Section 11

11.1.1

The Permit Holder or its Contractor shall maintain local vehicular and pedestrian traffic and access to all properties within the influence of necessary lane or road closures.

11.1.2

All temporary traffic control devices shall meet the design requirements of the MMUTCD, Part VI, as well as the MDOT Standard Specifications For Construction.

11.2.1 All

signs and sign support standards, barricades, plastic drums, warning lights, and traffic control devices necessary for safe and convenient traffic operations shall conform to the current MMUTCD as approved by the WCRC. All such devices shall be furnished, installed and maintained by the Permit Holder at its expense. All traffic control devices shall meet ATSSA quality standards.

11.2.2

Traffic control signs and road name signs shall be removed, temporarily reset, and maintained as necessary by the Permit Holder. Traffic control signs shall be reset in conforming locations where they will continue to serve their intended purposes. Signs shall be mounted so as to be easily visible and legible to traffic.

11.2.3

Upon completion of the project, the WCRC will reset traffic control signs and road name signs in their proper positions. The WCRC may furnish and erect temporary speed limit signs along the project. The Permit Holder shall relocate and maintain the temporary speed limit signs as directed by the WCRC.

11.2.4

The Permit Holder shall pay all costs and expenses associated with any signs erected or relocated by the WCRC. Any existing signs which are damaged during the course of construction will be replaced at the expense of the Permit Holder.

11.2.5

The Permit Holder shall be responsible for the protection of all traffic control devices within the project area from damage due to any activities associated with the project, including hauling operations, construction equipment and materials, storage, equipment moves, staging and parking.

11.2.6

Advisory or information signs may be required by the WCRC in order to direct traffic to commercial or public facilities located within the work area. The Permit Holder shall be responsible for fabrication, installation, maintenance, and removal of such signs at its expense.

11.2.7

All construction warning signs shall be supplemented with two fluorescent orange warning flags positioned above the sign. Those signs in use during hours of darkness shall also include prismatic sheeting. Plastic drums and Type III barricades shall have one and three Type C steady-burning warning lights attached, respectively, and include prismatic sheeting.

11.2.8

If signs are required with Type III barricades the signs shall be mounted above the barricades on separate supports.

11.2.9

Traffic control devices shall be maintained by the Contractor for the duration of the project. The Contractor shall conduct night patrols of the construction area and any detour route.

11.2.10

Any W20-4, W20-7a and W20-15 signs shall be completely covered with plywood or aluminum sheeting or taken down when a flagging operation is not being conducted.

11.2.11

The Contractor shall stake all construction sign locations and notify the WCRC when the staking is complete. The Contractor shall allow two working days for the WCRC to review, adjust and approve the construction sign staking. The construction sign stakes shall indicate the type (code) and size of the sign to be placed at each location. Each stake shall be marked with white flagging ribbon.

11.2.12

Type III barricades shall consist of eight foot sections.

11.2.13

All M4-9 signs shall be supplemented with D3-1 (road name) panels.

11.2.14

Temporary lane markings shall be placed immediately after paving where needed to control traffic.

11.3.1

Where a lane closure is approved by the WCRC for purposes of open-cut crossings or construction within, immediately adjacent to, or parallel to the traveled portion of the roadway, the following requirements shall apply:

1. Lane closures will be restricted to the hours of 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. unless specifically authorized by the WCRC.
2. All required temporary traffic control devices and temporary improvements shall be in place and shall be completed before the actual lane closure begins.

11.4.1

Pursuant to state statute, the Board must approve any road closure and assign appropriate detour routes before closing a road. In order to construct a facility covered by a permit which will require any road closure, the Board must first approve by resolution the time and date and section of road to be closed.

11.4.2

Before commencing any work which will require closing a road, the Applicant must:

1. Submit a written request to close the road in question and establish a detour;
2. State the dates and times of the beginning and ending of the proposed road closure;
3. Submit a proposed detour route, showing all signing requirements in accordance with the current MMUTCD;
4. Submit written approval of the local community/communities involved;
5. If the proposed detour route involves roads not under the jurisdiction of the WCRC, submit written evidence of request for approval of the current jurisdictional agency to use such roads as detour routes;
6. State in writing the party responsible for fabricating and installing road closure and detour route signing, with acknowledgment that all costs associated with road closure and detour signing shall be born by the Applicant or Permit Holder; and
7. Submit all of the above information not less than three weeks prior to the anticipated road closure date.

11.4.3

Upon review and approval of the proposed detour route and signing, the Permit Section will propose to the Board a resolution authorizing road closure and establishment of the detour route. The Permit Section will notify the Applicant of approval (or denial) and will authorize installation of signs for the approved closure by permit issuance. Detour routing signs must be covered until the road is closed and covered or removed immediately after the road is reopened. The WCRC will notify the appropriate local officials including police, fire, ambulances, schools, and newspapers, of the closure one week before the date of closure.

