NICET HCI case studies
NICET HCI · Put your knowledge to work in context.
Highway Construction Inspection (HCI) is one of the certification programs NICET lists within its Civil Engineering Technology group, alongside the Construction Materials Testing credentials in asphalt, concrete, and soils. It is aimed at technicians who inspect roadway construction for state DOTs, contractors, and consulting engineering firms - people whose job is to verify that work is built to the plans, specifications, and accepted inspection practice, not to design it. The NICET HCI case studies are 5 cases and about 3,759 words.
1A Plan/Spec Conflict, a Verbal Change, and a Quantity Discrepancy
During a 2.1-mile municipal street reconstruction you are the owner's full-time inspector. Plan sheet C-5 shows 6 inches of topsoil in the boulevard areas; Special Provision SP-204 requires 4 inches.
643 words, about 3 min2Compaction Results That Do Not Add Up on a Four-Foot Embankment
You are inspecting a 4-foot embankment built from a sandy-silt borrow source. The specification requires lifts no thicker than 8 inches loose, moisture within -1 to +2 percent of optimum, and 95 percent of maximum dry density per AASHTO T 180.
760 words, about 4 min3Night Paving: Joint Density, Segregation, and a Falling Thermometer
You are inspecting a night-time mill-and-overlay of a 4-lane urban arterial. The 2-inch surface course is a 1/2-inch NMAS mixture with PG 64-22 binder.
786 words, about 4 min4Air Content and Sawcut Timing on a Slipform Mainline Pour
You are inspecting a 10-inch, 12-foot-lane slipform PCC pavement. The mix design requires 6.0 percent plus or minus 1.5 percent air for 1-inch nominal maximum aggregate.
811 words, about 4 min5A Lane and Sidewalk Closure on a 35-mph Arterial
You arrive at 8:15 a.m. on a weekday at a utility repair on a 4-lane urban arterial with a two-way left-turn lane; the posted speed is 35 mph.
759 words, about 4 min