Rutting is one of the most common distresses in early damage to asphalt pavements. It can raise the risk of ride safety issues, accelerate pavement deterioration, and increase maintenance costs. To investigate the factors that affect the rutting resistance of asphalt mixtures, internal factors (such as aggregate gradation, asphalt content, and layer thickness), external factors (including temperature and traffic loading), and human factors (such as compaction degree) were tested using wheel tracking tests. The test results showed that the rutting resistance of asphalt mixtures can be improved by designing a tightly interlocked aggregate skeleton using the Bailey method's primary control sieve, using an optimal asphalt content, achieving sufficient compaction, maintaining a layer thickness of 2.5–3 times its nominal maximum aggregate size, using an asphalt softening point higher than the pavement temperature, and avoiding overloaded vehicles. In highly rutted areas, it is recommended to use a stone mastic asphalt with a stable aggregate skeleton matrix and styrene-butadiene-styrene modified asphalt with a softening point higher than the highest pavement temperature.

The present study compared the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of four pavement treatments, including hot in-place recycling, milling and filling, thin HMA overlay and microsurfacing. The multiple regression analysis was employed to investigate the effectiveness of treatments and the effect of pretreatment rutting severity and traffic conditions on maintenance effectiveness. The rutting depth (RD) was selected as a performance indicator. The reduction of RD degradation rate and increase in average RD over monitoring period were used as measures of treatment effectiveness. Life-cycle cost analysis was performed to evaluate the treatment cost-effectiveness over a 50-year analysis period. Results indicate that the hot in-place recycling possesses the highest effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Using reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) at appropriate maintenance timing substantially benefits for restoring the rutting resistance of asphalt pavement. These findings provide project agencies with quantitative evidence to support the establishment of the rutting-based maintenance decision-making system and the utilization of RAP in the sustainable pavement management strategies.