Virginia Highway Heavy Contracting Qualified Individual Examination

Under 18VAC50-22-20, the Board for Contractors abbreviation for the highway/heavy classification is:

• AH/H
• BHHW
• CHWY
• DHVC

Which project type is expressly listed in the 18VAC50-22-20 definition of highway/heavy contractors?

• AInterior finish carpentry in a dwelling
• BInstallation of a private residence elevator
• CConstruction of a public runway
• DInstallation of a water well to reach groundwater

Which function is listed in 18VAC50-22-20 as work highway/heavy contractors carry out?

• AGas fitting inside a commercial kitchen
• BPile driving
• CInstallation of a water-based fire sprinkler system
• DAsbestos encapsulation of building insulation

An H/H contractor may install, maintain, or dismantle power systems for generation and primary and secondary distribution of electric current only:

• AAnywhere on the customer's side of the meter
• BAhead of the customer's meter
• CInside dwellings as a substitute for an electrical contractor
• DOn alternative-energy systems measured from the customer's meter

Highway/heavy contractors may install water, gas, and sewer connections to residential, commercial, and industrial sites:

• AWithout regard to any local requirement
• BOnly when the site is a single-family dwelling
• CSubject to local ordinances
• DOnly if a separate plumbing classification is also held

A firm wants to build a new single-family dwelling and attached townhouse. Which Board for Contractors classification is defined for that work?

• AHighway/heavy (H/H)
• BResidential building contractor (RBC)
• CCommercial building contractor (CBC)
• DUnderground utility and excavating (UUC)

A contractor proposes to construct a new multi-story office building. Which classification is defined for commercial, industrial, institutional, and governmental buildings?

• AResidential building contractor (RBC)
• BHighway/heavy (H/H)
• CCommercial building contractor (CBC)
• DHome improvement contracting (HIC)

A city contract is for construction of a public parking lot, including grading, concrete curb, and asphalt pavement. Which statement best describes H/H scope?

• AParking lots are listed H/H work, and paving and concrete are listed H/H functions
• BOnly the asphalt paving and sealcoating specialty may build a parking lot
• CParking lots are reserved to the commercial building classification
• DH/H may grade the lot but may not pave it

When may an H/H contractor install a backflow prevention device incidental to highway/heavy work?

• AAnytime the device is on a public water main, with no extra training
• BOnly if the firm also holds the plumbing classification
• CWhen the installer has received formal vocational training approved by the board that inc…
• DNever; backflow devices are always outside H/H

A county project includes drilling a potable water well to groundwater and setting the well pump. Which statement is correct?

• AH/H may construct the water well because nonwater well drilling is listed
• BH/H may construct water wells if a local ordinance allows it
• CWater-well construction is provided by the water well/pump specialty; no other classifica…
• DCBC may construct the well because it is site work for a building

A solar array will be installed from the customer's meter on a commercial site. Why is this not H/H electrical-distribution work?

• AH/H may install any generation system anywhere on the site
• BAlternative energy systems from the customer's meter are an AES specialty that no other c…
• COnly the electrical classification may ever touch a generation system
• DH/H may install the array if the panels sit on a parking lot

A bridge demolition will use explosive charges to drop a span. Which licensing statement is correct?

• AH/H includes building demolition, so explosives are automatically included
• BBlast/explosive contracting is a specialty that no other classification or specialty prov…
• COnly CBC may use explosives on a structure
• DRoad marking contractors may use explosives if they also pave

In highway earthwork, a cut section is best described as:

• AImported material placed to raise grade
• BIn-place material excavated to lower the existing ground to design grade
• CThe difference between loose and compacted volume only
• DA finished asphalt surface course

On a mass-grading job, borrow material is:

• AExcess cut hauled off the project as waste
• BFill imported from off-site because on-site cut is not enough
• CTopsoil left in place under an embankment
• DThe swell portion of blasted rock only

A laboratory Proctor compaction test is used primarily to determine:

• AThe California Bearing Ratio of an existing pavement
• BMaximum dry density and optimum moisture content of a soil
• CThe unconfined compressive strength used to name OSHA soil type only
• DThe theoretical maximum specific gravity of an asphalt mix

A rectangular roadway cut is 250 feet long, 36 feet wide, and 3.0 feet deep. What is the bank volume in cubic yards?

