Concrete block pavement is used as a modern pavement type owing to its economic benefits. The physical properties, mechanical properties, and functional characteristics of bedding sand and joint sand, the main components of concrete block pavements, should be accurately understood. Owing to the discontinuous structure of these pavements, load transfer efficiency (LTE) is the most important index from the perspective of performance. The factors that affect LTE are bedding sand (type, grading, and thickness), joint sand (type and grading), and concrete block (shape and pattern). Therefore, the optimal design for concrete block pavements can be achieved by analyzing each factor. In this study, three types of sand (river, quartz, and manufactured) were selected to examine the mechanical properties via direct transfer experiments. It was observed that the shear strength of river sand was the highest. It was also found that the difference between the shear strength and the internal friction angle (according to the content of 0.6 mm in the grading of bedding sand) was not large, and the shear strength and the friction angle increased as the content increased to 0.075 mm. In addition, the load transfer characteristics of the joint and rotational interlocking of the block were evaluated through a non-destructive test using the degree of joint filling, block shape, and construction pattern as variables. As a result, the degree of joint filling had the greatest effect on the load transfer characteristics of the joint and rotational interlocking of the block. The effect of the block shape was larger than that of the construction pattern. When a heavy load is applied, the LTE between blocks must be maintained at 50% or more, and the rotation of blocks at 0.6° or less, if 75% or more of the joint must be filled for preventing excessive vertical deformation.

The historical management of underground utilities such as communication lines, water and sewage pipes, and power lines is essential for their effective use. However, due to the nature of the buried facilities, detecting and tracking them are challenging, although various solutions are difficult to apply in the field, especially optical cables, which are mainly used for communication, making it more difficult to apply existing solutions. There has been limited research on the practicalities of solutions, especially on multilayer structures such as road pavements. Based on a literature review, we selected ultra-high-frequency radio frequency identification (UHF RFID), which is least affected by performance degradation or interference due to batteries. We experimented to identify the signal attenuation based on the medium by controlling the materials and moisture used in the road pavement as variables. The signal reached a depth of 68 cm and this was possible under conditions of asphalt and subgrade soil. In a comparative experiment for each variable, we recognized tags of sand and coarse aggregate up to a depth of 70 cm. When the moisture was considered, the signal attenuation difference was 1.8 dBm for each level. Based on the experimental results of this study, it was confirmed that UHF RFID can be used as a marker sensor to be attached to utilities installed under the road pavement. Depending on the structure and material of the pavement, the signal is sufficiently transmitted up to 40–50 cm, which is the target installation depth of the communication line.