7.
Pavement Analysis and Design
OVERVIEW: Pavement design is an integral part of the project decision process.
The project team discusses, considers, and documents the
pavement design as it relates to the overall project. The pavement is
typically one of the major costs of a project. Pavement design affects
maintenance of traffic, constructability, and the environment, as well
as other aspects of the project.
This chapter outlines policies determining:
Who designs a pavement structure
Who approves the design
What the accepted practices for specific pavement
conditions are The pavement design for a project is determined
by:
Volume and composition of traffic
Soil conditions
Availability of materials
Costs (initial and life cycle)
Information required for pavement design includes data on (1) traffic
and axle loads from the Division of Planning and (2) soil characteristics
from the Division of Materials. The designer is advised to request this
information as soon as possible. The procedures for determining
pavement layer thickness and composition are provided in the
Pavement Design Guide issued by the DPWH Division of Highway
Design .
PAVEMENT DESIGN
RESPONSIBILITY: On the basis of the criteria listed below, the project team shall
determine whether the pavement is to be designed by district or
consultant personnel or by the Rehabilitation/Pavement Branch of
the Division of Highway Design.
Design
Criteria* Submitted By Approved By
Responsibilit
y
NHS, Central Office Central Office Central Office
Structural DPWH DPWH DPWH Division
Overlays Division of Division of of Highway
> 20 million Highway Highway Design Design and, if
ESALs, Rehabilitation required,
> 15,000 ADT, & Highway
> 20% Trucks Engineer
< 20 million Project Designer District TEBM Central Office
ESALs, Off the for DPWH
NHS, Preconstruction Division of
< 15,000 ADT, & to Central Office Highway
< 20% Trucks Design
Rehabilitation
< 5 million ESALs Project Designer Project Designer to District TEBM for
& District TEBM for Preconstruction
< 1 mile Preconstruction
* Average daily traffic (ADT) and percent trucks are current data. Equivalent single axle
loads (ESALs) are for a 20-year design. NHS is the National Highway System.
NHS,
STRUCTURAL
OVERLAYS,
> 20 MILLION ESALs,
> 15,000 ADT, &
> 20% TRUCKS: For pavement designs that are to be designed by Central Office Division
DPWH of Highway Design, the project manager shall submit a
written re- quest for a pavement design.
< 20 MILLION
ESALs BUT > 5
MILLION ESALs
OR
1 MILE: The district TEBM for the Preconstruction Branch shall recommend
the design to the Rehabilitation/Pavement Branch and forward it to
the Central Office Division of Highway Design. Documentation and
justification supporting the selection of a specific pavement type
(asphalt vs. PCC [Portland Cement Concrete]), along with supporting
economic analysis, shall be included in the submittal to the Central
Office.
< 20 MILLION
ESALs BUT > 5
MILLION ESALs
OR
1 MILE (cont.): The TEBM for the Rehabilitation/Pavement Branch shall decide
whether to approve the design. The Rehabilitation/Pavement Branch
staff in the Division of Highway Design is responsible for distribution
of the approved pavement design for these projects. The distribution
list includes the location engineer, the Plan Processing Section, and
the consultant, if necessary. The project manager is responsible for
submitting an updated TC 61-29E form when final plans are
submitted to the Central Office Division of Highway Design.
≤ 5 MILLION ESALs
& ≤ 1 MILE: Pavement designs prepared by a consulting engineering firm are to
be submitted to the district. The district is to forward the pavement
design (whether designed by a consultant or by district personnel) to
Central Office Rehabilitation/Pavement Branch for archival and
pavement management purposes and, if necessary, for review of
pavement type selection justification.
If designing a pavement for a new location or if the proposed
pavement type is different from the existing pavement, the designer
is to seek approval of the pavement type selection from the Branch
Manager for Rehabilitation/Pavement in the Division of Highway
Design. Documentation and justification supporting the selection of
a specific pavement type (asphalt vs. PCC), along with supporting
economic analysis, shall be included in the submittal to the Central
Office.
The project manager is responsible for distribution of the approved
pavement design for these projects. The distribution list includes the
location engineer, the Plan Processing Section, and the consultant,
if necessary.
PAVEMENT
DESIGN
SUBMITTAL
FOLDER: The procedure for submission of the pavement design folder is as
follows:
1. The designer shall submit the pavement design folder to the
district TEBM for Preconstruction for approval or
recommendation.
2. The project manager submits all pavement designs to the
Rehabilitation/Pavement Branch of the Division of Highway
Design for review and record keeping.
PAVEMENT
DESIGN
SUBMITTAL
FOLDER (cont.): 3. The Rehabilitation/Pavement Branch reviewer examines
pavement type justification, pavement bid items, and format.
4. The Central Office returns the comments to the project manager.
5. The project manager forwards the comments to the project
engineer or the consultant.
6. To ensure a proper pavement type selection, a consistent format,
and appropriate use of bid items, the Rehabilitation/Pavement
Branch reviews and provides comments on pavement designs,
regardless of who is responsible for approval.
The pavement design folder includes the following:
TC 61-29E form,
Design executive summary
Typical sections and details
Design calculations
Cost comparison of alternatives
Pavement type selection justification
Geotechnical information (indicate if estimated)
Traffic information (show calculations if estimated)
Special notes and provisions
Other documentation, if available and applicable
PAVEMENT
QUANTITIE
S:
The Department of Highways’ standard summary sheets for
"Paving Areas" and "Paving Quantities" are to be used in the
preparation of plans
When there are multiple pavement mixtures and the quantity of any
specific mixture amounts to less than 1,000 tons, substitute a similar
mixture on the project that has a quantity greater than 1,000 tons or
use the mainline mixture type. Minimize the number of mixtures in this
manner when possible. Special consideration should be given to
intersections of different classifications of roadways.
