Concrete Pavements 201 - Mechanistic-Empirical Design Guide for Rigid Pavements The Mechanistic-Empirical Design Guide (M-E PDG) will be finalized soon and likely adopted by AASHTO as an interim procedure in 2007. The ACPA Concrete Pavements 201 course is intended primarily for pavement design engineers, traffic and materials engineers, contractors, consultants, and others requiring in-depth knowledge of the procedure and software. The M-E PDG is a drastic departure from the empirically-based procedure currently in use by most agencies in both the level of required inputs and the mode of calculation. This focused training course covers the basic elements of the M-E PDG including traffic, material and structural inputs as well as interpretation of results. Two courses are offered per year on a regional basis. The course duration is typically two days, but can be altered at the sponsor’s request. For more information about any of the ACPA education and training courses, contact Michael Ayers, PhD.