Composite pavements have gained popularity in the last fifty years due to their smooth riding surface and heavy capacity substructure. A systematic method of determining the triggering distress is lacking. With a triggering distress found, the maintenance can be more specific to the failure. This study was conducted to address this issue. North Carolina construction and maintenance data was used as the database for this research. In addition to identifying the trigger points on the composite pavements in the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) road system, the prescribed maintenance from the Pavement Management System (PMS) decision trees were determined. Once these prescribed maintenance decisions were determined, an associated unit cost estimate was established for each maintenance option.