• A333 cubic yards
• B750 cubic yards
• C1,000 cubic yards
• D2,700 cubic yards

A cut yields 800 bank cubic yards of clay that swells 25 percent when excavated. How many loose cubic yards must be hauled?

• A600 loose cubic yards
• B800 loose cubic yards
• C1,000 loose cubic yards
• D1,200 loose cubic yards

A compacted embankment requires 1,200 cubic yards in place. The soil shrinks 20 percent from bank to compacted volume (compaction factor 0.80). How many bank cubic yards must be excavated?

• A960 bank cubic yards
• B1,200 bank cubic yards
• C1,440 bank cubic yards
• D1,500 bank cubic yards

Which statement correctly distinguishes swell from shrinkage in earthwork estimating?

• ASwell is the increase from bank to loose volume; shrinkage is the decrease from bank to c…
• BSwell and shrinkage are the same percentage for every soil
• CShrinkage applies only to truck measure; swell applies only to rock in place
• DSwell is used only for asphalt, never for soil

If an embankment soil is compacted well above its optimum moisture content, the most likely result is:

• AA higher-than-specified dry density with no pumping
• BDifficulty reaching specified dry density, with a soft or pumping fill
• CAutomatic acceptance because wetter soil is always denser
• DConversion of the soil from Type C to Type A under OSHA

A utility trench is 400 feet long, 4.0 feet wide, and 8.0 feet deep. What is the excavated volume in cubic yards, ignoring slope and swell?

• A119 cubic yards
• B237 cubic yards
• C474 cubic yards
• D12,800 cubic yards

On a VDOT-style embankment, a nuclear density gauge is used in the field primarily to:

• AMeasure the liquid limit of the borrow soil
• BCompare in-place wet or dry density and moisture with the laboratory Proctor target
• CDetermine OSHA soil type from unconfined compressive strength
• DReplace the need for any laboratory moisture-density curve

An embankment prism is 1,000 feet long, averages 40 feet wide, and is 5.0 feet high. What is the compacted fill volume in cubic yards?

• A1,481 cubic yards
• B5,926 cubic yards
• C7,407 cubic yards
• D200,000 cubic yards

Proof rolling a finished subgrade is performed to:

• AReplace laboratory Proctor testing for the entire job
• BDetect soft, pumping, or unstable areas under a loaded pneumatic or proof roller
• CMeasure exact percent compaction to the nearest 0.1 percent
• DDetermine the OSHA soil type of the cut slope

Why do highway earthwork specifications limit the loose thickness of each fill lift?

• ASo the roller can densify the full depth of the lift
• BBecause OSHA forbids any lift thicker than 24 inches in all soils
• CTo eliminate the need for moisture control
• DSo nuclear gauges can be used without a license

Under OSHA excavation soil classification, which material is Type C?

• AIntact hard clay with unconfined compressive strength of 1.5 tsf or greater, not fissured…
• BStable rock that can be excavated with vertical sides
• CGranular soil such as gravel, sand, or loamy sand, or submerged soil from which water is…
• DAny soil a competent person prefers to call Type A to allow a steeper slope

A dozer is estimated at 60 bank cubic yards per hour. The crew works an 8-hour shift at 75 percent efficiency. What production should be planned for the shift?

• A360 bank cubic yards
• B450 bank cubic yards
• C480 bank cubic yards
• D640 bank cubic yards

Which roller is generally the better match for compacting a cohesive clay embankment?

