Due to the stringent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) specifications—including P501 mix concrete—it was imperative the Quality Control and Quality Assurance people be more involved in this project than they may be on other projects, Ezam explained. Sully-Miller had a full team of Quality Control people on the job on a daily basis. The elaborate Quality Control plan touched all phases of the project. The schedule was tied into the plan, as well as approval of all materials used on the project. All sub-contractors on the project were also tied into the plan.

“For example, the rebar cages were manufactured in Texas,” Ezam says. “We set up inspection of the cages at the manufacturer’s facility to ensure quality/approval of the product prior to shipping to the job.”

Sully-Miller hired Twining Labs to oversee the implementation of the quality plan on the job on a daily basis.

The biggest challenge on this project, according to Ezam, was to come up with a way to pour concrete every other night. Once they came up with the plan to use the plates, they had to make sure the plates would easily move from one hole to another each night, similar to a checkerboard pattern. They also constructed a movable platform on wheels that bridged over each hole so that the finishing crew could work on the concrete before it set up.

Ezam says the Sully-Miller changed the original phasing plan set forth in the contract to minimize impact to the airport operations. Doing the paving this way saved the airport money.

All the pours were by hand, placing 130 cubic yards of concrete each night. Sully-Miller had laser screeds and four to five concrete vibrators on hand each night. The crews also used excavators and rollers to prepare the sub-grade. Jim Copley, Sully-Miller’s Quality Control Director, played a key role on this project, as did Ron Salcido, Sully-Miller’s Chief Estimator.

Sully-Miller Contracting is a 70-year-old general contracting company. They do concrete and asphalt paving and underground work throughout southern California.

According to Ezam Khazeni, project manager for Sully-Miller, the high-early strength concrete they used on the runways never failed in strength.

The high-early concrete, which set up in a maximum time of a 1/2 hour, had four hours to cure each night to get the proper strength. Ezam says that prior to beginning the first pour, Sully-Miller poured a test strip on-site and tested it to assure proper strength.

The concrete vendor, Associated Ready Mix, had their own Quality Control representative on the job each night, as did all the other agencies involved.

“The concrete pours went well because of all the different people involved in the job each night,” Ezam explains.

In addition to the runways and turns, Sully-Miller had crews onsite working in closed areas 24 hours a day. The work they did in these areas was similar to that done in the night areas, but these areas were a safe distance from the aircraft so the work could proceed without having to open the areas every day for aircraft traffic. All together, Sully-Miller had 40 employees on the project.