A comparison was made of pavement behaviour and performance as measured during an accelerated pavement test conducted by the Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS) in 1980, and actual behaviour and performance of the same pavement section measured in 1996. Behavioural aspects such as deflection, Dynamic Cone Penetrometer shear strength, moisture and density were found to correlate reasonably well with measurements made during the accelerated pavement test 16 years earlier. Rutting measured in 1996 compared well with rut depths measured during the accelerated pavement test at a similar number of equivalent standard axles. Rut development as measured during the accelerated pavement test also compared well with predictions made with the World Bank's Highway Design and Maintenance Program (HDM). Results obtained indicate that, for the pavement section studied, environmental effects did not significantly change the behaviour and performance of the pavement.