QT has provided materials testing services to the consultant CA team on Water Services projects including: 91st Ave WWTP; Lake Pleasant Waterline; 23rd Ave WWTP Influent Line Upgrade; Broadway Rd Sewer Replacement Phases, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2CSS, and 2D; I-17 & Sweetwater Waterline; and SW Zone 1 Transmission Main.
Materials Laboratory Testing Oriented Contracts: Over the past fifteen years, QT has successfully performed quality control testing, acceptance testing or materials coordination services on several hundred ADOT projects. In 2001 QT was selected by ADOT for an On-Call Materials Acceptance Testing contract and in 2002 ADOT selected them for an Asphalt Concrete Referee Testing contract. Since those initial selections, QT has been reselected by ADOT for each of these contracts at every possible opportunity. As evidenced by the initial selections on these materials oriented ADOT On-Call contracts, and then by the multiple repeat selections that followed, QT has clearly earned the confidence of the ADOT Materials Group, the Districts and the Construction Section.
Full Service Construction Administration Contracts: While QT frequently provides Field Technicians, Laboratory Technicians and Materials Coordinators to fulfill testing and materials information management needs, QT’s services extend far beyond materials testing. QT routinely serves on ADOT projects in the traditional construction administration roles that include Resident Engineer, Chief Inspector, Lead Inspector, Materials Coordinator, Civil Inspector, Structures Inspector, Hot Plant Inspector, Electrical Inspector, Construction Office Manager/Support, and Materials Testing Technician. QT’s ADOT construction administration type work has come through multiple subconsultant agreements on ADOT Statewide On-Call Construction Administration contracts [(30) projects] and on ADOT Project Specific Full Service Construction Administration contracts [(12) twelve projects].
The City of Phoenix initially selected QT for their 2003 On-Call Soils and Materials Testing Contract, has extended our contract at each opportunity, and has subsequently re-selected QT for new On-Call contracts in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2012, and 2015. Over the many years since our initial selection, QT has provided field and laboratory construction materials acceptance testing on nearly 200 separate City of Phoenix Streets and Water Services projects. While most assignments have involved field work only, QT has also intermittently provided lab personnel to work directly in the City of Phoenix Streets Department lab and to provide inspection at commercial asphalt concrete production hot plants. During our tenure on City of Phoenix On-Call contracts, in 2009/2010, QT was also selected for the City’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Materials Testing Contract and served successfully on numerous key assignments involving federal funds.
QT was part of the engineering consultant team that was selected in 2013 by the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority for a multi-year On-call Construction Administration Services contract. The scope of the overall consultant contract is to provide the full spectrum of construction contract administration services on the 30 or more PMGA projects that are expected to be constructed between 2014 and 2018. QT’s role on this team is to provide materials assessment planning, and to conduct the field and laboratory acceptance testing to the extent necessary for assuring that materials compliance is achieved and documented. QT also provided these same services to PMGA between 2007 and 2009 through a similar contract. Individual PMGA projects on which QT has provided materials testing related services are as follows:
| 2007 through 2009 On-Call Contract | ||
| • Taxiway B Construction | • Terminal Parking Lot 30 | • North Apron Storm Drain & Fireline Extension |
| • Taxiway G Extension | • Hanger 31 Site, Grading & Utilities | • South Sossaman Rd, Parking Lots 1 & 2 |
| • North GA Drainage Improvements | • Airfield Perimeter Road | • NW Perimeter Road & Fence |
| • Taxiway Bravo (Kilo to Lima) | • North Sossaman Parking | • South Sossaman Parking Additions (601/602) |
| 2013 On-Call Contract (to date) | ||
| • Taxiway V Reconstruction (pictured above) | • Runway 30L Threshold Reconstruction | |
| • Detention Basin (Mid) – Phase 1 | • Runway 12R & Taxiway G Reconstruction |
The first 19 miles of the METRO Light Rail system in the greater Phoenix Metropolitan area consisted of 5 main geographically defined construction segment contracts, coordinated with nearly a dozen other concurrent corridor-wide contracts that each handled the construction or installation of specialty items and features such as maintenance facilities, special track work, power systems, communication systems, station finishes, parking facilities, the Town Lake Bridge, and overall systems integration. All of these projects were substantially complete by 2009 and the initial light rail system was placed into service at that time.
The next major METRO project to reach construction was the Central Mesa Light Rail Extension which began in mid-2012. This 3-mile long project utilizes the design-build project delivery method and has a construction value on the order of $100 million. Quality Testing, LLC (QT) was a key member of the design-build team that was selected, in part due to qualifications, by the Valley Metro organization. QT initially worked with the prime contractor’s Quality Manager to develop and define an implementable Quality Control (QC) inspection and testing program, provided most of the QC inspection services necessary during early utility relocation work, and is currently providing the majority of the QC materials testing services. Due to our consistent efforts to assure that materials representation is being achieved through sampling and testing, and with our commitment to superior materials testing documentation, QT’s services have earned us an excellent reputation with our client’s quality management personnel and with the METRO oversight personnel.
