Utility Inspection Processes for Transportation Accommodation and Relocation

Every year, state departments of transportation (DOTs) nationwide negotiate many agreements with utility owners during the project development and delivery process. Field verifications that the proposed utility installations or relocations have been properly constructed are integral components of the process. Unfortunately, field verification and monitoring are perhaps the weakest component of the entire utility management process to date. This can be attributed, in part, to utility owners not notifying state DOTs when they start construction or the failure to communicate with the state DOT’s inspectors in a timely fashion. There may be other reasons internal to transportation agencies, not all of which are well understood or documented, which negatively impact an agency’s ability to conduct utility inspections effectively. A frequently mentioned reason is DOT utility inspectors are overstretched due to limited resources. Other potential reasons include a lack of appropriate tools to conduct effective, meaningful inspections; adequate training for inspectors; inconsistent or absent agency standards; and a deficiency on the part of an agency to prioritize this function. Research is needed to identify and assess the requirements of utility inspection of highway accommodations and relocations. The objective of this research is to develop a compendium of utility construction inspection practices and test new inspection protocols and procedures.

• Record URL:
  http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=5667
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Contract to a Performing Organization has not yet been awarded.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $500000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 10-143

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  McKenney, Christopher

• Start Date: 20240528
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Best practices; Inspection; Project management; Public utilities; Test procedures
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Construction; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01919866
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: Project 10-143
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: May 28 2024 4:24PM