Section grouping method and result analysis in maintenance decision-making of seasonal frozen region highways

Highways in seasonally frozen regions experience accelerated pavement distress due to frequent freeze-thaw cycles, which poses unique challenges to maintenance decision-making. To optimize the allocation of maintenance resources, scientific section grouping is essential for achieving accurate performance prediction. This study takes the national and provincial trunk highways in Jilin Province as the research object and proposes a section grouping method, with a focus on the selection of grouping criteria, implementation procedures, and result analysis. Based on pavement performance data and maintenance records of 12,411 km of highways from 2017 to 2023, grouping was conducted using three-dimensional indicators: highway class, maintenance type, and maintenance year. The effectiveness of grouping was verified through performance deterioration models, revealing differentiated deterioration patterns among groups. This method provides a quantitative basis for precise maintenance decision-making of highways in seasonally frozen regions.