Construction of the Mali-Veliki Okič Road

A road, as one of the fundamental infrastructure facilities, enables traffic communication between different geographical locations. The modernised Mali–Veliki Okič road is one of them. Following the modernisation of the road, the living conditions of citizens who need this road for everyday traffic communication have improved. For this purpose, appropriate certificates for all planned materials for the construction of this facility, together with a current control plan prepared on the basis of Technical Specifications for Public Roads and budget quantities, were submitted for review and approval to the client before the execution of works. This demonstrated to the client which materials were intended to be installed and proved that all planned materials were suitable for installation.

Problem

A road, as one of the fundamental infrastructure facilities, enables traffic communication between different geographical locations. The modernised Mali–Veliki Okič road is one of them.

Solution and Method

Following the modernisation of the road, the living conditions of citizens who need this road for everyday traffic communication have improved. The improvement is demonstrated primarily through easier, faster and safer driving, as well as easier and safer passability in winter, as the modernisation of the carriageway has enabled higher-quality and easier snow clearance from the carriageway and salting of the carriageway, which was not previously possible. Noise and dust, which are characteristic of macadam carriageways, have also been reduced.

After obtaining the works through public tender and concluding a construction contract with the client for the modernisation of the Mali–Veliki Okič road, the contractual works also had to be executed. Before executing works on site, preparations were made for the execution of contractual works, as market conditions do not allow for slip-ups and errors. This was carried out by studying the project documentation, studying the situation on site, assessing geological-geomechanical conditions and planning on the basis of all obtained data.

During planning, standards, possibilities of construction site organisation, geological-geomechanical conditions, project documentation, contractual deadline and also own experience were taken into account. On this basis, static plans were prepared, from which the duration of individual activities is evident. When individual activities were entered into the work progress plan in a logical sequence, the total duration of all activities was obtained, which showed that the contractual works could be executed within the contractual time.

On the basis of preliminary discussions with the client, the locations of permanent landfills were determined. As the location of these is very important for the execution of works, the construction site organisation scheme and work progress plan were adapted to these locations. This enabled the removal of excavated material to a permanent landfill without intermediate reloading of materials, which would represent additional unforeseen costs for the contractor.

An important part of construction, also from the perspective of company policy, which in addition to a long tradition boasts, among other things, standards for quality management system, environmental management and occupational health and safety (SIST EN ISO 9001/2008, SIST EN ISO 14001/2004 and OHSAS 18001/2007), are ensuring the quality of work execution and traceability.

Results

For this purpose, appropriate certificates for all planned materials for the construction of this facility, together with a current control plan prepared on the basis of Technical Specifications for Public Roads and budget quantities, were submitted for review and approval to the client before the execution of works. This demonstrated to the client which materials were intended to be installed and proved that all planned materials were suitable for installation. The current control plan shows the scope and type of tests, the quantity of sample collection and measurements.

All this enables smooth work, especially due to possible different expectations and perceptions of the client, and enables the contractor to continuously monitor the quality of execution. During the execution of works, various impacts occur on employees at the construction site, the environment and the local population. For this reason, a safety plan is prepared that identifies all impacts on employees.

The contractor is also legally obliged to execute works in a manner that does not burden the environment more than is legally determined and permissible. An important aspect of work execution is also employee motivation. With positive motivation, faster execution of works can be achieved on one hand and consequently a better business result on the other.

The execution of works was carried out according to the work progress plan, taking into account the Technical Specifications for Roads, Special Technical Conditions and other legislation in the field of facility construction. During construction, legally prescribed documentation was also maintained, such as the construction diary and the book of accounting measurements, and the quality of completed work was continuously monitored by the contractor's internal control. After completion of works, a final settlement and quality inspection were carried out with the client, which is the basis for the handover of the facility to the client.

With this, the contractual obligation to the client, except for the rectification of defects during the warranty period, is concluded. In preparing the diploma thesis, all available theoretical starting points were used, and in executing the project they managed, all described instructions were followed. It is established that this approach was the best possible, as nothing surprised them during the execution of works that would not have been anticipated in the phase of preliminary study of the project, conditions and site conditions.

In the future, they will also proceed in the same way with all their projects, as they are convinced that this is the only right approach, which consequently enables a controlled process of work execution with anticipated economic effects. The basic purpose of the diploma thesis was achieved by demonstrating how important good preparation for the construction of a facility is before the actual start of works at the construction site. With precisely prepared static and other plans and a prepared work progress plan, the construction of the facility proceeded smoothly and without major inconveniences and unforeseen events.