A construction quality index for highway construction

Changes in policy regarding the use of contractor-conducted testing in quality assurance decisions have hit state highway agencies (SHAs) during a time of continuing reduction in agency personnel. These changes have increased the need for quality-driven contractors. This, coupled with more agencies adopting specifications tied to performance, places more requirements on contractors to emphasize quality management in their operations. There is a need for rational, comprehensive methods to evaluate a contractor's end product from a quality perspective; thus, there is a need for new techniques and approaches for examining and rating the quality of performance. Researchers and practitioners alike should benefit from this description of the construction quality index (CQI) developed through a grant from the Florida Department of Transportation. The CQI is a rating of the quality of materials and workmanship on highway projects that, unlike current quality rating models used by SHAs, is completely objective. Under limited validation testing, the model proved able to assign quality index values consistent with the owner's level of satisfaction with the overall project.