Effectiveness of using Geotextiles in Flexible Pavements and Life-Cycle Cost Analysis

Using geotextiles in between the pavement layers (generally at the interface of subgrade and sub-base) to stabilize weak subgrades has been a well-accepted practice over the past few decades. However, from an economical point of view, a complete life cycle cost analysis (LCCA), which includes not only costs to agencies but also costs to users, is urgently needed to assess the benefits of using geotextile in flexible pavement. Two comparative methods were used to quantify the improvements of using geotextiles in pavements. One is Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) and the other is Economic Analysis. LCCA is a tool which is generally used after the agency has taken decision to implement the project and seeking to determine the most cost-effective means to accomplish the project's objectives. Unlike LCCA, EA considers the benefits of an improvement as well as its costs and therefore can be used to compare design alternatives that do not yield identical benefits, as well as to compare projects that accomplish different