Development Of A Management System For Pavement Conservation In The Urban Road Network Of The Chone Canton

Abstract

This article analyzes the implementation of a Pavement Management System (PMS) as a fundamental tool for optimizing road maintenance, ensuring adequate service levels at the lowest cost throughout the pavement's life cycle. This system integrates planning, evaluation, prioritization, and continuous feedback processes, supported by a database that consolidates information from the road inventory, current conditions, and historical records of interventions. The study focuses on the San Rafael neighborhood in the Chone canton, which serves as a case study. This area is characterized by an urban road network composed of flexible pavements, with a total of 87 sections. The pavement condition was assessed using the Pavement Condition Index (PCI), in accordance with ASTM D6433. A standard unit of 100 m was established, and a representative sample of 30 sections was selected using statistical criteria. The results show that 62% of the road sections are in excellent condition, 35% in very good condition, and only 3% are in good condition, reflecting a generally favorable performance of the road network. Traffic analysis indicates that 90% of traffic consists of light vehicles, so the deterioration is not primarily attributed to vehicle loads, but rather to construction, environmental, and maintenance factors. The estimated intervention cost amounts to $7,268. Finally, road deterioration models are incorporated to predict its evolution and optimize planning, highlighting the need to calibrate them with local data.