~e* ~;~:~ent.,o.:-ransportation MEMORANDUM TO: All District Engineers DATE: September 28,2007 ~ ~ //. -L/'j L!E. FROIVI: Carlos A. Lopez, P.E. ~..t::o ce- V '1'~ r. SUBJECT: Revised Barricade and Construction (BC) Standard Sheets The Traffic Operations Division (TRF) has revised the Barricade and Construction (BC) Standard Sheets. Many of the revisions were necessary to address changes or additions to the 2006 Texas Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (TMUTCD). These standards shall be used beginning with the March 2008 letting. Please distribute this information to the appropriate district staff and area offices as well as any consulting engineers currently working on Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) projects for your district. A summary of the changes is outlined below: BC (1) - 07 Updated contact information and web addresses for items referenced throughout the BC sheets. Made minor editorial changes for clarity. Added phrase "or engineering judgment" to Note #5 on design of lane shifts and detours. Revised Note #10 to change the R20-3 sign to read "OBEY WARNING SIGNS STATE LAW", rather than "OBSERVE WARNING SIGNS STATE LAW." This was done to match language in the Texas Transportation Code. The note was also revised to correctly place the R20-3 sign ahead of the CSJ limits. Added Note #13 to address inactive work equipment parked in the Right of Way (R.O.W.) Added note for Worker Safety Apparel to comply with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Final Rule on Worker Visibility issued on November 24, 2006. BC (2) - 07 Added "Optional" caption to the G20-1a signs in the detail for "Typical Location of Crossroad Signs." Added detail of revised R20-3 "OBEY WARNING SIGN STATE LAW" sign. Eliminated the Closed Roadway detail and incorporated new note for closed roadways into the T-Intersection detail. Modified table for Typical Construction Warning Sign Size and Spacing to show 80 MPH speed limit and to simplify minimum sign size selection. Revised Sample Layouts to clarify signing at CSJ Limits. Removed flashing warning lights from sign supports since TxDOT does not allow them on signs with Type E Fluorescent Orange Prismatic sheeting.
All District Engineers - 2 - September 28, 2007 BC (3) - 07 Changed "REDUCED SPEED AHEAD" signs to CW3-5 Speed Reduction Warning signs to match TMUTCD. Emphasized removal of construction speed zones when not needed. Added note to clarify that the signs shown are for illustration only and are not intended to apply specifically to every project. Removed the duration requirement of "less than 12 consecutive hours" from the SHORT TERM WORK ZONE SPEED LIMIT notes since the current TMUTCD no longer defines Short Term Stationary Work as being from 1 to 12 hours. Added NIGHT speed limit signs to daytime signs where construction speed zones are not in effect. BC(4)-07 Added details and notes for STOP/SLOW paddle. Modified requirements for post height behind sign substrate. Modified plaque height requirement to match TMUTCD. Removed flashing warning lights from sign supports. Made editorial changes throughout signing notes, including updating Duration of Work definitions to match TMUTCD. Deleted redundant notes on positive guidance under Typical Clearance details. Deleted wording from General Note #6 saying that additional signs shall not be subsidiary. Revised note #4 under REMOVING OR COVERING for signs to be covered without damaging the sign sheeting. Included requirement in note #7, under REMOVING OR COVERING, to backfill holes left after removing signs or anchor stubs. Revised note #7 under SIGN SUPPORT WEIGHTS to clarify use of rubber ballast for sign supports. Added note on splicing embedded perforated square steel tubing. BC (5) - 07 Removed short term sign support details and added a General Note referring to the Compliant Work Zone Traffic Control Devices List (CWZTCD) for more approved support details. Added details for Skid Mounted Perforated Square Steel Tubing single and dual leg sign supports. Removed Wedge Anchor sign support detail, and added note allowing wedge anchor use, referring to SMD standard sheets for details. Added General Note requiring bolts or lag screws on all connections for skid mounted wood sign supports. Revised details for embedded Perforated Square Metal Tubing sign supports to match the three approved methods discussed in the CWZTCD list.
