Section 2: Bridge PS&E Review

Overview

T
he Bridge Division
can
provide a 30
%
, 60
%
, 90
%
, and/or 100%
PS&E
review
for
 any bridge project
where the designer has specific questions or concerns related to funding eligibility or structural design
. A bridge project is defined as any project which includes
bridge
 class structures.
All steel bridge design
 plan sheets must be submitted to the Bridge Division for review. These reviews will occur at all major project stages, including
PBLR, 30%, 60%, 90% and 100% submittals
. At each milestone submittal, submit the steel bridge plans for review via ProjectWise in the District, Design Projects, CSJ, Design, Plan Review, and appropriate % folder.
A completed scour summary sheet (
Form 2605 or 2606
) is only required after the foundations are designed for stream crossings. Zero observed scour may be assumed for the as-built condition in order to complete the form.
District
should refer to the
PBLR and PS&E Review Standard Operating Procedures
for information on the review time, level of review, and items reviewed.
The submitted PS&E is reviewed by the following
Bridge Division sections and
branches, as applicable at the given percentage of the PS&E development:
  • Bridge Management Section
  • Field Operations Section
    –
    Construction
    and
     Maintenance Branch
  • Field Operations Section
    –
    Geotechnical Branch
  • Design Section
  • A Bridge Division project manager reviews the PS&E for Category 6 eligibility
    and funding levels
    , if applicable.
The Bridge Division PS&E submittal process is as follows:
  • The
    D
    istrict
    B
    ridge
    E
    ngineer must approve PS&E prior to submission.
  • The PS&E is submitted to the Bridge Division
    ,
    Bridge Management Section
     for review.
  • Email the submittal to
    BRG_PD_PSE@txdot.gov
    .
  • Email Subject:
    XX%, PS&E, CSJ, County
  • Division review comments
    are uploaded to ProjectWise for District consideration.
Please refer to the PS&E Review and Processing Schedule to ensure timely reviews and sufficient time for revisions.
 The
PS&E Review and Processing Schedule for the current and upcoming fiscal years can be found on the Finance Division’s internal Letting Management page. Letting Schedules showing projects scheduled to let in the current and upcoming fiscal years are
 located on both TxDOT’s external web page and the Bridge Division’s internal
Bridge Management
 web page.
NOTE: Access to the internal website is available only to TxDOT personnel. If you need assistance accessing these internal documents, please contact the
District
 with which you are working, or the Bridge Division
, Bridge Management Section.
Preparing accurate
plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E)
is essential
 to prevent
ing
 delayed letting dates. For information on
PS&E preparation
, refer to the
PS&E Preparation Manual,
 which contains general requirements for PS&E. Requirements specific to projects containing structural items are provided below to further assist in PS&E preparation.

Plans

For projects with bridge plans, follow these preparation guidelines.
  • Obtain preliminary bridge layout approval prior to any percent PS&E submittal. Include preliminary retaining wall layouts with this submittal when necessary. See Section 1 of this chapter for more information.
  • Ensure information on the title sheet corresponds with information on Design and Construction Information System (DCIS)
    and TxDOTCONNECT
    .
  • Include the most current standards. All standards used must be clearly listed on the index of sheets even if unavailable at the time of submission.
  • All modified (MOD) and special (SPL) standards must be signed and sealed by the responsible engineer. Include a brief description of the modifications, typically shown in the Revisions area of the title block.
  • Show all hydraulic documentation correctly in the final plans as required by the Hydraulic Design Manual
    and the PS&E Preparation Manual
    . Hydraulic comments based on the preliminary submissions must be addressed prior to submitting
    next stage of
    PS&E.
  • For projects involving a highway-railroad grade separation, an executed railroad agreement is required prior to letting. On federal oversight projects, send a copy of the agreement to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Further information concerning railroad agreements can be found in Chapter 4 of this manual.

Specifications

For guidance related to specifications, including requesting new special specifications or special provisions, please refer to the Design Division PS&E Preparation Manual.
Request for reviews for bridge specifications should be submitted to the
BRG_PD_PSE@txdot.gov
inbox.

Estimates

Follow the process outlined in Design Division’s PS&E Preparation Manual, Chapter 4, Estimate. The window titled “Proposed Bridge”in the Location tab of TxDOTCONNECT, should be filled out for every bridge type structure that will have any type of work performed. Ensure that the Estimate tab of TxDOTCONNECT has ‘Bridge’ in the Category of Work column and NBI in NBI column.
All bid items pertaining to each bridge or bridge-class culvert, or a span structure must be broken out and listed separately.
Cost estimates are reviewed at regular meetings between District personnel and the Bridge Project Manager to keep all estimates updated across all 25
District
s. These updates are used to determine whether to delay or accelerate projects to meet the fiscal year allocation. Each District provides cost estimates to the Bridge Project Manager.
  • A written justification is required for any project cost estimate increase greater than 20% of the approved funding amount in Bridge Division’s portfolio manager.
  • The written justification for cost increases greater than 20% must be approved by Bridge Division before the estimate can be entered into TxDOTCONNECT.
  • Project cost increases over 20% from the initial cost estimates may require alternate funding sources or may need to be delayed to a later fiscal year.
  • All Project moves within the current fiscal year will require an email from District leadership (TPD or higher), stating the reason(s) why the project will not make the original letting date.

Final PS&E

District
s
 are responsible for the preparation, final review, and submission of the ready-to-let bridge PS&E package. Once the
District
 Engineer has signed and sealed the bridge project, the plans will be submitted to the Design Division to process for letting.
It is imperative to enter information
correctly
on the
TxDOTCONNECT, Proposed Bridge window, Location tab, which updates the
BCI screen
,
 so that staff can calculate the unit cost data for all bridge projects and to ensure federal reimbursement on any federally participating bridge project
s
. Please contact the Bridge Division’s
Bridge Management Section
 if you have any questions.