ENROLLED
2019 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 309
BY REPRESENTATIVE JAY MORRIS
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Department of Transportation and Development to study and
reconsider the standard specifications for certain construction techniques and
procedures.
WHEREAS, the Louisiana Standard Specifications for Roads and Bridges was
published by the Department of Transportation and Development in 2016 to provide revised
specifications for the construction of the state transportation infrastructure needs and
approved them for use on construction contracts awarded; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation and Development made changes to
the standard specifications for roads and bridges and now requires surface resistivity testing
for all structural class concretes; and
WHEREAS, surface resistivity refers to the resistance experienced by the leakage
of current along the surface of insulating material and can also be defined as the electrical
resistance that exists between two parallel electrodes in contact through the surface; and
WHEREAS, surface resistivity measurements consider the resistive or conductive
properties of insulation materials and have been used to classify controlled packaging
materials; and
WHEREAS, resistivity testing applies a known voltage to the material, records the
current created by the voltage, uses Ohm's law to calculate the observed resistance, and
determines resistivity based on the specimen's physical dimensions; and
WHEREAS, the final resistivity measurement depends on many outside factors
including the voltage applied to the material, the electrification time, and environmental
factors, all of which have a significant impact on potential results; and
WHEREAS, no reliable method of obtaining resistivity has been developed and
applied to the standard specifications; and
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WHEREAS, it is the responsibility of the contractor to locate and furnish materials
which meet the outlined specifications and ensure that the materials, after being processed,
placed, and consolidated, will meet the criteria provided by the department; and
WHEREAS, local rock such as limestone is not available and standard cement
materials cannot be used forcing contractors to incorporate materials that are much more
expensive and labor intensive, thus causing an increase in costs relative to bridge
construction; and
WHEREAS, the changes to the specifications place certain prohibitions on
contractors and their operations, which cause delays in project completion and impact
worker compensation; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Transportation and Development should reevaluate
the standard specifications for roads and bridges, specifically the method by which surface
resistivity is tested.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby urge and request the Department of Transportation and
Development to reconsider the standard specifications for certain construction techniques
and procedures.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation and
Development complete a written report after reconsidering, at a minimum, the reliability of
the method for obtaining resistivity, the cost effectiveness of the method for developing
concrete, construction time period requirements, and a determination of the long-term
benefits expected as a result of the specification changes.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Transportation and
Development report to the Senate and House committees on transportation, highways and
public works and to the member of the House of Representatives who represents House
District Number 14 on or before December 31, 2019.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
secretary of the Department of Transportation and Development.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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