Examining critical factors and their combination effects on quality of roadway construction operations

Available literature shows that numerous factors impact the quality of roadways during construction. Some of these factors might not be perceived to be critical at the individual level but become critical when combined with other factors. A lack of studies have investigated the combinational influence of quality factors on construction operations. This study aimed to evaluate the combinational influence of critical factors on the quality of construction operations. 22 factors were identified and evaluated by a focus group, and a fuzzy set was used to model the inherited uncertainty in expert opinions. The combinational influence of the factors was investigated using the K-means algorithm and the rank ordering weighting method. Results showed that technical aspects such as matching completed work with plans and staff training play a pivotal role in minimizing the quality shortfall of construction. The combinational influence of the 22 factors indicated that the highest influenced construction operation is Portland cement concrete pavement and the lowest influenced operation is earthwork. Finally, a proactive plan was discussed to alleviate the effect of these factors. The developed method minimizes the impact of critical factors on quality of construction, enhances study findings application in practice, and increases the research outcome’s consistency.