North Dakota implementation of mechanistic-empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG).

PDFTech ReportMPC 14-274Mechanistic-empirical pavement designImplementationSensitivity analysisSoftwareNorth DakotaMountain Plains ConsortiumLu, PanBratlien, AndrewTolliver, DenverUpper Great Plains Transportation InstituteUnited States. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Innovative Technology AdministrationUS Transportation CollectionNorth Dakota currently designs roads based on the AASHTO Design Guide procedure, which is based onthe empirical findings of the AASHTO Road Test of the late 1950s. However, limitations of the currentempirical approach have prompted AASHTO to move toward the new mechanistically based pavementdesign procedure described in the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG), which wasreleased to the public for review in 2004 under NCHRP Project 1-37A. MEPDG combines mechanisticand empirical methodology and provides more realistic characterization of in-service pavements. Itsmechanistic approach is both more thorough and more computationally complex than the existingAASHTO design method, and as a result the method can require an extensive number of detailedmaterial, foundational, traffic, and environmental inputs. This and other factors can present a challenge toagencies wishing to implement the new method.Because AASHTO has adopted the MEPDG and highway agencies across the nation are moving towardsits implementation, it is critical that North Dakota becomes familiar with the MEPDG documentation andsoftware and identify input data requirements for design. This report summarizes the findings of MEPDGimplementation in North Dakota, identifies input data needs and research steps of the MEPDGimplementation in the state and also prepares North Dakota for successful implementation of the MEPDGstatewide