All District Engineers - 3 - September 28, 2007 BC (6) - 07 Revised standard to only show information relating to Portable Changeable Message Signs (PCMS). Other devices previously shown have been added to subsequent BC standard sheets. Added a two phase message development guide as a result of research findings. Emphasized proper delineation of PCMS signs with larger text. Revised notes to no longer restrict the use of the word "CAUTION" on a PCMS. "DANGER" is still prohibited. Added character height and legibility distance requirements for PCMS units. Added general guidance for the use of Full Matrix PCMS signs. Added note to allow a PCMS sign to simulate a flashing arrow panel. BC (7) - 07 Added Flashing Arrow Panels, Barrier Reflectors, Warning Lights and Truck Mounted Attenuators to this standard sheet. Plastic Drum information was moved to BC (8). Added note to allow a PCMS sign to simulate a flashing arrow panel. Added note to allow alternate barrier reflector location to reduce damage from barrier grapples. Updated material requirements for barrier reflector units for Type E Fluorescent Yellow Prismatic or Type D White Prismatic Sheeting to compliment the D&OM standard sheets. Added notes to describe placement of barrier reflectors in locations where traffic is on two sides of the barrier in one or two directions of travel. Added a note to require channelizing devices in front of flashing arrow panels that are not behind a barrier, guardrail, or other channelizing devices on a shoulder closure or taper. Revised notes to include use of Type D 360 degree warning lights. Removed "Typical Detail of Lane Closure using Plastic Drums as Channelizing Devices" due to redundancy with TCP standards and to clarify that the devices shown attached to drums are not required on all tangents, shifting tapers, and shoulder tapers where drums are used. Added note for minimum mounting height for trailer mounted arrow panels. BC (8) - 07 Moved Plastic Drum details to this standard sheet with some minor editorial changes. Revised notes for various work durations on freeways, providing guidance on when drums are to be used, or when other types of channelizing devices may be utilized. Added note to describe the use of chevrons on drums. Added note to allow R9-9, R9-10, R9-11 and R9-11a SIDEWALK CLOSED signs to be mounted on drums. Added the Opposing Lane Divider to those signs shown for use on drums. Added detail and notes on the use of the Direction Indicator Barricade, which was covered previously on the WZ standard sheets.
All District Engineers - 4 - September 28, 2007 BC (9) - 07 Moved channelizing devices from BC (8) - 03 to this standard sheet. Added taper length and device spacing for 80 miles per hour to the Minimum Desirable Taper Lengths table. Revised minimum vertical panel size for freeways and expressways and other high speed roadways from 2 square feet to 270 square inches to match the TMUTCD. Added "Hollow or Water Ballasted Systems Used as Longitudinal Channelizing Devices or Barriers" to this standard sheet to include items now in the current TMUTCD. Modified deta ils to show how Opposing Traffic Lane Dividers (OTLD) may be placed to accommodate intersecting roadways. Revised dimensions for arrows on the OTLD detail to be as standard 12" x 18" CW6-4 sign. Added note for chevrons to supplement drums on long term stationary tapers and transitions on freeways and divided highways, but not to replace drums in these locations. Revised minimum height of portable vertical panel to 36" to top of panel to comply with current TMUTCD requirements. BC (10) - 07 Moved devices previously shown on BC (9) - 03 to this standard sheet. Added a detail for delineating material stockpiles. Updated retroreflective sheeting requirements for 42" cones to meet TMUTCD requirements (4 alternating orange/white stripes). Added comment for Edgeline Channelizers - "not intended to be used in transitions or tapers." Modified Culvert Widening detail to clarify device spacing, minimum number of drums, and steady burn warning light or warning reflector placement. Removed mid-rail stiffener from the Type III Barricade detail since the maximum barricade width is only 8' and a stiffener is not needed. Updated Type III Barricade Typical Application detail to clarify that more than two 8' barricades may be needed to adequately cover the pavement width of a closed road. BC (11) - 07 Moved information previously shown on BC (10) - 03 to this standard sheet. Revised note #3 under Maintaining Work Zone Pavement Markings to require 160' (previously 150') of visible reference at night to match Specification Item 662. Revised note #4 under Maintaining Work Zone Pavement Markings by including "within the first 30 days after placement" to comply with Specification Item 662. Added black-out marking tape under Removal of Pavement Markings, as an option to cover conflicting stripes for periods less than two weeks when approved by the Eng ineer. Added note #4 under Temporary Flexible Roadway Marker Tabs, referring to the WZ(STPM) standard sheet for tab placement on new pavements and to TCP(7-1) for tab placement on seal coats.
All District Engineers - 5 - September 28, 2007 BC(12)-07 Moved information previously shown on BC (11) - 03 to this standard sheet. Deleted sign details previously shown on this standard sheet since they are detailed on-line in the Standard Highway Sign Designs for Texas. Added item number "672" to the reference for "Raised Pavement Markers." The revised standards are available on the TxDOT Web Site at http://www.dot.state.tx.uslinsdtdotlorgchart/cmd/cserve/standard/toc.htm under the section "English Traffic Engineering Standard Sheets." If you have any questions or comments concerning the new standards, please contact Michael Chacon at (512) 416-3120 or me at (512) 416-3200. Attachments cc: ADM Thomas Bohuslav, P.E., CST Zane Webb, P.E., MNT Mark Marek, P.E., DES Scott Burford, GSD A.P. Boyd, AGC Lewis Rhodes, ATSSA AUD TTA