Project Highlights

S&ME provided construction materials testing and inspection services for a 1,000,000 square foot, multi-phase, seven-story pre-cast concrete parking deck to provide parking for 2,860 cars at the Carolinas Medical Center. Our construction services included a groundwater monitoring and control system design that was required after structural and grading plans were developed. S&ME had conducted a subsurface exploration for the project and identified groundwater levels; however, the final project grading requirements and plans meant having to deal with shallow groundwater conditions, especially during construction. S&ME designed a groundwater control plan and provided design modifications as needed to accommodate drilled shaft and grade beams construction that required excavation below the groundwater table.

S&ME provided drilled shaft construction inspection services including load capacity evaluations (in the field). Providing our services in this manner allowed many of the drilled shafts to be constructed to a shallower depth that ultimately led to about $100,000 in savings to the owner. In addition, S&ME provided reinforcing steel (rebar) inspections that allowed the contractor to proceed with drilled shaft concrete placements without having to wait on the local building inspector. This was discussed and agreed upon with the inspector on the first day of the project- the inspector was well aware of S&ME’s capabilities and thoroughness of our inspections. We also had in-progress field reports available for the inspectors review when he did visit the site, and he was pleased. S&ME also provided rebar inspections for other structural concrete areas when the structural engineer’s representative could not be present. S&ME also provided proof load observations for a tie-back wall retaining wall and concrete testing of shotcrete that covered the wall; fill and backfill testing; asphalt pavement testing; monitoring utility construction during road crossings/closings at night and during weekends; structural precast plant inspections and field welding inspections of precast concrete panels.