Concrete is one of the most common and widely applied construction materials in the world. It is good in compression but weak in tension. The weakness in tension is been catered for through the use of reinforcement but there is still need to ensure that its minimum tensile strength is retained during the course of production and usage to avoid cracks development at the reinforcement cover. Concrete mixes of 1:2:4 (cement: sand: granite) and mortar of 1:6 mix ratio of cement to sand were produced. The ordinary Portland cement (OPC) content was partially replaced with bamboo leaf ash (BLA) from 0% to 12% at 2% interval. They were tested under normal and elevated temperature to know the effect of elevated temperature on their splitting tensile strength. The results obtained showed OPC concrete mix to improve in splitting tensile strength (3.5 N/mm2 to 3.7 N/mm2 at 28 days curing) whereas there was a decrease in the splitting tensile strength obtained for BLA mixes (3.29 N/mm2 to 1.75 N/mm2 for 12% percentage replacement at 28 days curing). The same trend of results was obtained for mortar mix; OPC mix increases from 1.65 N/mm2 to 1.86 N/mm2 while BLA at 12 % percentage replacement decreases from 2.02 N/mm2 to 1.7 N/mm2. OPC concrete and mortar under high elevated temperature (100oC) will improve in splitting tensile strength while elevated temperature decreases the splitting tensile of BLA concrete and mortar mixes at 12%.

Nigeria has a matured flexible pavement road network owned by the public sector called the Federal Road. The 72km road networks from Ilesha – Akure are providing excellent service to road users for interstate movement. Due to movement of vehicles on the road, bitumen pavements tend to crack at some point of their lives under the combined action of traffic and the environment. These cracks are defects in the pavement surfacing which weaken the pavement and allow water to penetrate and cause potholes on the pavement. The results of a study conducted to facilitate the development of road pavement performance models that are appropriate for Nigeria and other similar developing countries, which could predict the rate of deterioration over their lifespan, have been presented. Comprehensive investigations were carried out on the expressway from the Federal University of Technology (FUTA) North Gate to NNPC Mega Station in Akure, Ondo State – apparently one of the busiest section along the road. The data collected are on traffic characteristics, Structural Number (pavement thickness), potholes and other distress types. Using these data and with the help of stepwise regression analysis, models were developed to predict the road pavement deterioration within the area of study and that could be useful for evaluating the failure susceptibility of the road. The calibrated model has 98.8% and 98.7% as R2 and adjusted R2 respectively. The model also has 8.8% (as average) difference between the predicted and actual rate of deterioration. The model can therefore, be used for planning maintenance programs of flexible pavement roads.