Comparative evaluation of flexible and rigid pavements for low-traffic urban streets

Low-traffic urban streets form a significant portion of municipal road networks and play a vital role in ensuring local connectivity, accessibility, and socio-economic activity. The selection of an appropriate pavement type for such streets is a critical engineering decision that influences construction cost, service life, maintenance demand, and overall sustainability. This research presents a comparative evaluation of flexible and rigid pavements specifically in the context of low-traffic urban streets, where traffic volumes are limited but serviceability expectations remain high. Flexible pavements, typically composed of bituminous layers over granular bases, are widely adopted due to their lower initial cost and ease of construction, whereas rigid pavements, constructed using cement concrete slabs, are known for higher structural capacity and longer design life. The abstracted analysis synthesizes findings from established pavement design guidelines, performance studies, and urban infrastructure research to assess structural behavior, load distribution, distress mechanisms, construction feasibility, and life-cycle considerations. Particular emphasis is placed on urban constraints such as frequent utility cuts, limited right-of-way, drainage issues, and maintenance accessibility. Comparative indicators including initial investment, maintenance frequency, user disruption, environmental footprint, and adaptability to low traffic loading are discussed. The evaluation highlights that while flexible pavements offer advantages in terms of initial affordability and ease of rehabilitation, rigid pavements demonstrate superior durability and reduced long-term maintenance under appropriate construction and subgrade conditions. The research underscores that pavement selection for low-traffic urban streets should not rely solely on traffic loading criteria but must also incorporate economic, environmental, and functional considerations. The findings aim to support municipal engineers and urban planners in making context-sensitive pavement choices that balance performance, cost efficiency, and long-term serviceability within constrained urban environments.