ABSTRACT
The development of modern pavement design took a major step in the sixties with the use of mechanistic methods. A similar trend occurred with the development of pavement evaluation techniques and the characterization of pavement materials and subgrades in mechanistic terms.
The development of Pavement Management Systems [PMS] started in the USA in the seventies.
From the start there was a trend to keep pavement management separate from pavement design. Most transportation agencies had different divisions for these two activities, even though pavement evaluation techniques were sometimes used by both. Road Maintenance was also usually in a separate division.
The performance of a road pavement depends on its components, on subgrade, layer thicknesses, workmanship, loading conditions, climate, but also maintenance actions (preventive and corrective), rehabilitation activities and, obviously, available funds. That means that design, evaluation and maintenance management should be completely integrated which can be accomplished in a modern PMS.
