Implementation Initiatives of the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guides in Indiana (05-1407)**
Tommy E. Nantung, Indiana Department of Transportation
Ghassan R. Chehab, American University of Beirut, Lebanon
Scott Newbolds, Benedictine College
Khaled Galal, Engineering and Research International
Shuo Li, Indiana Department of Transportation
Daehyeon Kim, Chosun University, South Korea

The release of the Mechanistic-Empirical Design Guide for New and Rehabilitated Pavement Structures or M-E Design Guide generates a new paradigm in designing and analyzing pavement structures. No longer will an agency design pavement sections with minimal input using a design procedure where thickness is based on empirical relationships with no requirements of meeting performance criteria. In meeting the increased traffic demand, a new pavement design procedure is needed to assure that selected performance criteria are met during the design life. A desire to have a more accurate pavement design however, is countered with considerable amount of information needed often leading to complexities in the design process. In implementing the M-E Design Guides, in-depth knowledge of pavements and implementation planning have to be attained for optimal utilization of the design input requirements. More design inputs do not always guarantee a rational design; rather, thorough knowledge of pavement structure and its relationships to key distresses and performance, in addition to advanced traffic studies, sensitivity analysis, and local distress models calibration are required. For that purpose, implementation initiatives were laid out by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). Presented in this paper are investigative studies, sensitivity analyses, and implementation initiatives conducted by INDOT for each design module in the M-E Design Guide