explain a Life Cycle Cost Analysis, let’s just focus on one – roads, specifically the pavement.

Click Next to learn more about the life cycle of a road.

This timeline generalizes the lifecycle of a road in Minnesota.

A Road is Born!

This brand new road gives drivers and riders a smooth ride. But with traffic, heavy trucks, cold winters and hot summers, we’ll soon start to see some wear and tear.

New road: No repairs needed

Keeping the Road Smooth

Cracks, bumps and potholes can make for a bumpy ride and impact safety. MnDOT makes small fixes to keep the road surface smooth.

Year 10: Small fixes

Maintaining Good Condition

As the road continues to age, bigger fixes are needed to keep the road surface in good condition or better.

Year 25: Medium repairs

Keeping the Road Smooth

Cracks, bumps and potholes can make for a bumpy ride and impact safety. MnDOT makes small fixes to keep the road surface smooth.

Year 35: Small fixes

Maintaining Good Condition

As the road continues to age, bigger fixes are needed to keep the road surface in good condition or better.

Year 45: Large repairs

Keeping the Road Smooth

Cracks, bumps and potholes can make for a bumpy ride and impact safety. MnDOT makes small fixes to keep the road surface smooth.

Year 55: Small fixes

The Sunset Years

As the road nears old age, it becomes harder to maintain a good roadway condition. Fixes may need to be larger or more frequent. During these later years, MnDOT starts to plan for reconstructing the roadway.

Year 60: Large repairs

Remaining Value

Our life cycle cost analysis looks at how much it cost to build and maintain the road over 70 years. However, many roads will last longer before they need to be reconstructed. We analyze this by calculating a remaining value.

Learn About Three Maintenance Approaches
Back Next

How would you maintain the road?

Back

Explore Maintenance Approaches

To spend money wisely, MnDOT looks to make the right fix at the right time to keep the road surface in good condition and reduce the overall maintenance costs throughout the life of the road. Explore the approaches below to see how maintenance decisions impact the road condition and total costs over time.

Minimum Maintenance Approach

Make the smallest fix possible to maintain a fair to good road surface most of the time.

Explore this approach
Explore this approach

    Pros:

  • Each fix costs less
  • Smaller fixes are easier to put into yearly budgets
  • Smaller fixes impact traffic less

    Cons:

  • Results in larger, expensive and disruptive fixes as the road deteriorates and requires rehabilitation
  • Periods of fair or poor road surface condition occur and it never gets back to very good
  • Costs the most overall of all three approaches

Balanced Maintenance Approach

Focus on maintaining a good road surface most of the time by getting the most out of each fix. This is MnDOT's current guidance.

Explore this approach
Explore this approach

    Pros:

  • Maintains a mostly good, sometimes excellent, road surface condition
  • Avoids large, costly and disruptive rehabilitation projects
  • Cost the least overall of all three approaches

    Cons:

  • Requires more frequent medium projects, leading to more frequent traffic disruption
  • Funding is not always available in yearly budgets to pay for medium fixes

Proactive Maintenance Approach

Focus on maintaining the best road surface as possible by applying proactive fixes before there are problems.

Explore this approach
Explore this approach

    Pros:

  • Maintains a good to excellent road surface condition at all times
  • Avoids large, costly and disruptive rehabilitation projects
  • Cost less overall than the minimum maintenance approach

    Cons:

  • Requires more frequent medium and small projects, leading to more frequent traffic disruption
  • Funding is not always available in yearly budgets to pay for medium fixes
  • Requires projects when the pavement is still in good condition, which can be hard to select when other pavement is in fair or poor condition
Back

How would you maintain the road?

Back Back

Minimum Maintenance Approach

Make the smallest fix possible to maintain a fair to good road surface most of the time.

The Minimum Approach

At the Beginning

The new road starts out with excellent surface condition.

New road: No repairs needed

Very Good

Initial life cycle cost: 470000

Reactive Fixes

We hold off making any fixes until year 13. However, almost every year for the next seven years we need to make small, reactive fixes like patching potholes.

Year 13: Small Fixes

Good

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Year 15: Small Fixes

Good

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Year 16: Small Fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Year 17: Small Fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Year 18: Small Fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Reactive Fixes

At year 19, we continue to make small, reactive fixes for one more year but the roadway condition worsens.

Year 19: Small Fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 2000

Bigger Repair

At year 20, the roadway surface drops to poor condition and a bigger repair like resurfacing the road is needed to make the condition good again.

Year 20: Large Repairs

Poor

Cost of individual fix: 185000

Reactive Fixes

After the bigger repair at year 20, we hold off making any fixes for another 13 years. However, almost every year for the next seven years we need to make small, reactive fixes like patching potholes.

Year 33: Small fixes

Good

Cost of individual fix: 1000

Year 35: Small fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 1000

Year 36: Small fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 1000

Year 37: Small fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 1000

Reactive Fixes

At years 38 and 39, we continue to make small, reactive fixes but the roadway condition worsens again.

