Suggested Citation:
Popescu, Lorina, James Signore, John T. Harvey, Rongzong Wu, Irwin M. Guada, Bruce Steven (2009) Rehabilitation Design for 01-LAK-53, PM 3.1/6.9 Using Caltrans ME Design Tools: Findings and Recommendations. Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis, Research Report UCD-ITS-RR-09-57

In 2007, three projects were selected by the Caltrans Division of Pavement Management, Office of Pavement Engineering as case studies in rehabilitation design using Mechanistic-Empirical (ME) design procedures. Three pavements were used as case studies and their locations are shown in Figure 1:

• 02-PLU-36, PM 6.3/13.9 (in and near Chester)

• 01-LAK-53, PM 3.1/7.0 (near Clearlake)

• 06-KIN-198, PM 9.2/17.9 (Lemoore to Hanford)

The goal of these case studies is to use current rehabilitation field investigation techniques, including deflection testing, material sampling, and Dynamic Cone Penetrometer (DCP) testing, to provide inputs to newly developed ME design and analysis software programs and procedures developed jointly by the UCPRC and Caltrans.

These new programs are CalBack, for backcalculation of layer stiffnesses from Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) data, and CalME, for performance estimates of cracking and rutting based on ME damage models that consider traffic, climate, layer type, and backcalculated stiffnesses. CalME is also capable of producing designs using the Caltrans R-value and CT 356 procedures, which were performed here for comparison purposes.

This project had these objectives:

1. To refine office and field information-gathering methods and office design and analysis techniques with the new software in order to identify changes needed for implementation by Caltrans.

2. To produce alternative designs for Caltrans’ consideration.

The work conducted for each of these case studies consisted of a review of existing documentation, a field site evaluation and a material evaluation, and development of new design and rehabilitation options. This work was performed by the University of California Pavement Research Center (UCPRC) as part of Partnered Pavement Research Center Strategic Plan Element (SPE) 3.4 in conjunction with Caltrans district offices and headquarters staff.

This technical memorandum is the second of three prepared and focuses on the pavement 01-LAK-53,

PM 3.1/7.0, near Clearlake. The memo summarizes the work performed to aid the development of new design and rehabilitation software tools, while simultaneously providing Caltrans with alternative pavement designs. Outlined in the document are the procedures and findings of each step—from pre-site work to site investigation to rehabilitation design recommendations—based upon both current R-value and ME design procedures.