IMPLEMENTATION OF THE AASHTO MECHANISTIC EMPIRICAL PAVEMENT DESIGN GUIDE (AASHTOWare PAVEMENT-ME DESIGN) FOR FLEXIBLE PAVEMENTS – THE CASE OF UGANDA

Abstract

For decades, the AASHTO 1993 method was relied on for pavement design in the U.S and is still being used in some U.S states, and in countries outside the U.S, including Uganda. In 2008, AASHTO published the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG): A Manual of Practice, and released the first version of the accompanying software program AASHTOWare Pavement-ME. The release of this Mechanistic Empirical (ME) design guide generated a paradigm shift for designing and analyzing pavement structures. Moving from the previous empirically-based to ME-based design procedures provides a number of advantages, including the evaluation of a broader range of vehicle loadings, material properties, and climatic effects; improved characterization of the existing pavement layers; and improved reliability of pavement performance predictions. However, its implementation is presented with various challenges especially in data-scarce countries outside the U.S. This thesis serves as a guide for the implementation of Pavement-ME in Uganda, a country situated in the Great Lakes region of Africa. It comprises of a sensitivity analysis on how selected input parameters effect predicted results of pavement distresses in Uganda. It also proposes a framework for the calibration of Pavement-ME as well as exploring the challenges and opportunities for implementation of Pavement ME in Uganda. Finally, the thesis recommends a roadmap for the implementation of Pavement ME in Uganda based on the findings of this study and the data available.