Analysis of stakeholders' perspectives on surface cracks in cement concrete pavements for rural road projects

Abstract

Surface cracking in cement concrete roads within rural road projects often presents significant efficiency challenges. Annually, the country incurs repair costs totaling hundreds of billions of VND due to these cracks. Through a comprehensive analysis supplemented by expert interviews, this study identified 16 potential causes of surface cracks in concrete roads in Can Tho city. Utilizing questionnaires, data was collected from 129 survey participants currently engaged in units and agencies responsible for the management, design, and construction of rural road projects. The analysis reveals a high level of consensus among stakeholders regarding the occurrence and impact of these crackinducing factors. Additionally, the study ranked these causes based on their risk level. The top five causes include insufficient strength of cement concrete as per design specifications, excessive loads surpassing the allowable bearing capacity resulting in deformation and cracking, inadequate maintenance during construction, delayed or irregular maintenance, and a high water/cement ratio in the mix. These findings offer valuable insights for managers and implementing units of rural transport projects, serving as a practical reference for application in real-world scenarios.

Keywords: surface cracks; causes; cement concrete pavement; rural roads.