6.4.2 Contacting Utility Owners

To improve maintenance of traffic, mitigate work zone conflicts, and reduce construction delays, a multi-discipline planning and coordination meeting with utility owners, designers, and traffic engineers helps to ensure better coordination regarding designing, funding, and scheduling issues. After receiving TxDOT’s plans or schematics, the utility owner must prepare their utility adjustment plans, which may include relocation.
Continuous coordination and involvement with the utility owners throughout project development is essential to maintain the project schedule and avoid costly delays. Utility owners must be advised of potential conflicts as soon as possible.
One or more years
 may be needed to budget, design, and complete required adjustments.
Utility adjustment plans must:
  • Show existing and proposed utilities;
  • Show key TxDOT project features;
  • Show temporary and permanent relocations - since temporary relocations may pose construction conflicts;
  • Help resolve potential conflicts between utilities and construction activities; and
  • Be incorporated into TxDOT PS&E, if the utility adjustment is included in the TxDOT construction contract (i.e., Joint Bid).
TxDOT may participate in the cost of eligible utility adjustments depending on the project funding type. This is called a reimbursable adjustment (see
Section 6.5.1
). When TxDOT acquires new ROW containing utilities, TxDOT typically participates in the cost of adjusting the utilities.
The department and the utility must negotiate a project utility agreement on terms of the relocation. If cost participation is sought, the utility will need to provide proof of the utility facility's underlying property interest.
TxDOT does not typically participate in the cost of adjusting the utilities when utilities do not have prior right, are in existing ROW and need adjusting. This is called a non-reimbursable adjustment (see
Section 6.5.2
).
Utility conflicts should be identified as early in project development as possible and coordination with affected utility owners should begin after the Design Concept Conference (DCC) (see
Section 7.2
). Once design of proposed features is substantially complete (i.e., Detail (60%) Milestone), plans should be sent to utility owners so they can begin designing their adjustments.
Considerations in coordinating utility adjustment plans include:
  • Fabrication of major utility equipment may add
    8 to 12 months
     to the time required to complete the utility adjustment (e.g., transmission towers, greater than 18-in. diameter water pipe, or high-pressure pipelines);
  • If TxDOT will participate in adjustment cost, the department’s share must be included in the ROW project cost estimate; and
  • The department may determine that it is preferable to design around a utility in accordance with the Utility Accommodation Rules, rather than require the owner to adjust the utility.