Compared to other pavement preservation options, what is a disadvantage of preventative maintenance thin lift?

• A. Lower initial cost
• B. Higher initial cost
• C. Easier application
• D. No maintenance required

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that thin lift preventative maintenance requires a real wearing surface, so the upfront investment is higher. Laying a thin overlay involves precise mix design, thorough surface preparation, and quality control, plus the need for specialized paving equipment, more labor, and often extended traffic control and closure time. All of these add material and labor costs per area compared with simpler surface treatments. So, even though the long-term performance can be better and life expectancy longer, the initial cost is the primary downside when comparing to other preservation options.