Specifications include, but are not limited to: MnDOT requests responses for assistance finding solutions to mitigate dowel/tie-bar propagated cracking. Most agencies around the country use dowel bars as a means of load transfer for their higher volume concrete pavements. The dowel bars specifications used around the country are more of a standard as opposed to an engineered property of the concrete pavement. Dowel bars are intended to transfer loads across transverse joints while minimizing bearing stresses. With the advent of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)Ware Pavement ME Design process, many concrete pavements are thinner than they were in the past, while carrying more truck traffic than they previously did. In addition, the potential need for dowel bar retrofits on thinner sections may arise as a need in future rehabilitations. Most dowel bar specifications are currently based on slab thickness rather than bearing stresses. Smaller diameter dowel bars will have higher bearing stresses and will cause pavement deterioration sooner than designs utilizing larger diameter bars. However, larger diameter dowel bars are much stiffer than smaller diameter bars, and if critical bending stresses develop in the concrete surrounding the dowels as a result of slab warping and curling, the stiffer bars may cause the concrete to crack.