Year 38: Small fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Year 39: Small fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Bigger Repair

At year 40, the roadway surface drops to poor condition and another bigger repair like resurfacing the road is needed to make the condition good again.

Year 40: Large repairs

Poor

Cost of individual fix: 145000

Reactive Fixes

After the bigger repair at year 40, we hold off making any fixes for another 13 years. However, almost every year for the next seven years we need to make small, reactive fixes like patching potholes.

Year 53: Small fixes

Good

Cost of individual fix: 750

Year 55: Small fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 750

Year 56: Small fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 750

Year 57: Small fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 750

Reactive Fixes

At years 58 and 59, we continue to make small, reactive fixes but the roadway condition worsens again.

Year 58: Small fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 1000

Year 59: Small fixes

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 1000

Bigger Repair

At year 60, the roadway surface drops to poor condition and another bigger repair like resurfacing the road is needed to make the condition good again.

Year 60: Large repairs

Poor

Cost of individual fix: 110000

In the End

Because of the bigger fix we made at year 60, the road still has some life left in it at the end of our 70 year analysis. This amount is subtracted from all the costs to give us our total life cycle cost.

Year 70: Look at value remaining

Good

Summary

Because of the bigger fix we made at year 60, the road still has some life left in it at the end of our 70 year analysis. This amount is subtracted from all the costs to give us our total life cycle cost.

Final Road Condition: Good

Remaining value at 70 years: -50000

The dollar amounts shown here are costs for one mile of one lane of road. They are illustrative and will vary in real life.

Select this approach
Compare to:
Balanced

$840,500

Proactive

$875,000

Explore Other Approaches
    Pros:
  • Each fix costs less
  • Smaller fixes are easier to put into yearly budgets
  • Smaller fixes impact traffic less
    • Cons:
  • Results in larger, expensive and disruptive fixes as the road deteriorates and requires rehabilitation
  • Periods of fair or poor road surface condition occur and it never gets back to very good
  • Costs the most overall of all three approaches
STATEWIDE SCALE:

This cost is for just one mile of one lane of roadway. Did you know? MnDOT has nearly 30,000 lane miles to care for and there are even more county, city and township roads in Minneosta. We also do a similar analysis for bridges, sidewalks, trails, buses, signs, lights and more!

Return to the Street Smart System Homepage

Balanced Maintenance Approach

Focus on maintaining a good road surface most of the time by getting the most out of each fix. This is MnDOT's current guidance.

The Balanced Approach

At the Beginning

The new road starts out with excellent surface condition.

New road: No repairs needed

Very Good

Initial life cycle cost: 470000

Minor Maintenance

At years eight and 12, we do small maintenance projects like filling cracks and sealing to keep the road in good condition.

Year 8: Minor maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 2500

Year 12: Minor maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 15000

Bigger Maintenance

At year 20, while the road is still in good condition, we do a bigger maintenance project like resurfacing the road to keep it from getting worse.

Year 20: Large maintenance

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 130000

Minor Maintenance

The bigger maintenance project at year 20 improves the road condition. At years 23 and 27, we do small maintenance projects like filling cracks and sealing to keep a good condition.

Year 23: Minor maintenance

Very Good

Cost of individual fix: 2500

Year 27: Minor maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 15000

Bigger Maintenance

At year 37, while the road is still in good condition, we do a bigger maintenance project like resurfacing the road to keep it from getting worse.

Year 37: Large maintenance

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 100000

Minor Maintenance

The bigger maintenance project at year 37 improves the road condition. At years 40 and 44, we do small maintenance projects like filling cracks and sealing to keep a good condition.

Year 40: Minor maintenance

Very Good

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Year 44: Minor maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 10000

Bigger Maintenance

At year 54, while the road is still in good condition, we do a bigger maintenance project like resurfacing the road to keep it from getting worse.

Year 54: Large maintenance

Fair

Cost of individual fix: 80000

Minor Maintenance

The bigger maintenance project at year 54 improves the road condition. At years 57 and 61, we do small maintenance projects like filling cracks and sealing to keep a good condition.

Year 57: Minor maintenance

Very Good

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Year 61: Minor maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 7500

Bigger Maintenance

At year 70, while the road is still in good condition, we do a bigger maintenance project like resurfacing the road to keep it from getting worse.

Year 70: Large maintenance

Fair

Cost of Individual Fix: 65000

In The End

Because of the bigger maintenance we did at year 70, the road still has some life left in it at the end of our analysis. This amount is subtracted from all the costs to give us our total life cycle cost.

Year 70: Look at value remaining

Good

Summary

Because of the bigger maintenance we did at year 70, the road still has some life left in it at the end of our analysis. This amount is subtracted from all the costs to give us our total life cycle cost.

Final Road Condition: Good

Remaining value at 70 years: -60000

The dollar amounts shown here are costs for one mile of one lane of road. They are illustrative and will vary in real life.

