The Greater Sudbury municipal staff members have reported that test results have returned concerning a recycled asphalt paving project undertaken on the Kingsway.
Third-party report findings have been accumulated, offering a comprehensive assessment of all the quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) testing carried out for the hot in-place recycling (HIR) contract. It was determined that the work executed by Ajax-based Road Surface Recycling Ltd. (RSR) fails to uphold contract standards.
The city undertakes two forms of testing in all road contracts to safeguard compliance with stipulations. This includes QC testing conducted by the contractor during the on-going work and QA testing executed by the city, usually facilitated by a third party as the work nears completion.
These reports claim public record. They are generally exchanged between the city and the contractor to ascertain satisfactory progress and to process payment for work performed. RSR had won the contract with a bid of $1.8 million, agreeing to specific conditions detailed in the contract.
The contract required the HIR material to meet the Ontario provincial standard specifications (OPSS), a typical requirement for road surfacing contracts.
WSP Global conducted the testing, spanning seven categories: surface tolerance, surface appearance, asphalt cement, mix properties, lift thickness, recovered asphalt, and compaction requirements. Additionally, on-field observations were incorporated into the report.
The release further mentioned that non-conformance to the OPSS was recognized on day one of the contract’s commencement, June 20, 2023. Despite being notified of the issues, the contractor’s paving operations continued and failed to improve. Consequently, the city was compelled to halt the work until additional tests could be performed.
Frank Crupi, RSR co-owner, condemned the additional testing measures as excessive in a previous interview. He stated his disbelief stating that no contractor had been subjected to such rigorous testing that went beyond the bounds of the contract.
Following the investigation, WSP’s report found that the work completed by RSR was subpar and would likely result in a shorter service life for the pavement patching, culminating in escalated maintenance costs. Additionally, Crupi informed city staff and inspectors that no other recycling firm would have been able to reconstruct the road with an equivalent quantity of crack sealant.
The full report has been shared with RSR and deliberation on the course of future actions is underway.
As these findings have come to light, local political activists have convened a public meeting to discuss the status of Sudbury roads. Crupi is expected to participate as a guest speaker at this event scheduled for next week.