STRUCTURA
L
OVERLAYS: A structural overlay is intended to extend the structural life of the
pavement. Therefore, it will consist of a surface course plus leveling
and wedging. The project manager shall submit a written request for
a structural overlay design to the Transportation Engineering Branch
Manager (TEBM) of the Rehabilitation/Pavement Branch of the
Division of Highway Design.
ENTRANCES,
ACCESS
ROADS,
& APPROACHES: The paving limits for entrances, access roads, and approaches should
be tie-down point, limits of the right of way, or other points as
determined by the project team. For more guidance on paving limits,
see Standard Drawing RPM-110.
The existing pavement type is generally used for entrances. Pave
entrances with a 10 percent or steeper grade. Use the Pavement
Design table below for minimum pavement depths. When greater
pavement depths are warranted, refer to the Pavement Design
Guide.
For curb and gutter sections with sidewalks, use PCC entrance
pavement in accordance with the current Standard Drawing. From
the back of the sidewalk line, replace the existing pavement with one
of the same type and depth if it exceeds the Pavement Design table
below.
For access roads and minor approaches, it is generally desirable to
pave with the mainline design to the back of the radius or touchdown
point if the distance from the end of the radius to the touchdown point
is less than 100 feet. For distances greater than 100 feet, refer to the
Pavement Design Guide or the Pavement Design table below. The
selected pavement design is to be structurally equivalent to or better
than the existing.
PAVEMENT DESIGNS(1) FOR ENTRANCES, FRONTAGE ROADS,
ACCESS ROADS, & MINOR APPROACHES
AGGREGAT ASPHALT(3)
E BASE(2) BASE SURFACE
RIGID
DESCRIPTION (inches) (inches) (inches) PCC
(inches)
ENTRANCE
S
RESIDENTIAL 4 2 1¼ 8 on 4
DGA
COMMERCIAL 6 2 1¼ 8 on 4
DGA
FRONTAGE ROADS, ACCESS ROADS, & MINOR APPROACHES
RESIDENTIAL or
COMMERCIAL &
8 3 1¼
MINOR
APPROACH
ROADS
1. The pavement designs shown are suggested minimums.
2. The same aggregate type as used on the main line is to be used.
3. Surface and base mixture designs should be consistent with other designs used on
the project. Small quantities (generally less than 1,000 tons) of mixtures different
from that used on the project are to be avoided
SHOULDERS: Show the shoulder pavement thickness in the pavement design
document. For those sections with a two-foot paved shoulder and the
remainder an earth shoulder, use the mainline pavement structure for
the shoulder. The cross-slope for the two-foot paved shoulder is to be
the same as the mainline pavement. Do not use full-width DGA
(Dense-Graded Aggregate) shoulders.
Note: Extend the surface course under the guardrail wedge curb as
required. Where the usable shoulder is paved and guardrail is used,
the project team may want to consider paving to the face of the rail
for ease of maintenance and mowing.
When using aggregate at the outside edge of the paved shoulders, an
asphalt seal is required from the outside edge of the paved shoulder to
a point at least two feet down the ditch or fill slope. See Pavement
Design Guide for more details.
PAVED
SHOULDERS
AT
BRIDGE ENDS: Paved shoulders are to be used at bridge ends for all bridge and
approach projects as a means of minimizing erosion at bridge ends.
See Standard Drawings RBB-001 and RBB-002 for details on
shoulder paving at bridge ends.
INTERSECTIONS: Intersections may require special design consideration. See
Pavement Design Guide for more details.
ON-SITE
DETOUR
S
(DIVERSIONS): The pavement design of detours should be determined from project-
specific conditions like duration and traffic. A minimum pavement
design is 1 inch of asphalt surface, 1½ inches of asphalt binder, and 4
inches of DGA base. Traffic-bound base (approximately 6 to 8 inches)
is permitted for detours with less than 400 ADT and a service life of
less than 30 days. If any one course type (base, binder, or surface)
amounts to less than 1,000 tons total for the project, the mainline
mixture type (or the minimum mixture type used on the project) is to be
substituted for that course type.
PAVEMENT—Pavement Design
PROJECT
TIE-INS: Project tie-ins shall be as follows:
Tapers at entrances: Tie into the existing entrance at a 1-inch
to 15- inch taper.
Speed less than 45 mph: The asphalt concrete surface is to be
carried full thickness into the existing pavement or bridge end.
Mill the existing asphalt pavement to tie into the existing
pavement surface course at a 1-inch to 10-foot taper.
Speed greater than or equal to 45 mph:
Rigid pavement (existing): Remove the existing pavement
through the taper area, backfill as necessary, and pave as
shown in the pavement design at a 1-inch to 100-foot taper.
Flexible pavement (existing): Mill the surface as required to
extend the asphalt surface course full depth into the existing
adjacent pavement at a 1-inch to 100-foot taper.
PARKING LOTS: Pavement designs for parking lots should be addressed on a
project-by- project basis.
CONCRET
E
PAVEMEN
T JOINTS:
The RPN and RPS series of Standard Drawings depict the typical
conditions for cement concrete pavement joints, types, and spacing.
For projects where these standard joint placements are impractical or
undesirable, joint details shall be a required component of the
construction plans. For more detail, see Pavement Design Guide and
Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction.
PAVEMENT
MARKINGS: Pavement markings are to conform to the Standard Drawings TTC,
TPM, TTD, and TTS series. For further guidance, refer to the Division
of Traffic Operations or to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control
Devices.
©©©
PAVEMENT DESIGN
PAVEMENT DETAILS WITH CURB AND GUTTER