<p>Rigid pavements built on an expansive subgrade often sustain damage due to differential movement caused by variations in the subgrade moisture content and the resulting swelling pressure. This study aims to introduce an approach based on swelling pressure for analyzing the deformation of rigid pavements. The analysis takes into consideration the effect of soil matric suction on the modulus of subgrade reaction and potential swelling pressure. The numerical analysis was carried out using the pasternak foundation model, wherein the pavement was idealized as an Euler–Bernoulli beam, the pasternak shear layer represented the granular sub-base supporting the pavement, and the expansive soil was modelled using winkler springs. To demonstrate the practical applicability of the proposed model, a case study is presented for an Indian site and the outcomes are presented. The parametric study clearly illustrates that the modulus of subgrade reaction of expansive soil is the most sensitive and significant parameter for improving the flexural response of the pavement. A flowchart outlining the evaluation procedure is included to provide a visual representation of the analysis process.</p>