QT SERVICES ON CP-EV LIGHT RAIL PROJECTS
Constructing the Central Phoenix-East Valley (CP-EV) Light Rail System involved a large number of individual construction contracts, separated by both geographic area and by construction discipline. All of these contracts involved Federal-funding and hence required that appropriate measures be implemented to ensure that quality standards were achieved and documented to FTA satisfaction. Over the span of time between 2005 and 2009 QT served on 13 of these contracts in many different roles. The listing below, with similar scope contracts grouped for demonstration purposes only, identifies QT’s role on each project.
Maintenance & Storage Facility – Building Inspection – Working as a subconsultant to the overall CP-EV Light Rail corridor construction administrator, QT provided the Lead Structural Inspector on the Maintenance and Storage Facility in Phoenix, AZ. This multi-building complex, which initially served as the hub for light rail vehicle assembly, and is now the maintenance and operations hub for the entire corridor, occupies 35 acres and consists of three main buildings along with other minor structures. The main buildings, which together include underground vehicle access bays, a floor hoisting system, a full length mezzanine, a 10-ton crane, roof access openings, a body shop, and a painting room, were constructed using a combination of structural steel, masonry block and concrete. QT was responsible for monitoring initial site earthwork operations, processing various structural fabrication and erection plans, inspecting the work during construction, documenting compliance status, and assuring that as-built plans and building operations manuals were complete for turning over to the VMR.
Tempe Town Lake Bridge – Quality Control – QT provided the Contractor Quality Control materials testing for PCL Constructors on the $21 million Tempe Town Lake Bridge constructed across the Salt River just north of downtown Tempe. This bridge was one of the first large contracts to be constructed on the CP-EV Corridor, and as a result, QT played a significant role in defining the quality management and quality control procedures and deliverable standards that would be expected on later projects.
Line Section 1 & Line Section 2 – Quality Control – QT provided Contractor Quality Control materials testing for Kiewit Western and Herzog Construction on Line Sections 1 and 2, respectively. These projects involved intense initial QT effort developing detailed Sampling and Testing Plans that recognized the appropriate blend of contract special provisions, the MAG Standards, the City of Phoenix MAG Supplements and the ADOT Standards. Once these testing plans were approved, QT’s testing and reporting activities were monitored closely by agency representatives. QT’s ability to keep up with the work intensity, and to efficiently organize and clearly report on the very large volume of test data generated on each project was praised by oversight personnel.
Line Section 4 & Line Section 5 – Quality Assurance – QT provided Quality Assurance materials testing for the VMR Construction Administrator on Line Sections 4 and 5. In this role, QT served the Resident Engineer on an on-call basis to perform field and laboratory testing. QT’s QA test results were utilized to assist the agency in evaluating the reliability and effectiveness of the QC testing that was being performed by others on these sections. On Line Section 5, QT also assisted the Resident Engineer by providing continuous Construction Office Administration personnel and providing an on-call Structures Inspector during the widening of the Apache Bridge over ADOT’s L101 Freeway.
Traction Power Buildings & OCS – Quality Control / Special Inspection – QT provided Contractor Quality Control materials testing and inspection for Mass Electric on the corridor-wide contracts to install power pole foundations and numerous power supply substation buildings. QT also provided all QC inspection for all site soils, concrete, masonry block, and structural steel work associated with these buildings. In addition, QT was responsible for the PAD certification of the buildings.
Park & Ride Stations 1, 2, 5 & 6 – Quality Control & Quality Assurance – QT provided Contractor Quality Control materials testing for Kiewit Western on Park & Rides 1 and 2, and provided Quality Assurance materials testing for the Resident Engineer on Park & Rides 5 and 6.
Station Finishes – Special Inspection – QT assisted the Resident Engineer with special inspection associated with the numerous passenger stations located all along the corridor.
QT joined up with the Pulice/Granite Joint Venture (PGJV) construction contracting team on ADOT’s $100 million Design-Build project that constructed HOV lanes on the L202 (Santan) Freeway between Gilbert Rd and the I-10 Freeway in Chandler, Arizona. In general, this 10 mile long project involved significant quantities of excavation and controlled fill placement; drainage feature and utility relocations; several new retaining walls; asphalt and concrete pavement sections; new concrete median barrier, roadway lighting, signing, and striping. In addition, this project included 5 new major bridge structures to connect the new L202 HOV lanes to both the existing L101 and I-10 freeways.
