PaveXpress, the free, Web-based pavement design tool, has been upgraded to version 2.0 with a new module for asphalt overlay designs. The majority of road projects managed by public works and road agencies today involve pavement maintenance and preservation; the new module makes it easy to design asphalt overlays that preserve a pavement’s structure while improving smoothness, safety, and drivability.
PaveXpress creates technically sound pavement structural designs for flexible and rigid pavements based on widely accepted industry standards from the American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials (AASHTO). It is designed for use by local agencies, engineers, architects, consultants, and engineering students who need a reliable way to quickly determine the necessary pavement thickness for a given section of roadway or project.
For both overlays and new pavements, the software only asks users for inputs required to create technically sound pavement designs, and it suggests industry-accepted defaults where appropriate. The default values can be adjusted to meet locally calibrated values, and context-sensitive help and guidance tools are available at every step of the design process. The overlay module uses 1993 AASHTO Guide Chapter 5 pavement evaluation guidelines to evaluate the existing pavement structure prior to placing an overlay with different decision pathways for condition surveys or non-destructive testing.
To introduce PaveXpress and the new overlay module to users, a webinar highlighting the tool’s capabilities will be hosted by the Asphalt Pavement Alliance on July 29 at 2:00 p.m. ET. To register for the webinar, visit AsphaltPavement.org/Webinar.
Additional webinar sessions will be held on August 6 and September 9, depending upon demand. One professional development hour (PDH) can be earned by attending the webinar.
PaveXpress is based upon design equations from the 1993 AASHTO Guide for the Design of Pavement Structures and the 1998 Supplement to the AASHTO Guide for the Design of Pavement Structures. It supports the design of new flexible and rigid roadway pavements, asphalt overlays, and heavy-duty asphalt parking lots. For light-duty parking lots, the tool provides access to state-specific flexible pavement designs based upon industry-accepted standards and guidance.
Projects created in PaveXpress can be printed, shared, and saved, and design options can easily be evaluated in a side-by-side comparison. As a browser-based tool, PaveXpress can be accessed from any computer or mobile device, regardless of screen size or operating system.
Since its introduction in September 2014, there have been more than 5,000 users of PaveXpress, including users at state and federal departments of transportation, local agencies, tollway authorities and educational institutions.
