Unannounced Quality Inspections on Road Construction Sites: One Non-Compliance in Bauska Municipality
The Road Competence Center of Latvijas Valsts ceļi (LVC) carried out unannounced quality inspections at road construction sites in June. A total of 56 samples were taken, revealing 10 non-compliances. In Bauska municipality, two sites were inspected, and one non-compliance was found in sand material that had not yet been installed.
To monitor construction quality, specialists from the Road Competence Center (AKC) of Latvijas Valsts ceļi (LVC) conduct not only routine tests but also unannounced inspections during the construction season. Engineers arrive at construction sites without prior warning and take samples of construction materials to verify compliance with contract requirements.
This year, such inspections were carried out at 21 sites, with multiple visits to some. In total, 56 samples were taken – 17 asphalt and 39 mineral material samples. The mineral material tests revealed seven non-compliances, three of which were assessed as minor. In two cases, the non-compliant material was dismantled; in one case, further installation was stopped and a different material was approved. In another case, the material had not yet been installed, allowing a substitution, while one case is still under evaluation. The main parameters of non-compliance were granulometry and filtration coefficient. For asphalt samples, three non-compliances were recorded, two of them minor; in one case, additional samples were taken from the installed layer, and final assessment has been deferred.
In Bauska municipality, unannounced inspections took place at two sites. On the A7 highway from Iecava to Zorģi, where pedestrian and cycling infrastructure is being built, a construction material sample taken in June was found to be compliant. On the P87, P89, and V1016 roads, known as the Bārbele road repair section, five tests were conducted. One test revealed a non-compliance in sand material, but since it had not yet been installed in the road structure, it was not used. Subsequent daily supervision confirmed that the replacement material met project specifications.
LVC Technical Director Endijs Līdaks noted that unannounced inspections have been conducted for more than a decade to motivate contractors, manufacturers, and suppliers to deliver construction products that meet contract requirements and to promote fair competition. “With unannounced inspections, we achieve our goal – all participants in the construction process pay increased attention to material quality because no one knows where or when the next inspection will occur,” Līdaks explained.
