A Road Services engineer records density and moisture readings at the York Bridge replacement project site.
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About the Materials Lab

Overview

The King County Materials Laboratory (KCML) specializes in providing engineering design, construction monitoring and testing services for geotechnical and construction materials applications. In addition to providing services to the King County Department of Transportation (KCDOT), we regularly provide services to other King County departments and outside agencies.

As an organization within the King County Government, KCML has knowledge of internal operations, access to the County Intranet, and familiarity with many of the County’s contracts and specifications. This direct association with the county, coupled with our experience and capabilities, uniquely qualifies KCML to effectively support the project management team.

Learn about the many engineering design and construction monitoring services we provide.

Personnel

Our staff has a diverse background in geotechnical and materials engineering, construction monitoring and inspection, and sampling and testing of construction materials for quality control. Our staff has the necessary professional registrations, education and levels of experience to provide the public with a project that appropriately combines safety, long-term performance and fiscal responsibility.

A Road Services lab engineer checks a concrete cylinder during compression testing.
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The applicable levels of our staff’s experience ranges from a minimum of 10 years to over 35 years. With this level of experience, one individual can often perform multiple functions thereby minimizing the number of different personnel assigned to a project.

The Materials Laboratory has an excellent record for staff retention and is able to provide consistency in staff commitment for a particular project. KCML personnel are familiar and routinely work with many of the local materials suppliers, producers, contractors and subcontractors. We have specific knowledge of many of the issues or concerns associated with individual materials or sources. We are familiar with many of the supplier’s representatives and are able to address and resolve many inherent issues before they impact a project.

Brief resume summaries of personnel available to support the project management team are available at your request.

A Road Services lab engineer performs an aggregate sieve test.
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Accreditation/certification

As a County agency responsible for determining whether construction activities and materials on DOT projects are acceptable and ultimately meet requirements for payment to the contractor, it is essential that our testing services be defensible. KCML maintains accreditation through the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). To obtain and maintain this accreditation, KCML continuously implements an AASHTO approved 'Quality System', is periodically subjected to internal and external audits and participates in multi-laboratory statistical testing programs designed to evaluate our continued ability to provide reliable test results. Calibrations of our equipment occur on a regularly scheduled basis and are directly traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This accreditation measures and documents the reliability of our services and commitment to providing test results that are unbiased and technically accurate.

In addition to laboratory accreditation, our staff members have received certifications from ACI, NICET and other external organizations.

Contact us

Alan Corwin, P.E.
King County Road Services Materials Lab, Bldg D
155 Monroe Ave NE
Renton, WA 98056
206-296-77110
206-296-7719 (fax)