Highway Curbing Alternatives: Life Cycle Cost Analysis Study identifies long-term costs for the most popular highway curbing solutions

The University of Massachusetts Transportation Center Research Team, which includes Dr. Michael Plotnikov and Dr. John Collura, has completed a study intended to identify long-term costs for the most popular highway curbing solutions for State DOTs and entitled: “Highway Curbing Alternatives: Life Cycle Cost Analysis”. 

Nowadays, as government and private developers continue to face challenges to keep initial construction and recurring maintenance costs of roadway curbing within project budgets, there is a strong interest to identify the most cost-efficient curbing alternatives, including: (1) pre-cast concrete; (2) slip form concrete; (3) cast-in-place concrete; and (4) granite. To assist in evaluating alternatives, a life cycle cost analysis with a planning horizon of 60 years was employed as a tool to compare both the initial and recurring costs over the life of each alternative. This study expands geographically on earlier studies conducted by UMTC to include the following states: Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New York (except NYC), Pennsylvania, Nebraska, Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Jersey, Michigan, Maryland, Illinois, Indiana, and Washington, DC.  The study also encompasses the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario. A life cycle cost analysis was conducted separately for each jurisdiction to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the final results for transportation agencies seeking the best curbing alternative.

The Final Report prepared by the Research Team can be accessed via the following link: Link to the Final Report.