Services
What we do
- Construction Materials Testing
- Geotechnical and Foundation Engineering
- Phase I and II Environmental Assessment
- Forensic Evaluations and Failure Analysis
- Contractor Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans & Trench Safety Plans
- Retaining Wall and Slope Stability Analysis and Design
- Asphalt and Concrete Pavement Analysis and Design
- Soil Exploration and Groundwater Monitoring
2019 and 2022 SAM Street Resurfacing Project
This project involved conducting tests on asphaltic-concrete construction materials and resurfacing approximately 60 city streets throughout the City of El Paso.
This project involved conducting tests on asphaltic-concrete construction materials as required by the City of El Paso Inspector and resurfacing approximately 60 city streets throughout the City of El Paso. This resurfacing was achieved by milling existing pavement roadways and applying a two-inch overlay to the streets, requiring a total of 50,000 tons of asphaltic-concrete pavement.
CQC requested the approved asphalt submittals for review during our laboratory testing, and our field services team obtained asphaltic-concrete samples from the streets where the General Contractor was paving. Due to the close communication between CQC's office dispatch and field technicians, we were able to coordinate having a technician on-site while an additional technician transported the asphalt samples from the project site to our office laboratory. Tests conducted on these samples included sieve analysis, oil content, density, and percentage of voids, all aimed at confirming that the asphaltic-concrete met the project's plans and specifications.
The laboratory results were then compared to the Job Mix Formula (JMF) from the General Contractor's approved submittals. CQC’s on-site technician continued with asphalt placement observations, overseeing the rolling pattern for asphalt compaction as directed by the General Contractor. Other tests performed on the placed asphaltic-concrete pavement at the project site included density tests, thermal profile tests, segregation profile assessments, and pavement observation reports. All laboratory tests were conducted in accordance with TxDOT test procedures.
Challenges During Construction and Associated Solutions
Challenges encountered during construction mainly revolved around the placement and compaction of the HMAC (Hot Mix Asphalt Concrete). In certain instances, when HMAC samples were tested, several challenges arose: the sieve analysis differed from the required specifications, the oil content exceeded the acceptable limit, the voids in the sample were below the specified range, or the density of the placed HMAC did not meet the required compaction standards. Whenever such situations arose, CQC promptly notified the City Project Manager, the General Contractor Project Manager, and the HMAC supplier of the issue. Subsequently, the supplier made the necessary corrections at the plant to ensure that the HMAC delivered to the project met the required specifications. In cases involving density issues, the General Contractor undertook re-compaction in the affected areas to attain the required density levels.
2019 and 2022 SAM Street Resurfacing Project