• AA smooth-drum vibratory roller used as if the clay were clean sand
• BA sheepsfoot or padfoot roller that kneads the clay
• CA pneumatic roller used only for the asphalt surface
• DA static steel-wheel breakdown roller intended for hot mix

In VDOT Superpave mix designations such as SM-12.5, IM-19.0, and BM-25.0, the letters SM, IM, and BM identify the mix as:

• ASurface, intermediate, and base asphalt concrete
• BSand, iron, and binder aggregates
• CSummer, interim, and bridge mixes only
• DSlurry, microsurfacing, and bituminous seal coats

A tack coat is applied between asphalt layers primarily to:

• ACure newly placed Portland cement concrete
• BBond the new asphalt lift to the existing pavement so the layers act together
• CReplace the need for compaction of the new lift
• DWaterproof the subgrade in place of underdrains

An overlay covers 1,800 square yards at 2.0 inches compacted thickness. Using 110 pounds per square yard per inch, how many tons of asphalt mix are required?

• A99 tons
• B165 tons
• C198 tons
• D396 tons

A pavement is 600 feet long and 24 feet wide. The compacted asphalt is 3.0 inches thick at 145 pounds per cubic foot. How many tons are required?

• A87 tons
• B174 tons
• C261 tons
• D522 tons

How does a prime coat differ from a tack coat?

• APrime is sprayed on untreated aggregate base to penetrate and bind fines; tack is a bond…
• BPrime and tack are identical products used on the same surface
• CTack is used only on soil subgrade; prime is used only on bridge decks
• DPrime replaces the asphalt surface mix

The typical roller sequence on a hot-mix asphalt mat is:

• AFinish roller first, then breakdown, then intermediate
• BBreakdown (compaction) roller first while the mix is hottest, then intermediate, then fin…
• CPneumatic roller only, with no steel-wheel rolling
• DWater truck first to cool the mat, then a single static pass

A concrete pavement slab is 100 feet long, 22 feet wide, and 9.0 inches thick. How many cubic yards of concrete are required, ignoring waste?

• A45 cubic yards
• B55 cubic yards
• C61 cubic yards
• D165 cubic yards

Air-entrained concrete is specified for many Virginia concrete pavements primarily to:

• AEliminate the need for any curing
• BImprove freeze-thaw durability by providing microscopic air voids
• CIncrease slump so the mix can be pumped without water
• DReplace dowel bars at transverse joints

Smooth dowel bars at a concrete pavement transverse joint are intended to:

• ATie adjacent lanes together so they cannot separate
• BTransfer vertical wheel loads across the joint while allowing the slabs to expand and con…
• CReplace the need for a subbase
• DAct as the only reinforcement in a continuously reinforced pavement

Coarse-aggregate streaks or lean, rocky patches in a freshly placed asphalt mat are evidence of:

• AProper breakdown rolling
• BSegregation of the mix during production, hauling, or paving
• CA correctly applied tack coat
• DAdequate joint density

Which concrete pavement joint is sawed or formed at a regular spacing to control random cracking from shrinkage?

• AConstruction joint only
• BContraction (control) joint
• CIsolation joint used only at a bridge approach
• DLongitudinal lane-tie joint only

In the VDOT mix name SM-12.5, the number 12.5 identifies:

• AThe required compacted thickness in inches
• BThe nominal maximum aggregate size in millimeters
• CThe design life of the pavement in years
• DThe minimum air voids as a percent

A 12-foot lane drops 0.30 foot from crown to edge. What is the cross slope?

• A0.25 percent
• B1.5 percent
• C2.5 percent
• D3.0 percent

The crown of a two-lane tangent roadway is provided mainly to:

• AIncrease superelevation on a horizontal curve
• BDrain surface water toward the shoulders and ditches or inlets
• CReduce the required asphalt density
• DEliminate the need for a longitudinal joint

The invert of a storm pipe is:

• AThe inside top, or crown, of the pipe
• BThe flowline at the inside bottom of the pipe
• CThe outside top of the bedding stone
• DThe rim elevation of the nearest manhole