As is typical for alternate delivery projects of this size and scope, the ADOT contract requirements mandated that the design-build team develop and utilize a formalized Construction Quality Control Plan. QT initially worked closely with PGJV to develop this plan, worked through the review and revision process with ADOT, and ultimately implemented a plan that encouraged teamwork between QT inspection and testing personnel, PGJV production personnel, and ADOT oversight personnel. Drawing heavily from existing ADOT inspection tools and documentation standards, our plan for maximizing quality and minimizing non-compliance and potential re-work situations was well received by ADOT.
UPDATE: The L202 (Santan) project ended in 2012. Due to our success on that project, QT again teamed up with the Pulice/Granite Joint Venture to win a second $100 million Design-Build freeway project, the L202 (Red Mountain) Freeway between L101 and University Dr in Mesa, Arizona. On this high profile alternative delivery project that began in fall of 2014, QT is once again implementing our proven Quality Control Program and providing all inspection, testing, and related documentation.
Northern Parkway, Phase I, was a $42 million conventional bid-build project constructed between February 2012 to October 2013 by the Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). This initial portion of the Northern Parkway runs east/west from Sarival Avenue, just east of ADOT 303L, to Dysart Road, and is located immediately north of Luke Air Force Base and Northern Avenue. The project consisted of 4 miles of new alignment roadway construction; grade separations at Sarival Avenue and BNSF Railroad; and at grade connections at Reems Road and Litchfield Road. The work activities involved major structures and MSE walls; high volume roadway excavation, embankment with settlement requirements, special subgrade preparation, and paving; drainage and irrigation channels; and roadway lighting, signing and traffic signaling. This complicated project required significant coordination effort between the project administration team, the contractor, MCDOT, the cities of Glendale and El Mirage, BNSF Railroad, the Maricopa Water District (MWD), the Flood Control District of Maricopa County (FCDMC) as well as the surrounding farms.
Quality Testing, LLC (QT) was a part of the Construction Management team led by Tristar. Robert Clifford, a key member of QT’s management team, provided construction management over the Northern Parkway project activities associated with the earthwork, paving, drainage and MSE wall construction for the BNSF overpass structure. QT staff was also responsible for the materials management duties such as tracking all material test data, assessing materials compliance, maintaining a certification log, and to a large extent, provided the database tools and expertise for managing other project data including submittals, transmittals, change orders, and quantity tracking for pay estimates.
The general aviation airport system in Arizona is a multi-million dollar investment of public and private funds that must be protected and preserved. To this end, ADOT’s Aeronautics Group has developed an Airport Pavement Management System (APMS) to help smaller local aviation entities manage their pavements and related facilities efficiently and effectively. Every year the Aeronautics Group, utilizing the APMS, identifies airport pavement maintenance projects eligible for funding for the upcoming five years. Once a project has been identified and approved for funding, the airport sponsor may elect to accept a state grant for the project and not participate in the program, or the airport sponsor may sign an intergovernment agreement (IGA) with the Aeronautics Group to participate, after which a construction project is then developed, designed, bid and constructed.
It is the goal of the APMS program to assure that airport pavements are maintained over time such that their overall useful life is extended. In 2014, the ADOT Aeronautical Group hired a consultant team to implement and carry out the APMS program on behalf of ADOT. QT was part of the selected consultant team and is currently providing materials management and planning services during design development, and materials testing and documentation during construction. During the first year of this contract, the 2013/2014 program year, there were a total of thirty separate aviation pavement rehabilitation and maintenance projects spread throughout the State that were developed and managed by the APMS consultant team.
The Vineyard Road, Powerline, and Rittenhouse Flood Retarding Structures (FRS) are located just outside Maricopa County in northwest Pinal County, south of Apache Junction and parallel to the Central Arizona Project (CAP) canal between Baseline Road and Ocotillo Road. Per agreements with the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Flood Control District of Maricopa County (FCDMC) operates and maintains these three earthen dam structures. Together, this 5 mile long group of flood retarding structures protects approximately 72 square miles of residential, commercial, and agricultural land in both Maricopa and Pinal counties from being flooded. If not for these dam structures, major public facilities such as the CAP canal, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, and ADOT’s L202 Santan Freeway would be severely compromised during heavy rains. With the need for dam safety upgrades becoming apparent after 30 years of service, in 2015, an $80 million, 4 year duration, construction project began that will raise the Vineyard Rd FRS nearly 15’, decommission the Powerline FRS, construct a new Powerline channel, provide new principal and auxiliary spillways, and ultimately rehabilitate the Rittenhouse FRS. Due to the safety and funding driven urgency of completing this project, the FCDMC sought a consultant team to assist them with overseeing the construction activities on the Vineyard Road Flood Retarding Structure (FRS) Rehabilitation project. QT was selected by the District for this contract and is currently providing all QA Materials Testing services, along with other specialty capabilities such as Construction Management and Inspection Services, Geotechnical Services, Environmental Services and Public Involvement Services.