Improving the estimation of agency cost associated with increasing axle mass limits

Due to the increased demand associated with rapid the population and economic growth in Victoria, the freight task is expected to increase at a high rate. Estimating the changes in deterioration rates of road pavements and associated damages due to increased volume of heavy freight vehicles and loading requires using reliable and accurate deterioration models. In this thesis, deterioration models of the Highway Development and Management (HDM-4) have been calibrated and used to estimate agency costs associated with different loading scenarios. These will be very useful for road authorities together with the interim pavement age models that have been developed for different road classes.