4.5 General Notes
The purpose of the General Notes is to provide, in one section of the plans, the various supplemental data required by the specifications. This can consist of information such as base material requirements, gradation requirements, density requirements, and surface treatment data. General Notes also provide information and direction to the contractor by clarifying design details or construction practices. General Notes are included in bidding proposals for reference by contractors, materials suppliers, etc.
The General Notes are also intended for general design notes such as:
- Concrete surface finish;
- Paint color;
- Concrete pattern;
- Protection system for structures;
- Closed season dates for the application of asphaltic materials; and
- Minor modification of gradation requirements which are available in acceptable usage.
Each District is required to maintain a Master General Notes file.
4.5.1 Basis of Estimate
The General Notes include the Basis of Estimate. The Basis of Estimate is necessary for plans preparation and review, for basis of bid preparation, and for control of construction. It should show the basis for estimating each of the pay quantities of the contract, which cannot be directly measured from the plans. These include such items as sprinkling, rolling, blading, lime, fertilizer, asphalt, aggregate, etc., and should include compaction factors and unit weight for flexible base and embankment items when this information is needed for estimating purposes. Sometimes these items are subsidiary and should be indicated as such.
If Basis of Estimate information is shown in the Quantities Summaries sheets at the discretion of the District, then the Best Practice is to not repeat the same information in the Basis of Estimate.
4.5.2 Key Points Regarding General Notes
Refer to the TxDOT.gov
for specific best practices in developing General Notes.
The General Notes are project specific. The contents should be adapted to each project based on the scope of work, bid items and specifications such as:
- Call out modified standard plan sheets at the beginning of the General Notes;
- Add District contact info for contractor questions - name, email, phone;
- Include specific notes as required including Traffic Generator Events, Safety Contingency, and Erosion Control; and
- Include project-specific general notes as needed.
Avoid use of notes furnishing quantities that are subject to change because of sequence of construction operations (e.g., designating portions of unclassified road excavation as rock excavation or foundation course) has resulted in confusion in interpretation and in some cases litigation in which the department has been successfully contested.
Where quantities for subsidiary items are available and are accurate, they should be shown but should be labeled
“FOR CONTRACTOR’S INFORMATION ONLY”
.Word all proposed plan notes so that they are clear, concise and can have only one meaning.
Per Standard Specification Item 7, Section 2.3, a safety contingency force account is required for all projects and the following note must be used:
“The Contractor Force Account ‘Safety Contingency’ that has been established for this project is intended to be utilized for work zone enhancements, to improve the effectiveness of the Traffic Control Plan, which could not be foreseen in the project planning and design stage. These enhancements will be mutually agreed upon by the Engineer and the Contractor’s Responsible Person based on weekly or more frequent traffic management reviews on the project. The Engineer may choose to use existing bid items if it does not slow the implementation of the enhancement.”
4.5.3 Implementation of Additional Project-Specific Liquidated Damages
and
requires TxDOT to provide additional disincentives to help ensure the timely completion of projects identified as having a significant impact on the traveling public. These required disincentives are included in the contract in the form of Additional Project-Specific Liquidated Damages (APSLDs).
Form 2699
, which includes criteria for District staff to consider during PS&E development to determine whether APSLDs are necessary for a project, and a road user cost (RUC) calculator are available to determine the dollar amount of the additional disincentives. In addition, Form 1002
records the amount of the APSLDs for each qualifying project, which is included in the contract’s General Notes (Item 8) when applicable.Refer to the TxDOT.gov
for additional information including:
- APSLD Handbook;
- Road User Cost Calculator;
- Form 2699; and
- Sample memo template: Request for Concurrence – Reduced Rate of APSLD.
Refer to the TxDOT.gov
to access Form 1002
4.5.4 Calculating Road User Costs and Value of Delay Time
Road user costs are the values used in A + B bidding, incentives/disincentives for milestones, final substantial complete, lane rentals, and Additional Project-Specific Liquidated Damages (APSLD) and are indicated in the General Notes.
Road user costs should be considered for the following types of projects:
- Projects that add capacity (may include grade separations);
- Projects where construction activities are expected to have an economic impact to local communities and businesses; and
- Rehabilitation projects in very high traffic volume areas.
In addition to meeting at least one of the above, a secondary evaluation should be made considering the following:
- Conflicting utilities will be cleared prior to construction and the ROW is clear;
- There is an adequate inspection force available; and
- 25% of the estimated road user cost is greater than the contract administrator liquidated damages.
If the secondary criteria are not met, the District should reevaluate the proposed use of road user cost liquidated damages before making the decision.
When the decision has been made to use road user costs,
Districts should include incentives with the disincentive.