Select this approach
Compare to:
Minimum

$881,500

Proactive

$875,000

Explore Other Approaches
    Pros:
  • Maintains a mostly good, sometimes excellent, road surface condition
  • Avoids large, costly and disruptive rehabilitation projects
  • Cost the least overall of all three approaches
    • Cons:
  • Requires more frequent medium projects, leading to more frequent traffic disruption
  • Funding is not always available in yearly budgets to pay for medium fixes
STATEWIDE SCALE:

This cost is for just one mile of one lane of roadway. Did you know? MnDOT has nearly 30,000 lane miles to care for and there are even more county, city and township roads in Minneosta. We also do a similar analysis for bridges, sidewalks, trails, buses, signs, lights and more!

Return to the Street Smart System Homepage

Proactive Maintenance Approach

Focus on maintaining the best road surface as possible by applying proactive fixes before there are problems.

The Proactive Approach

At the Beginning

The new road starts out with excellent surface condition.

New road: No repairs needed

Very Good

Initial life cycle cost: 470000

Proactive Maintenance

Starting at year 2, we do proactive small and mid-size maintenance projects like filling cracks, sealing and small surface fixes to keep the road in good condition or better.

Year 2: Minor maintenance

Very Good

Cost of individual fix: 15000

Year 9: Minor maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 3000

Year 13: Mid-size maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 45000

Year 17: Minor maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 2500

Bigger Maintenance

At year 23, while the road is still in good condition, we do a bigger maintenance project like resurfacing the road to keep it from getting worse.

Year 23: Large maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 75000

Year 26: Minor maintenance

Very Good

Cost of individual fix: 2000

Year 27: Minor maintenance

Very Good

Cost of individual fix: 10000

Year 31: Mid-size maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 20000

Bigger Maintenance

At year 38, while the road is still in good condition, we do a bigger maintenance project like resurfacing the road to keep it from getting worse.

Year 27: Large maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 100000

Proactive Maintenance

Starting again at year 41, we do occassional proactive small and mid-size maintenance projects like filling cracks, sealing and small surface fixes to keep the road in good condition or better.

Year 41: Minor maintenance

Very Good

Cost of individual fix: 2000

Year 42: Minor maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 10000

Year 48: Mid-size maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 30000

Year 50: Minor maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Bigger Maintenance

At year 57, while the road is still in good condition, we do a bigger maintenance project like resurfacing the road to keep it from getting worse.

Year 57: Large maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 50000

Proactive Maintenance

Starting again at year 59, we do occassional proactive small and mid-size maintenance projects like filling cracks, sealing and small surface fixes to keep the road in good condition or better.

Year 59: Minor maintenance

Very Good

Cost of individual fix: 1500

Year 60: Minor maintenance

Very Good

Cost of individual fix: 7500

Year 63: Mid-size maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 15000

Bigger Repair

At year 69, while the road is still in good condition, we do a bigger repair project like resurfacing the road to keep it in excellent condition.

Year 69: Large maintenance

Good

Cost of individual fix: 75000

In the End

Because of the bigger repair we did at year 69, the road still has some life left in it at the end of our 70 year analysis. This amount is subtracted from all the costs to give us our total life cycle cost.

Year 70: Look at value remaining

Very Good

Summary

Because of the bigger repair we did at year 69, the road still has some life left in it at the end of our 70 year analysis. This amount is subtracted from all the costs to give us our total life cycle cost.

Final Road Condition: Good

Remaining value at 70 years: -60000

The dollar amounts shown here are costs for one mile of one lane of road. They are illustrative and will vary in real life.

Select this approach
Compare to:
Minimum

$881,500

Balanced

$840,500

Explore Other Approaches

Road surface conditions

Poor

A surface with frequent cracks, bumps or potholes, and faded striping.

Fair

A mostly smooth surface with some minor cracking, the occasional pothole and usually clear striping.

Good

A nice smooth surface with minimal cracks, bumps or potholes, and fresh striping.

Very Good

A nice smooth surface with no cracks, bumps or potholes, and fresh striping.

    Pros:
  • Maintains a good to excellent road surface condition at all times
  • Avoids large, costly and disruptive rehabilitation projects
  • Cost less overall than the minimum maintenance approach
    • Cons:
  • Requires more frequent medium and small projects, leading to more frequent traffic disruption
  • Funding is not always available in yearly budgets to pay for medium fixes
  • Requires projects when the pavement is still in good condition, which can be hard to select when other pavement is in fair or poor condition
STATEWIDE SCALE:

This cost is for just one mile of one lane of roadway. Did you know? MnDOT has nearly 30,000 lane miles to care for and there are even more county, city and township roads in Minneosta. We also do a similar analysis for bridges, sidewalks, trails, buses, signs, lights and more!

Return to the Street Smart System Homepage
Back Back