6.2.2 Review of PS&E by Other Divisions and Agencies
6.2.2.1 Federal Review of TxDIP/PoCI Projects
Under the Stewardship and Oversight Agreement between the FHWA and TxDOT, there are specific projects that have been designated as Texas Division Involved Projects (TxDIP) or Projects of Corporate Interest (PoCI). These projects require Federal coordination and/or approvals of the specific elements of the project designated by the FHWA. If the FHWA has identified that a project requires review of the “Draft Plans, Specification and Estimates (PS&E)”, the District should coordinate with the designated FHWA Point of Contact early in the plan development process to arrange for the review.
6.2.2.2 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Coordination
During the early phases of project development, consideration must be given to the effect any proposed highway project might have on vicinity airports. Airway-highway clearances are studied to avoid encroaching upon an airfield or establishing a highway location that would be an obstruction to air navigation. Minimum airway-highway clearance requirements must be considered to avoid the creation of a safety hazard for both highway and air traffic.
Any construction or alteration of more than 200-ft in height above the ground level at its site or any construction or alteration of greater height than an imaginary surface extending outward and upward at one of the FAA’s reporting slopes must be reported during the early development of construction plans.
These requirements are not limited to illumination towers or poles.
Any element of construction may affect the airway-highway clearance requirements. This includes but is not limited to illumination, signing, bridge superstructures, etc., or any mobile object that would normally traverse a roadway or bridge that could be an obstruction to air navigation.The District is responsible for preparation and submission of the latest version of
to the FAA in cases where minimum airway-highway clearance requirements cannot be met. Further guidance on FAA coordination can be found in the
and on the
.
6.2.2.3 BRG and DES Preliminary Reviews and Approvals
The District Design Office is responsible for submitting the following preliminary design elements to the BRG – Bridge Design Section for review and approval. These documents are typically submitted with the Initial (30%) milestone submission or between the Initial and Detailed (60%) milestone submission.
Preliminary design reviews by BRG:
- Preliminary Bridge Layouts with Scour and Hydraulic Analysis
Refer to TxDOT’s
for additional guidance on submission and review of the Preliminary Bridge Layout (PBLR).
- Preliminary Retaining/Sound Wall Layouts– The purpose of the preliminary retaining/sound wall layout is to present the geometric and geotechnical data associated with a proposed retaining/sound wall. This information enables an engineer to design and detail the retaining/sound wall as well as evaluate the wall’s stability.
Refer to TxDOT’s
for additional guidance on submission and review of retaining/sound wall layouts.
- Preliminary Storm Drain Layouts- In cases where the Districts need assistance, the hydrologic and hydraulic calculations of the storm drain system may be submitted to DES – H&H Section for preliminary review and approval.
Preliminary PS&E Design Reviews by DES:
At the District’s request, DES will review preliminary roadway PS&Es at the Initial (30%) and Detailed (60%) milestone submissions. Submission should be early in the process to not delay delivery of the project.
- 2R projects- Submit Page 3 of Form 1002, typical sections, and a crash analysis.
- 3R projects not requiring ROW acquisition- Submit Page 3 of Form 1002, typical sections and Alignment Data Sheets or P&P sheets.
- If the geometric information is not required in the PS&E because the scope of work is such that the contractor does not need to reconstruct those areas (scope of work is widening only with no alignment changes) the District may choose to submit the Alignment Data Sheets which show the geometric data for the project so that design criteria can be verified instead of recreating the plan and profile sheets.
- 3R projects which require ROW acquisition and all 4R projects- Submit Page 3 of Form 1002, Design Summary Report (DSR), approved geometric schematic and Detailed (60%) milestone PS&E.
6.2.2.4 Traffic Safety Division Preliminary Reviews and Approvals
- Signal Authorizations
- Signal Warrant Process.All proposed traffic signal installations must conform to the accepted warrants as listed in the . A traffic signal cannot be installed unless at least one of the nine established warrants can be met. The department’s policy on highway traffic signals was established with Commission Minute Order No. 85777 (June 29, 1982). Detailed information concerning the required data for traffic studies can be found in TxDOT’s .
- Traffic Signal Authorization Form.After determining a signal is warranted and the traffic study is complete, a must be submitted to the District Engineer for approval. A copy of the approved form should be sent to the TRF Division.
- Agreements
- Railroad Agreements.When any part of a TxDOT project is within or adjacent to the railroad ROW, execution of an agreement with the railroad company will be required. These agreements will usually require anExhibit A, which is a plan showing the work to be done which affects the railroad, and the responsibilities concerning who (State or railroad) will do this work. Small projects (seal coats, re-planking jobs, etc.) will generally require only a simplified letter-type agreement. Contact the District Railroad Coordinator for assistance.The review and approval process takes a considerable amount of time (approximately 1-2 years). The RRD Division recommends that agreement negotiations begin during the early stages of the design.
- Signal/Illumination Agreements. Refer to TxDOT’s and TxDOT’s , respectively, for detailed explanations and copies of the agreements.