Which of the following assessments can help ensure long-term performance of a highway surface?

Regular material testing and quality assurance programs are essential for ensuring the long-term performance of a highway surface. This approach involves ongoing evaluation and monitoring of the materials used in construction and their installation methods. It helps identify potential issues before they become significant problems, ensuring that the highway surface can withstand the stresses of traffic, environmental conditions, and time.

By incorporating material testing, inspectors can assess critical factors such as material strength, composition, and durability. Quality assurance programs provide a systematic way to ensure compliance with specified standards throughout the construction process, thereby enhancing the longevity of the highway surface. This proactive strategy helps in making informed decisions regarding maintenance and repair, ultimately leading to safer and more reliable roadways.

In contrast, relying solely on visual inspections may overlook subtle issues that could later lead to significant structural problems. Seasonal road closures for maintenance provide a temporary solution but do not address ongoing quality control. Lastly, post-construction evaluations are important but should not be the only focus, as they occur after the issues have already manifested, which could have been detected earlier with a robust testing and quality assurance program.