There may be occasions when the potential for discovery of unknown utilities during construction make it prudent to include road user costs as disincentives only.When including incentives,
a maximum bonus (number of days) must be included
in the project proposal. Further, only 25% of the calculated road user cost should be used for the rates shown in the plans. Calendar definitions
should also be used for all A + B and incentive projects and may be used on road user cost projects without incentives.The daily rate for road user costs may only be applied to the point of completion (end phase) stated in the plans for each phase or substantial completion for the total project.
Substantial completion is defined as occurring when all project work requiring lane or shoulder closures or obstructions is completed, and traffic is following the lane arrangement as shown on the plans for the finished roadway, or phase.
Each year TxDOT adjusts the value of time used in calculations to determine road user costs. The adjustment is based on the annual Consumer Price Index for the previous year.
Refer to the TxDOT.gov
for additional details and information.
4.5.5 Paying for Truck Mounted Attenuators (TMA)
The Standard Specification 505 - Truck Mounted Attenuators (TMA) ensures that all TMAs are paid for directly and are no longer subsidiary to Item 502. The total number of required TMAs for a project should be clarified in the General Notes with a note in this format:
In addition to the shadow vehicles with truck mounted attenuator (TMA) that are specified as being required on the traffic control plan for this project, provide ____ additional shadow vehicle(s) with TMA for TCP (___-___) -___ as detailed on General Note ____ of this standard sheet. Therefore, ____ total shadow vehicles with TMA will be required for this type of work. The Contractor will be responsible for determine if one or more of the operations will be ongoing at the same time to determine the total number of TMAs needed for the project.
4.5.6 Requirement for Highway Closures during Certain Periods
states that if a proposed improvement of the state highway system requires the closing of a highway, the department will, before entering into a contract for the proposed improvement, coordinate the highway closure by communicating in person or by telephone, e-mail, or other direct method of communication with public offices from municipalities affected by the closure to avoid any adverse economic impact on the municipality during:
- Periods of increased travel on the state highway system, including major state and federal holidays and school holidays; and
- Other periods of high commercial activity in the State, including limited periods in which certain items are exempted from the sales tax holidays.
During the
development of the final PS&E
of each project, the following should be completed:Include Special Provisions to Item 7
Add one of the following notes to Item 7 of the General Notes:
- If the project’s proposed timeline does not include any key dates / special events, whether there are road closures anticipated or not, then the following note is required under Item 7 of the General Notes,“No significant traffic generator events identified”.
- If the project’s proposed timeline includes key dates / special events, regardless of whether the project’s traffic control design proposes roadway closures, the District should confirm the key dates / special events in the area. In addition, the following note is required to be included under Item 7 of the General Notes,“Roadway closures during the following key dates and/or special events are prohibited:”, with a list of events and/or dates.
- If a road closure during key dates / special events is unavoidable, an Economic Analysis is required and will be performed by Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI), through TPP. Begin coordination withTPP – Systems Planning Sectionto provide the following information so that TTI can proceed with the economic analysis:
- Description of the project;
- Description of the road closure;
- Dates of the closure location; and
- Information on the key dates/special events
4.5.7 Specification Modifications
Modification of Specifications by General Note is not allowed
. General Notes are to be used to give information when allowed by the specification using terms such as “as shown on the plans,” “as directed by the Engineer,” or others. General Notes may be used to supplement information - noted in the specification (e.g., the closed season for asphaltic materials and curing required for base materials, etc.).Special Provisions are necessary for revisions to Standard Specifications or Special Specifications. All notes should reference the specification to which they apply. Special Provisions take precedence over the plans and General Notes in accordance with Item 5.4 of the Standard Specifications.
The General Notes should not be used to repeat what is already covered in the Standard Specifications, Special Provisions and/or Special Specifications
. The use of the notes should be minimized.Each of the Standard Specifications, Special Provisions and Special Specifications used in a project as direct pay items or reference items must be examined carefully. Those specifications that require “as shown on the plans” information
must be completed by plan notes in the General Notes
. There are some instances where such terms are in the specifications to allow flexibility, but there are also those that must be shown in the General Notes to have the complete information. This may consist of material specifications, design criteria, gradation requirements, density requirements and surface treatment data.4.5.8 Hierarchy of PS&E Elements
In the PS&E, certain elements have precedence over others in the case of conflicting information. This hierarchy is discussed below:
- Numerical dimensions govern over scaled dimensions;
- Special provisions govern over plans (including general notes);
- Plans (including general notes) govern over standard specifications and special specifications; and
- Job-specific plan sheets govern over standard plan sheets.
However, in the case of conflict between plans (including general notes) and specifications regarding responsibilities for hazardous materials and traffic control in Items 1 through 9, “General Requirements and Conditions” and Item 502, “Barricades, Signs, and Traffic Handling,”
special provisions govern over standard specifications and special specifications, which govern over the plans.
4.5.9 Processing General Notes for 100% PS&E
Refer to the TxDOT.gov
for details on processing the General Notes.
4.5.10 General Notes Checklist
Refer to the
for the General Notes QC checklist.