Soil and Aggregate Certification Program

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INTRODUCTION

The Center for Research and Education in Advanced Transportation Engineering Systems (CREATEs) at Rowan University is offering a soil and aggregate technician certification program that will comply with AASHTO R-25, Technician Training and Qualification Programs. The program aligns perfectly with CREATEs mission, “to conduct cutting edge, applied, and readily implementable research in transportation engineering. We seek to ensure a diverse working environment that educates and trains the next generation of professionals, and enhances the skill sets of the current workforce that can meet the engineering demands of the 21^st century.”

The laboratory facilities at South Jersey Technology Park, where CREATEs is housed, include an asphalt binder and mixtures as well as soil and aggregate laboratories. These labs are managed by highly qualified staff capable of performing relevant tests using state-of-the-art specialized binder/mixture, soils, and aggregate material characterization equipment. The center is equipped and staffed to support training activities, pavements and materials-related research and development, complimented by test equipment that includes a Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD), Heavy Vehicle Simulator (HVS), Asphalt Mixture Performance Tester (AMPT), etc. The center is AASHTO Materials Reference Laboratory (AMRL) accredited and is; therefore, capable of performing standard American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), and agency specified testing. It houses conventional construction material test equipment as well as advanced testing systems and sophisticated one-of-a-kind research instrumentation. This document provides information about CREATEs’ soil certification program; its purpose, advisory committee, training schedule, certification requirements, and fee associated with the program.

Important Note: Basic reading comprehension skills as well as basic math skills including algebra, ratio/proportions, and understanding of basic statistics (i.e. mean/mode/median, standard deviation etc.) are prerequisites for this program.

PURPOSE

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) requires that all sampling and testing data used in acceptance decisions on National Highway System projects be conducted by qualified personnel. This certification program is intended to meet the requirements of the Code of Federal Regulations, 23 CFR, Part 637, Quality Assurance (QA) Procedures for Construction, issued June 29, 1995. The regulation states, “All sampling and testing data to be used in the acceptance decision or the independent assurance program will be executed by qualified sampling and testing personnel”.

Through certification, minimum or benchmark levels of qualifications are established for both industry and agency personnel. In addition, the number of qualified technicians and their abilities can be increased at the same time. In certain occasions, disputes may arise between owners and contractors due to differences in testing results. Certified technicians with the same training put both sides on level grounds so instead of arguments focused on technicians and test equipment, the dispute will be more on other sources of variability; such as variability of the material itself.

This course will qualify the technician or inspector to properly sample and test soils and aggregates in accordance with the test methods specified by agencies/owners. There is a need to establish this certification program because it is not currently offered within the State of New Jersey. Certification Programs already exist in New Jersey for HMA mix design and construction (i.e. by New Jersey Society of Asphalt Technologists (NJSAT)) and several concrete certifications are available through American Concrete Institute (ACI) given at the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey (PANYNJ) in Jersey City. Please note that the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) provides in-house soil and aggregate training for its employees; however, technicians and inspectors in local government agencies, consultants and material suppliers must currently travel out of state for several days to obtain this type of certification. The unavailability of this certification in the state of NJ presents hardship for the employer and employee that can be avoided by establishing a soils and aggregate certification center at Rowan CREATEs.

PROGRAM’S AGENDA

¹ Lunch will be served at starting at 11:45AM until 12:15PM every day.