Geotechnical
Engineering
Soil, rock, and groundwater conditions at every site are different. We assess the specific site conditions and design earth structures (slopes, channels, and dikes), foundations (retaining walls, bridges, buildings, tanks), and subsurface structures (clarifiers, lift stations, buried utilities, tunnels) to economically achieve the specific project objectives.
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Construction Materials
Engineering
& Testing
Construction material performance is key to the function and durability of any project. We engineer and test materials such as soil, concrete, and asphalt so you get what you pay for and the project performs as expected.
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Civil/Pavement
Engineering
A successful project starts with clear understanding of the project’s specific needs. We prepared street rehabilitation PS&E, traffic control designs, pavement designs, and asset management systems based on careful understanding of design requirements.
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Environmental Geology
& Engineering
Impact from hazardous waste, wetlands, faulting, and/or NEPA processes are serious concerns for project development. We identify such concerns early in project development, and provide strategies to mitigate impacts and provide the proper regulatory approval so the project can proceed on time and achieve the project goals.
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Roads & Bridges
Congestion and failing road surfaces cause delays, vehicle damage, and even driver safety issues. Solving these problems requires our specialized knowledge of pavement and roadway structures.
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Water, Wastewater & Flood Control
Drinking water, flushing toilets, and dry streets for granted – until they are gone. We specialize in keeping these systems running effectively.
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Airports, Ports & Dredging
Expanding and maintaining ports and airports is crucial to our economic development. HVJ’s specialized pavement, wharf, and navigation channel experience makes it happen.
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Rail & Transit
Rail and public transit facilities enable efficient transportation of people and goods. Our detailed knowledge of AREMA requirements keeps projects on track.
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Buildings & Parks
Schools, universities, courts, parks, solid waste facilities are all critical to our society. HVJ has specialized knowledge and experience with a multitude of public projects.
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HVJ Difference
Our engineers provide a unique blend of capabilities and experience because of the support they receive. Employees do not simply exist here. They thrive.
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Culture
We are committed learners, empowered to interact based on making strong commitments. We take ownership of our actions and results.
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Benefits
We believe in taking care of our employees. We offer a rewarding work experience, opportunities for advancement and competitive benefits.
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Employee Stories
Check out what our employees say and learn about the HVJ experience! Great people and even greater teams are behind every project.
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Current Openings
We're always looking for talented individuals who fit our culture and can bring new perspectives and experiences to our growing teams.
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Agencies
HVJ has been proud to support hundreds of public agencies meet and exceed service expectations from their constituents.
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Consultant Clients
We’ve developed ongoing teaming relationships with many consulting firms based on delivering outstanding client satisfaction.
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HVJ Difference
Our engineers provide a unique blend of capabilities and experience because of the support they receive. Employees do not simply exist here. They thrive.
Learn More →
Culture
We are committed learners, empowered to interact based on making strong commitments. We take ownership of our actions and results.
Learn More →
Benefits
We believe in taking care of our employees. We offer a rewarding work experience, opportunities for advancement and competitive benefits.
Learn More →
Employee Stories
Check out what our employees say and learn about the HVJ experience! Great people and even greater teams are behind every project.
Learn More →
Current Openings
We're always looking for talented individuals who fit our culture and can bring new perspectives and experiences to our growing teams.
Learn More →
The Opportunity
Own a successful engineering business by adding our proven systems to your engineering talent and network.
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How It Works
Help us branchise – you help us build a branch office and then convert it into your own franchise.
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Who's A Fit?
Are you energetic and confident? See if this might be an opportunity that fits you.
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Success Stories
Hear about the outstanding results our current franchisees have produced using our proven systems.
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Mother Nature is always throwing us challenges, and I enjoy finding the best way to overcome them. A problem that we often encounter in Texas is sulfate-rich soil that does not work well with lime. Lime is a stabilizer frequently used to improve the soil’s strength and stability. Without a stabilizer such as lime, soil can shrink or swell with changes in weather or moisture. However, adding lime to sulfate-rich soil can create minerals such as ettringite, which results in swelling and heaving. This can damage the infrastructure, shorten its effective life expectancy, and requires costly repairs.
This is the situation that we encountered working in Denison, Texas, at the US75 and FM503 interchange, in a region that is known to have sulfate-rich soil. TxDOT initiated a project to reconstruct and reconfigure the interchange to better accommodate traffic coming down off of the main lanes onto the frontage road. We needed to account for a substantial elevation change respective to the length of the exit ramp. It was imperative that we have a firm foundation for the reconstructed roadway. The initial thought was to stabilize the subgrade soil with lime. The presence of sulfate-rich soils precluded this solution.
We examined a number of options, and found a better solution was a Full-Depth Reclamation (FDR) process in which we used materials from the existing roadway to create a new stabilized base by adding cement. Conserving existing materials has both economic and environmental benefits, allowing us to recycle valuable resources and eliminate the need to haul away old materials.
The project savings were approximately 2 days in construction and about $50,000. More importantly, it avoided potential future maintenance problems that are associated with the correction of heaving pavement and would require its removal and replacement.
In the end, this project was successful because we carefully examined the options and developed the right plan from the beginning. The resulting infrastructure is built for sustained high performance for roadway users.
Read more about the project here: US 75 Case Study
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