Cost Comparison between Stone Mastic Asphalt and Asphalt Concrete Wearing Course

Stone Mastic Asphalt (SMA) technology has been introduced to Malaysia since the 1990’s. Since then, several trials had lain projects had been initiated for the purpose of evaluating the mix on local road condition. However, the acceptability of SMA is still quite discouraging among the local road authorities. This setback is probably due to the misconception on the high initial cost of SMA. But recently, this claim has been challenged. A Malaysian study revealed that the construction cost of SMA is 10% to 15% less than the conventional mix. Hence, this study aims to compare the construction cost of SMA and ACW20. Initially, a population study on 27 SMA and ACW20 projects was initiated with the assistance of a standardized questionnaire. The result indicated that the construction cost of SMA is indeed significantly higher than ACW20. The study recommended that an economic construction cost of SMA is achievable if the cost of material and thickness of the laid surfacing are properly managed.