11.4.4

The Permit Holder shall install and maintain all signing for approved detours unless other arrangements are approved in advance by the WCRC. The Permit Holder shall give the WCRC at least three weeks advance notice, not including Saturdays, Sundays, or holidays, of erection of any detour signing. Special information signs, including closure dates, shall be posted at least one week prior to closure.

11.4.5

The Permit Holder shall provide a progress schedule to the WCRC and notify the WCRC of any schedule changes. When the detour is no longer needed the Permit Holder shall notify the WCRC that the road has been reopened and that the detour is no longer in effect.

11.4.6

If, in the judgment of the WCRC, the road or roads over which the detour is routed cannot reasonably handle the resulting increased traffic, the Permit Holder shall make necessary improvements to handle the increased traffic and shall maintain the detour in the improved condition as directed by the WCRC for the duration of the detour.

11.4.7

The WCRC may require additional informational or advisory signs to ensure convenient access to schools, churches, businesses, residences, or other facilities within the area affected by the road closure. The cost of such signs and their installation and maintenance shall be the responsibility of the Permit Holder.

11.4.8

Upon reopening of the closed road and discontinuance of the detour the WCRC will make a final inspection of the detour route. The Permit Holder shall repair any damage resulting from use of the detour before the terms and conditions of the permit will be released.

11.5.1

Whenever possible, all excavations shall be backfilled and repaired before the road is opened for traffic. Whenever small openings such as “window cuts” are made in a section of pavement that must remain open to traffic during the time there is no work activity, the openings shall be covered with steel plates. The steel plates shall be of adequate size and thickness to support all legal axle loads and shall overlap existing pavement by at least one foot on all sides of the excavation for trenches six feet deep or less and two feet on all sides of the excavation for trenches deeper than six feet. Table 11 provides the minimum size and thickness required for a range of excavation sizes:

11.5.2

Side by side plating may be used to cover cuts longer than ten feet provided the abutting edges are supported by a steel beam of adequate strength, firmly supported on sound earth for at least one foot on each end. Steel plates shall be bedded in cold patch and held in position by bolts or pins at least three inches long. Cold patch ramps shall be used along all edges of the

Table 11: Plating Dimensions

Hole Area	Minimum Plate Size	Minimum Plate Thickness
Up to 3" x 4"	5" x 6"	3/4'
Up to 4" x 6"	6" x 8"	3/4'
Up to 4" x 10"	6" x 12"	1'

plates. Upon removal of the steel plates, all cold patch shall be removed from the pavement and disposed of outside the road right-of-way. The necessary steel plates must be on the jobsite before the pavement is removed.

11.5.3

The use of steel plates will only be allowed when no other option is available and must be approved in advance by the WCRC.

11.5.4

Steel plates shall not be used in winter.

11.6.1

The Permit Holder shall protect from damage or interference all traffic control devices and equipment, including but not limited to hand holes, conduit, wiring, detectors, cabling, supports, cameras, beacons, signals, control boxes, and any other equipment associated with the control of traffic signals, signs, and warning devices. The Permit Holder may not remove, adjust, relocate, tamper with, or interfere with the operation of these traffic control devices without the express permission of the WCRC Traffic and Safety Section unless specifically indicated on the permit and on the approved plans. The Permit Holder shall pay the cost and expense of any and all necessary repairs, restorations, or adjustment to these systems as determined by the WCRC.

11.7.1

The Permit Holder shall remove or protect from damage any guardrail, guardrail posts, guideposts, or end treatment that conflicts with the proposed work or the operations of the Permit Holder. No guardrail may be removed without prior permission of the WCRC. If guardrail is removed with permission, lighted plastic drums shall be placed and the guardrail shall be restored as soon as the conflict no longer exists. The Permit Holder may elect, at its sole expense and with the permission of the WCRC, to eliminate guardrail by flattening slopes, removing obstacles, or other measures which result in the guardrail no longer being warranted by then current AASHTO standards. If any guardrail or posts are removed or damaged the Permit Holder shall restore them to then current MDOT standards for height, type, construction, and end treatment. If the height of the guardrail is changed in relation to the roadway or shoulder as a result of the work performed by the Permit Holder, the guardrail must be upgraded at the direction of the WCRC and at the expense of the Permit Holder.

11.8.1

Unless otherwise stated on the approved plans or on the permit, the Permit Holder shall protect, restore, or replace as necessary any pavement markings, including without limitation lane lines, pedestrian crossings, legends, symbols, and stop bars, which are disturbed or damaged by the work or the contractor’s operation.

11.8.2

Permanent pavement markings shall be placed immediately after the installation of pavement. Temporary markings may be used on temporary pavements, but must be replaced before November 1st with permanent markings if the permanent pavement will not be installed until the following year. Temporary markings will not be allowed during the winter season.

11.9.1

In cases where the Permit Holder’s activities result in increased traffic on existing soft surface roads, WCRC may require a deposit to provide for additional dust control and grading. Grading and dust control shall be conducted at the discretion of WCRC.