Pennsylvania
PennDOT Rapid Bridge Replacement Public-Private Partnership (P3)
TRC provided quality assurance and in-plant fabrication inspection of structural concrete, steel products and geotechnical test borings for this first P3 in the U.S. to bundle multiple bridges into a single procurement.
Challenge: Moving Fast to Fix the Keystone State’s Bridges
Maintaining Pennsylvania’s bridges is no easy task. The state has one of the largest and oldest inventories in the nation, and thousands of its bridges are rated structurally deficient. The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation prioritized 558 for replacement, which could have taken more than a decade to complete.
Solution: Expert Quality Assurance and Materials Fabrication Inspection
Instead of using conventional design, procurement and construction methods, PennDOT partnered with a private developer to initiate the $900 million Rapid Bridge Replacement Project to replace bridges of similar size and design. The largest public-private partnership (P3) of its kind in the U.S., the project upgraded bridges in every corner of the 46,000-square-mile state.
As the project’s Construction Quality Assurance Firm (CQAF), TRC played a pivotal role, providing on-site quality assurance inspection of all 558 bridges as well as in-plant fabrication inspection of structural concrete and steel products and geotechnical test borings for 200 bridges.
In addition to150 field engineers, auditors and inspectors, our project management team was led by a Construction Quality Acceptance Manager (CQAM), three Regional Assistant Managers and a field management team including six Area Field Managers (AFM) regionalized across the state.
We performed inspections and material sampling/testing to ensure all work and materials met the project’s acceptance criteria and the guidelines of the program’s Quality Management Plan. We conducted all quality assurance inspections in approved prestressed concrete, precast concrete and steel fabrication facilities that supplied materials for the project. Our team reviewed, approved, authorized, examined and confirmed any methods or procedures contained in PennDOT’s Construction Specifications including review and approval of design changes where work was found to be in noncompliance with the project’s specifications.
Result: Decades Long Project Completed in Four Years
TRC’s efficient approach to quality assurance was vital to PennDOT’s P3 approach and enabled the state to restore more than 550 bridges in only 48 months – keeping costs down for taxpayers and minimizing frustrating closures for drivers.
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