Getting from Here to There (on I-85)

With five, major construction engineering & inspection (CEI) projects under way in North Carolina, KCI’s NC CEI Chief Bobby Dozier knows how to translate design plans and innovation into efficient highway systems. “In January, we began work on widening eight miles of I-85 near Charlotte, which will be completed in April 2005. Every other Friday, we meet with the project team—representatives of NCDOT, Blythe Construction, and the LPA Group, Inc.—to discuss our progress. The biggest challenge is maintaining traffic, because the roadway is such a heavily traveled artery.”

The $87.7 million design-build contract is the second largest ever awarded by NCDOT. KCI also has CEI teams in and around Charlotte inspecting the widening of Independence Boulevard—the busiest urban thoroughfare in North Carolina—and NC 49, a scenic byway near Albermarle. “And Danny King is leading a team of KCI inspectors on the $130 million U.S. 64 Knightdale Bypass design-build project in Raleigh,” Dozier added.

The veteran construction manager speculates that KCI’s unprecedented influx of CEI work has fundamental roots. “We hire the best,” Dozier said. “We recruit dependable technicians who have great experience, often with State DOTs, and assign lead technicians who know how to handle everyday problems in the field. They communicate well with people on the site and stay in touch with the client.”

Dozier, who has worked in the transportation industry for nearly 50 years, has highway construction in his blood. “My father was a maintenance superintendent with Alabama DOT, and the maintenance yard was my playground growing up.”
Southeast Region Senior Vice President Timothy P. Donohue, PE, sees KCI’s formula for success expanding to other markets. “KCI’s approach to providing CEI services has really taken off in the Southeast. Bruce Nicholson is overseeing inspectors on multimillion dollar projects in Georgia and John Padavich is managing innovative, hybrid and design-build oversight CEI services projects in Tampa.”
Nicholson—a 34-year veteran with Georgia DOT—enjoys the challenge of consulting after so many years at GDOT. “For a long time, transportation agencies relied on their own inspection staffs. Now, inspectors from both sides are working together. Sometimes, GDOT staff have questions, and we’re happy to share our experience with them.”

Padavich, a professional engineer, adds that “the Florida CEI market offers great opportunity. We’re building on our current regional backlog of $2 million and expecting additional work in a variety of areas from State and local government agencies.”


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