Supervision, Quality Control and Rehabilitation of the Road, Bridge and Tunnel Network

A large-scale consultancy assignment under which Radian Engineering Consultants provides technical and administrative supervision and quality control for the delivery, maintenance and rehabilitation of 18 road projects transferred from the Ministry of Transport in Buraidah, the principal city of Al-Qassim Region and one of the largest cities in central Saudi Arabia. The portfolio has a combined value exceeding SAR 500 million and covers approximately 218 km of major and strategic roads and corridors connecting the city, its gateways and extensions to the regional road network, together with associated bridges, tunnels, junctions, footways, pedestrian routes, lighting, landscaping, road-safety elements and urban-realm enhancements.

The works include road rehabilitation and capacity improvement; milling and removal of deteriorated asphalt layers and resurfacing; treatment of potholes, settlement, cracking and ravelling; rehabilitation of pavement layers, shoulders and slopes; and road marking, lining and traffic-signage works. They also include structural and preventive maintenance and rehabilitation of bridges and tunnels; upgrading of footways, kerbs and pedestrian routes; lighting, planting and landscape works; stormwater and flood drainage associated with the sites; and treatment of visual blight, thereby enhancing asset safety, sustainability, usability and operational efficiency.

The consultant’s scope includes inspection and comprehensive surveys of project sites; review of designs, drawings, specifications, geotechnical reports, bills of quantities and contract documents; and verification of their completeness and suitability for site conditions and technical requirements. It also includes review of construction plans, programmes and health and safety plans; participation in handing over sites to contractors; and establishment of an integrated system for maintaining and archiving correspondence, drawings, submittals, meeting minutes and project records in both hard-copy and electronic formats.

Radian reviews contractors’ submittals, including studies, designs, shop drawings, final drawings, as-built drawings, materials, samples, plant and equipment, in addition to monitoring sources of supply and storage and stockpiling methods. The services also cover supervision of field, laboratory and operational testing; staged inspections and acceptance; verification that materials and works meet the specifications; identification of non-conformities; and follow-up of corrective actions through to closure.

The project scope extends to the preparation of engineering studies and designs required to improve roads and mobility corridors, including topographic surveys and level determination; design of plans, cross-sections, central reservations, footways, parking areas and junctions; assessment and optimisation of traffic signals; analysis of traffic movements and turning movements; integration of primary and secondary roads; improvement of access to buildings and commercial premises and their parking arrangements; and enhancement of pedestrian-route connectivity and safety.

The consultant’s responsibilities also include monitoring contractors’ progress and compliance with approved programmes; measuring completed quantities; reviewing forecast final cost, increases and savings; assessing technical issues and changes from technical and commercial perspectives; reviewing the capability of project teams and subcontractors; and coordinating with relevant authorities to identify and remove constraints and record them using coordinates, levels and photographs.

The services additionally include supervision of responses to citizens’ requests and reports received through Contact Centre 940; verification of response times, workmanship quality and closure in accordance with approved procedures; and preparation of weekly, monthly and annual reports and specialist technical reports supported by photographs, test results and progress and quality indicators, together with creation and maintenance of databases and standardisation of reporting outputs. Radian’s role continues through preliminary acceptance, handover of each project’s records, participation in final acceptance, performance evaluation and capture of lessons learned.

The integration of site supervision, technical assurance, quality control, documentation and performance management has enhanced the quality of the road network and urban infrastructure. Among the project’s most notable outcomes, Al-Qassim Municipality ranked first in the Kingdom in the Road Quality Condition Index and achieved results exceeding the Ministry’s targets.