Updating Climate Module for Pavement ME Design in Oklahoma

Abstract: Abstract
Climate change poses significant challenges to pavement performance as extreme weather patterns become more frequent and intense. Rising temperatures contribute to asphalt softening, increasing the susceptibility of pavements to deformation and rutting. Concurrently, heightened precipitation and flooding events saturate subgrade soils, compromising their stiffness and diminishing structural support, which accelerates cracking and distress, ultimately reducing roadway service life. This paper aims to enhance pavement design practices in Oklahoma by updating the climate module within the AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design software. Traditional pavement design methods often rely on historical climate data, overlooking the anticipated impacts of a changing climate. This study integrates future climate projections, derived from global climate models (GCMs) and high-resolution Oklahoma climate data, into the existing design framework. By merging these future projections with historical data from the Oklahoma Mesonet, the climate inputs for Pavement ME Design are adjusted to account for climate change. This approach enables a more comprehensive assessment of pavement performance under future climatic conditions. Findings from this research will support Oklahoma engineers in developing pavements that are better equipped to withstand future climatic conditions, thereby promoting infrastructure resilience and extending pavement life in the face of evolving climate challenges.

Keywords: Climate change adaptation, Pavement performance, Pavement ME Design, Global climate models (GCMs)