Apponaug Circular: So far, substandard

Posted 2/26/15

To the Editor:

If you are as unfortunate as I am, and you are forced to transit the Apponaug rotary several times daily, we have a few things in common. First and most obvious are the impending …

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Apponaug Circular: So far, substandard

Posted

To the Editor:

If you are as unfortunate as I am, and you are forced to transit the Apponaug rotary several times daily, we have a few things in common. First and most obvious are the impending front-end repair bills that we will most certainly be incurring by the spring. Second, is the catalyst to road rage that builds as we dodge the mogul’s that seem to be everywhere and unavoidable. Last but not least is the most perplexing issue of all. How could the first phase of this obvious substandard construction have been allowed to be put in place, in direct violation of the applicable codes?

In my profession as a construction inspector, for the last 19 years, at the end of the day, every report I write ends with one of two sentences. Either, “The construction has been found to be in accordance with the applicable codes”, or, the construction has been found to be not in accordance to the applicable codes.” I am very interested in reading the construction and inspection reports and fully intend on pursuing the matter as clearly there are some concerns of quality in the project. 

For those of you that are unfortunate to have to use this third world passage on a regular basis, and for the business owners, especially the car dealers, let’s take a quick walk down memory lane and apply what we have seen over the past months to the “applicable codes”. 

During excavation, the Federal Highway Construction Code calls for a “dust mitigation program.” Transiting the area several times daily, I failed to see water trucks specifically on site for dust mitigation, however, what I did see on a regular basis were the owners of the automobile business washing cars on a daily basis that were covered in construction dust at unacceptable and unhealthy levels. Having been a resident on these kinds of construction projects for years, the activity was in direct violation of the applicable codes. I also questioned why the contractor would set up a concrete reprocessing and crushing plant at the foot of the connector and adjacent to homes when it is a well-known fact that that the residual unusable material from the crushing process has silica concerns. This residual material, often referred to as “pond silt”, is also unusable material. Where did it go?

During the excavation of trenches for utilities, I noticed that the contractor was using a method of compaction known as “Bucket Strikes”. A bucket strike is the process when a backhoe slams the bucket onto the earth in an effort to “compact” the material around the base and surrounding levels of the installed utilities. It is a direct violation to the construction code which clearly states that “the use of bucket strikes shall be prohibited,” as the method sends shear waves through the adjacent soil disrupting whatever areas may have been compacted leaving the area susceptible to collapse. The code requires wet compaction with a 24-inch vibratory compactor capable of no less than 2,000 blows per minute in six-inch lifts. Meaning, every six inches of fill needs to be compacted while wet. Each lift also requires compaction testing by a certified laboratory. This clearly was not the case in Apponaug, and in fact, the proof is in the pudding. 

Within just several weeks of the installation of the utilities, the failure to properly compact was visible due to the depressions (or collapse) noted in the patched areas. They are also clearly notable as of this date when you transit the area and the impact of your vehicle sends a shock wave through your front end and into your spinal cord. In fact, the code states that measuring the smoothness of the paved area shall be performed using a 10-foot metal straight edge to measure at right angles and parallel to the centerline. Defective areas are surface deviations in excess of 1/4 inch in 10 feet between any two contacts of the straightedge with the surface.

One quarter inch deviation within ten feet, that’s the code. Presently, areas of deviation exist that can be measured upwards of several inches within two feet or less. Cut edges are supposed to be uniformly filled as to exhibit no deviation in the pavement between the cut and the existing adjacent area. Does anyone believe that the proper care and techniques have been utilized so far?  

Now, some will argue the case and state that the pavement of the first phase is incomplete and that a top coating of pavement will ultimately be seen as the finished project. Agreed, however, because of the fact that compaction was not performed in accordance with the codes within the utility trenches, after the surface coat is applied, these areas over time will continue to collapse causing not only unacceptable road conditions and costly repairs, but continued vehicle damage to the locals. More importantly, as I interpret the code, it does not specify any allowance to deviate from the code for “temporary paved repairs”. In other words, temporary repaired areas shall exhibit the same finish characteristics as the final product. 

This is not the first time that I have spoken about compaction failure and code compliance. Since I deal with code compliance on a daily basis I find it difficult to ignore the obvious shoddy construction that we have witnessed in Warwick and in Rhode Island for that matter, on a number of occasions. Road collapse, sewer collapse, and manhole cover collapse, have all been the subject of media coverage in the recent past and are evident throughout the city. What is the common denominator? It’s obvious, and if you didn’t know it five minutes ago, you know it now. Our local construction is not in accordance with the applicable codes. 

As further proof of my allegations I would direct your attention to the publication Business Insider (www.businessinsider.com) and the article dedicated to the 10 states with the worst roads in the country. You guessed it, at the top of the list and the holder of the coveted “we’re the worst” trophy, is non other than Rhode Island. 

Having spent now almost two decades with my face buried in code books, what I have found very interesting is the fact that all of the authors seem to have the same initials. Ph.D. Maybe they know a little more than the contractors that we seem to hire over and over locally and statewide. Maybe there actually is a correlation between code compliance and quality. Unfortunately, the Apponaug project is not an example of the aforementioned. 

Rob Cote

Warwick

Comments

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  • JerryFerreira

    Same old mentality! Nothing gets done the correct way. No one (in charge) seems to remember the adage, 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'.

    Saturday, February 28, 2015 Report this

  • Stella

    How about that fine job repairing the Rt 37 overpass of Jefferson Blvd, or how dangerous the site was during construction. Where were the state inspectors on this project. I am no traffic engineer but anyone can see that this road surface will be a mess in no time. Maybe we should let all the supervisors drive sports cars rather than SUVs so the can figure out the obvious.

    Saturday, March 14, 2015 Report this

  • Straightnnarrow

    Thanks Mr Cote for your letter. Somebody must have read it because they heve have since tried to repair the damage.

    Thursday, March 19, 2015 Report this

  • RollerDerby

    Well written Mr Cote. All of the substandard workmanship you cite is true and ongoing unfortunately. This story is replayed day after day in most towns and cities all over the country as contractors and subcontractors take our tax money money and run while our city inspectors and officials turn a blind eye to proper construction means and methods. Hopefully your courage and efforts to attract attention to Warwick's ongoing problem has not fallen on deaf ears. If each city hired just one inspector with the amount of experience, concern, and common sense you have, each dollar spent on that inspector's payroll would be recovered a thousand fold through proper oversight and accountability. Your references to improper soil compaction techniques reminded me of an old poster in a fellow co-workers office that read "It'll settle... eventually" . He was a great Civil Engineer, a wealth of knowledge with a passion for quality workmanship and tremendous duty to his company and society.

    Friday, April 10, 2015 Report this