By the late 1970s, the road sections sealed in the 1950s and 1960s were in need of repair or maintenance to prolong the pavement life. Old bitumen surfaces would deteriorate and crack. Resealing such cracks was a high priority, as expensive reconstruction would be required if water was allowed to enter the road base. Over a ten-year period, $49 million was spent on repairing Albany Highway. The techniques used in this process were then formalised into the 4R Program, which aimed to alleviate a growing maintenance problem – based on a thirty-five-year pavement lifespan, the amount of reconstruction required would be more than double the actual rate of reconstruction. "4R" abbreviated the options that could be used keep roads serviceable: