A major challenge on this project was planning for construction of the bridge while accounting for the potential flooding of the Agua Fria River. Significant weather events can occur in Arizona, with flooding a significant potential hazard for construction personnel, inspectors, and equipment, not to mention potential environmental impacts.

Achieving ISO 45001 Certification: The Northern Parkway project began in early 2019. Pulice had set a goal to become ISO 45001 certified in 2019 – something that very few construction companies in the US, much less Arizona, have achieved. ISO 45001 is the standard for management systems of occupational health and safety. Northern Parkway was selected as one of our ISO 45001 pilot projects. The team worked in conjunction with our safety department to put all the necessary systems in place to meet the rigorous standards. The project went through an interim audit in the summer of 2019 and achieved the ISO 45001 certification from an independent auditor in the fall of 2019.

Overcoming Potential Heat Stress in High Temperatures: While the summer saw very little rain, Arizonans statewide suffered through the hottest summer in recorded state history, especially in Maricopa County where we saw the most 110-degree days and 115-degree days ever in a year. While our crews are accustomed to working in warm weather, this summer provided a challenge of working in temperatures that can put crews in constant danger. We managed this challenge with early shift start times, daily reminders about heat stress and water consumption, foremen who monitored the water intake of their crews, and were constantly looking for signs of heat stress, and scheduled, more-frequent breaks. We overcame this once-in-a-century weather challenge with ZERO heat or safety incidents on the project.

 COVID-19: Workplace safety is a value Pulice and its subcontractors all share. With the impact of COVID-19 on the entire world, potential health threats of our workers became the forefront of our decision-making process like never before. Pulice ensured meetings were kept small and everyone was six-feet apart or done remotely through zoom. The team allowed remote working for admin duties and assisted with physical entry procedures and proper screenings such as mask wearing, temperature checks and questioning for any COVID symptoms

The Greater Phoenix Chamber of Commerce estimates that there will be a shortage of more than 150,000 construction workers by 2022. This current lack of availability of experienced craft personnel stresses the ability to meet production goals required to deliver projects in reasonable time frames and for expected cost

All aspects of work from initial excavation to final roadway surface placement was accomplished with GPS enabled equipment. All the crews responsible for achieving the final product including the earthwork crews, asphalt paving, and PCCP subcontractor worked from the same surface model to achieve improved production rates and schedule. For the earthwork, the excavators, scrapers, and motor graders were equipped with GPS machine control.

Using GPS enabled equipment allowed the project team to meet the production and schedule demands of the project with a smaller workforce. The PCCP was placed using a Leica iCON machine control system.

Pulice adhered to our “buy American” mandate on this project, sourcing all material and labor from within the U.S., spending millions of dollars with local businesses (along with municipal tax dollars). Since all construction personnel lived within Maricopa County, this project resulted in millions of dollars in wages funneled into the local economy.

Located in a largely commercial area, this project was designed, in part, to facilitate local business to increase their capacity to serve customers. Now complete, these businesses have improved access and a roadway that can support increased traffic, boosting the local economy.

The team collaborated with local businesses and ultimately maintained 100% access during construction. Further effort was spent including relocating driveways to accommodate their individual business needs and completing work by their business entrance during weekends, to not impact their operations.