Conclusion
Dimensioning of road pavements

Despite the "rational" qualification generally attributed to the French road pavement dimensioning method, the main subject of the preceding developments, it is clear from reading them that it remains marked by a great deal of empiricism.

The progress made since the AASHTO – tests, which have been mentioned many times –, is nonetheless real, whether in terms of material behavior, calculation of multi-layer systems, consideration of freezing and thawing, or understanding of pavement evolution mechanisms.

The structures proposed in the 1998 catalog of structures, which embody all these advances, have now amply demonstrated their reliability, and there's every reason to believe that the expected service lives will be achieved.

It was not possible to go into the methods used in other countries at such length, but it...