In the mid 1990's several northwestern state and federal highway agencies recognized the need for qualified materials test technicians and laboratories conducting acceptance testing on materials incorporated into transportation facilities.  These highway agencies formed the Northwest Alliance for Quality Transportation Construction (NAQTC), which produced five technician-training and qualification modules.  Since materials testing procedures vary little from state to state, the NAQTC determined that all highway agencies in the western United States would benefit from a united effort.  The NAQTC invited all WASHTO states to join.  Eventually 7 additional states’ highway agencies joined to form the Western Alliance for Quality Transportation Construction (WAQTC).

As in the past, the WAQTC is actively seeking new member agencies to join our current members: Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, Utah, and Washington DOTs and FHWA Western & Central Federal Lands Highway Departments.  This transition to a new Transportation Pooled Fund phase is an opportunity for current members to recommit and to invite other departments of transportation that currently are not members.  The WAQTC is dedicated to improving the quality of transportation products and services through an AASHTO R 25 compliant, comprehensive Technician Training and Qualification Program (TTQP).  The TTQP program provides a cost-effective means to meet the requirements of 23 CFR 637.209 b which requires ‘all sampling and testing data . . . be executed by qualified sampling and testing personnel.’  The WAQTC is also an effective voice at the AASHTO Subcommittee on Materials, improving existing testing standards and introducing new ones.  For more information refer to the WAQTC website. http://www.waqtc.org/

WAQTC is focused in three main areas:  Standardizing test methods (WAQTC, AASHTO, and ASTM), accreditation of the Transportation Technician Qualification Program (TTQP), and working together on national programs of significance including research, training, and technology deployment. 

The WAQTC Mission Statement is to: “Provide leadership in the pursuit of continuously improving quality in transportation construction.”

Through our partnership, we will:

• promote an atmosphere of trust, cooperation, and communication between government agencies and the private sector
• respond in a unified and consistent manner to identified quality improvement needs and new technologies that impact the products that we provide
• provide a forum to promote uniform test standards
• provide highly skilled, knowledgeable materials sampling and testing technicians
• provide reciprocity for Qualified testing technicians among accredited Agencies.

The existing pooled fund phase under TPF-5(476) will be closed in 2025/2026, and a new TPF phase will be formed which will fund the continued development and refinement of the TTQP, including:

• Maintaining and revising the six existing WAQTC TTQP training and certification courses in coordination with member state agencies;
• Distributing training materials, including training manuals, PowerPoint presentations, and written and practical exams, to member states;
• Maintaining the WAQTC website, and
• Developing and presenting proposed revisions and new standards to the AASHTO Subcommittee on Materials.

This phase of the WAQTC pooled fund will run from 2026 through 2029. The minimum expected partner commitment is $40,000, consisting of $10,000 for each of FY 2026 through FY 2029.  All partner agencies should post their funding commitments for each of these years on the online pooled fund solicitation, regardless of what type of funding they plan to use or how they intend to transfer it to UDOT.  Note that funding commitments are pledges, and the actual funding transfers would take place annually, early in the respective federal fiscal year. A waiver of the non-federal match, when using SPR-B funds for this study, was requested by UDOT and approved by FHWA.