1. Total Cost Structure
The complete economic assessment comprises:
- Capital Costs (40-60% of LCC): Material, transportation, installation
- Operational Costs (20-35%): Maintenance, repairs, inspections
- Replacement Costs (15-30%): Demolition, disposal, new installation
Data normalization: All costs in USD/m² (±5% margin)
Transition: While initial costs dominate budget discussions, maintenance intervals prove equally consequential for long-term value.
2. Component Comparison
2.1 Initial Cost Benchmarking (2015-2025)
[Insert Price Trend Chart: CS/Concrete/HDPE]
ParameterCorrugated SteelConcreteHDPEMaterial Cost85±4.25120±6.0065±3.25Transport Factor1.0x1.8×1.2xInstallation3 days/100m7 days2 days
Source: Utah DOT 2022 Procurement Database (UDOT-HC-2022-017)
2.2 Lifecycle Cost Model
LCC_{steel} = 1250 + \sum_{n=1}^{50}\frac{80}{(1+0.05)^n} + \frac{0}{(1+0.05)^{50}}Key Variables:
- Discount rate (i): 5% (AASHTO 55th %ile)
- Service life: 50y (steel) vs 30y (concrete) per ASTM A796
- Zero replacement cost for steel (75-year verified service)
Transition: Catastrophic failures introduce hidden costs that require probabilistic modeling.
3. Failure Cost Analysis
3.1 Documented Cases
Incident LocationTypeDirect CostDowntime CostI-90 MontanaConcrete$4,200/m3.5x multiplierOntario HDPEDeform.$1,800/m2.1x
Reference: MTDOT Failure Analysis (2019), Transport Canada TC-2021-483
4. Decision Matrix
| Criterion | Weight | Steel | Concrete | HDPE |
|—————–|——-:|——:|———:|—–:|
| Initial Cost | 30% | 85 | 45 | 90 |
| Service Life | 40% | 95 | 60 | 70 |
| Maintenance | 20% | 80 | 50 | 65 |
Key Findings:
✓ 23% LCC advantage in freeze-thaw zones (NACE RP0492)
✓ HDPE vulnerable at >200 kN/m² loads (AASHTO M170 §4.2.3)
✓ Aluminized coatings extend service 40% in coastal climates
