Local Calibration of AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design Coefficients for VDOT’s Upgrade to Web-Based Software for New Pavement Design

About the report

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) maintains more than 130,000 lane- miles of roadway, making reliable and cost-effective pavement design essential to the long-term performance of the transportation network. Since adopting AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design version 2.2.6 in 2018, VDOT has relied on mechanistic-empirical (ME) pavement design to provide accurate distress predictions and optimized pavement structure designs for all new construction, reconstruction, and pavement widening projects. However, substantial advancements in the Pavement ME Design software—including updates to global calibration coefficients, revisions to distress models, enhancements to environmental data, and the transition from a desktop to a web-based platform—necessitate updated local calibration efforts to ensure continued design reliability under Virginia-specific conditions.

This study developed revised local calibration coefficients for distress prediction models under flexible (asphalt pavements with an unbound base or subbase), semi‑rigid (asphalt pavements with a cement-treated base material), and continuously reinforced concrete pavement within the AASHTOWare Pavement ME web‑based platform (version 3). Jointed plain concrete pavements were not considered in the research because of insufficient sites to use in local calibration. Using predicted versus measured pavement performance data extracted from VDOT’s Pavement Management System, the research optimized calibration factors to align software predictions with observed field performance. These updated coefficients provide a reliable foundation for VDOT’s transition from the desktop platform to the web‑based application, supporting more accurate pavement designs and improved long‑term performance.

The study recommends implementing the new calibration coefficients and associated design values directly within the web‑based Pavement ME system. Because the updated platform includes a redesigned user interface and newly calibrated models, targeted training for VDOT users is strongly encouraged to ensure proper interpretation and application of design outputs. Periodic recalibration using current Pavement Management System performance data is also advised to maintain the long‑term accuracy of the ME design models. Overall, this work enables VDOT to move confidently to the new web‑based Pavement ME platform while ensuring that pavement designs continue to reflect Virginia’s unique traffic, climate, and material conditions.

_{Disclaimer Statement:The contents of this report reflect the views of the author(s), who is responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Commonwealth Transportation Board, or the Federal Highway Administration. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. Any inclusion of manufacturer names, trade names, or trademarks is for identification purposes only and is not to be considered an endorsement.}

Authors