Section 11: Construction Stage Gate Checklist (CSGC)
Purpose
The
Form 2448
is intended to be a construction project inspection and communication tool under TxDOT's Environmental Management System (EMS)
. It should be completed as a joint inspection between
both designated TxDOT and Contractor personnel present to emphasize the expectations for environmental compliance on the project and to foster communication. The CSGC helps ensure that TxDOT and the Contractor meet their commitment to environmental compliance by providing a comprehensive overview of all environmental requirements and identifying areas where improvements, additional attention and/or actions are needed. The CSGC also serves as a compliance metric for TxDOT’s Statewide MS4 Permit’s (Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System) reporting requirements. Failure to complete the CSGC on projects can result in non-compliance with the MS4 permit.
Suggested Usage
Each District will be responsible for
delegating
their representative for completing the CSGC, generally,
an experienced employee such as the DEQC, Project Engineer, Project Manager or Chief Inspector. Do not delegate this task to someone who has no authority or oversight responsibilities for that project.
TxDOT and Contractor should present their representatives at the pre-construction meeting. These representatives should
communicate with project managers, construction inspectors and contractor personnel during the completion of the CSGC, as needed
to communicate findings and resolve issues.
Needed action(s) based on the inspection should occur quickly to avoid compliance issues. Input and/or action(s) may be needed by other parties (i.e. AE, DEQC, AP&D, ENV Coordinator, etc.) to resolve issue(s).
Applicability
The CSGC should be completed on construction and maintenance contracts that have soil disturbing activities
or other EPICs
. Types of projects include new location, existing pavement rehabilitations/widening, culvert work, bridge rehabilitation/ replacement. Districts can use their discretion to
determine whether the CSGC should be completed on minimal soil disturbance type projects such as MBGF upgrade, landscaping, or ACP overlays. Typical projects not requiring the CSGC would be crack sealing, retrace striping, seal coating, or bridge joint repair on non-historic structures.Frequency
The initial CSGC
inspection is required
within one month of beginning initial construction activities and at minimum annually, or if project is less than one year when 50% of work has been completed. Annual DEQC inspections cannot be used in place of this inspection requirement unless the delegated TxDOT representative and Contractor representative (if feasible) are present and involved during DECQ's inspection
. Frequency for completing additional CSGC inspections by TxDOT and Contractor CRPE will be determined at the preconstruction. Factors influencing frequency include permit requirements, duration, and complexity
of the project. It is recommended that completed CSGC be reviewed by another TxDOT representative for quality monitoring of the environmental process.Documentation and Record Retention
The completed CSGC must be kept with project files and retained according to file retention requirements. For projects within the MS4 area, records must be made available upon request by TCEQ and no later than 24 hours from when the request was made.
Additionally, for projects within MS4 area, CSGC records must be retained up to three years after the permit expiration date.
The CSGC may be stored in the SWP3 Binder in Attachment 2.5 pertaining to inspections (Attachment 2.3 for projects that disturb less than an acre) or in a separate project file folder as long as the information is easily accessible.