Design Life

Pavements are typically designed for a specified “design life”. Design life (or “design period”) is the time from original construction to a terminal condition for a pavement structure. A terminal condition refers to a state where the pavement needs reconstruction.

Structural design is carried out so that the pavement structure is sufficient to withstand the traffic loading encountered over the pavement’s design life. It is recognized that intermittent maintenance and rehabilitation efforts may be needed to preserve a pavement’s surface quality and ensure that the structure lasts through the design life.