Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 70 - TRANSPORTATION AND DEVELOPMENT
Part II - Utilities
Chapter 5 - Standards Manual for Accommodating Facilities on Highway Right-of-Way
Section II-515 - Standards for the Installation of Utilities on Highways
Universal Citation: LA Admin Code II-515
Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 3, March 20, 2024
A. General
1. All materials and workmanship shall
conform to the requirements of the applicable federal, state, and industry code
and the DOTD's specifications.
2.
All safety precautions for the protection of the traveling public must be
observed. Undue delay to traffic will not be tolerated.
3. All excavations within the limits of the
right-of-way shall be backfilled and tamped in layers to the density of the
adjacent undisturbed soil. Where sod is removed or destroyed, it shall be
replaced. Where it is necessary to make excavations in the shoulder, the top 6
inches of backfill shall be with like shoulder material. Existing soil
materials declared unsuitable for backfill by the DOTD shall be disposed of by
approved methods and replaced with select material as needed.
4. All above ground installations such as
hydrants, pedestals, pipeline vents, markers, etc., must be installed at or
beyond the highway right-of-way line. This does not include pole lines and
other facilities specifically covered by other standards and regulations in the
permit form or agreement.
5. Any
nonmetallic or nonconductive (electric current) underground facility must be
installed with a noncorrosive metallic wire or tape placed directly over and on
the center of the facility for its entire length within highway right-of-way.
This applies to both parallel installations and crossings. Wire or tape must be
connected to all fixtures and appurtenances. Qualified Products List No. 21
from the Materials Labor gives the names of acceptable materials which can be
used for this purpose.
6. When
conditions warrant, a guarantee deposit to ensure the satisfactory completion
of the work may be required by the DOTD. The amount of the guarantee deposit
shall be determined by the DOTD on a case-by-case basis. The guarantee deposit
will be refunded promptly upon receipt of notice from the district utility and
permit specialist that the work has been satisfactorily completed.
7. A fee may be charged for a permit required
for particular work. The amount of the fee shall be as specified by the DOTD
and listed on fee schedules found herein.
B. Pipeline Standards. All applicable general considerations, specific policies and conditions, and general standards shall apply.
1. Location and Alignment
a. New crossings should be located as near
normal (90°) to the highway alignment as practical.
b. On parallel installations, underground
utilities shall be placed as close to the right-of-way line as possible, and
should be a suitable distance beyond the slope, ditch, or curb line to ensure
that the structural quality of the roadway is not impaired.
c. Vertical and horizontal clearances between
a pipeline and a structure or other highway or utility facility should be
sufficient to permit maintenance of the pipeline or other facilities. A minimum
horizontal clearance of 10 feet from the edge of a bridge or culvert footing to
a pipeline is desired. For an underground utility crossing, the bed of a stream
or river, a minimum clearance of 25 feet to any footing is desired.
2. Bury. The critical controls for
bury on a pipeline crossing are the low points in the highway cross-section.
Usually these are the bottoms of the longitudinal ditches or drain lines. In
establishing the depth of bury below an unpaved ditch, consideration should be
given to potential increases in ditch depth resulting from scour, ditch
maintenance operations, or the need to increase the capacity of the ditch. On
parallel installations, the critical controls for bury are the depths of
lateral drainage facilities, landscaping, buried utility lines, bridge bury of
pipe lines.
a. The minimum bury for parallel
installations shall be 24 inches.
b. The minimum bury under pavement or
surfacing shall be 4 feet for cased crossings and 5 feet for uncased
crossings.
c. The minimum bury
under ditches and drainage structures shall be 24 inches for cased facilities
and 36 inches for uncased facilities.
d. Protection, in the form of a concrete slab
or other acceptable method, must be provided invulnerable locations, such as
below ditches, if the minimum bury cannot be practically obtained.
3. Cased Crossings
a. When used, casing shall be designed to
support the load of the highway and superimposed loads there on, and, as a
minimum:
i. the casing shall be sealed at each
end with suitable flexible casing seals;
ii. the cased installation shall include the
necessary events and markers at the right-of-way line. Markers must be
installed over the pipe which clearly define its location, product carried,
operator and telephone number;
iii.
casing should extend from right-of-way to right-of-way.
4. Uncased Crossings
a. Uncased crossings of welded steel
pipelines may be permitted provided additional protective measures are taken in
lieu of encasement, including the extra depth and concrete pad, when
applicable, described previously in this Section.
b. The Louisiana DOTD will require that the
wall thickness for natural gas and other hazardous material pipelines be at
least two increments greater than that required by Federal DOT Title 49. (As
per EDSM IV.2.1.9)
c. Existing
uncased pipelines under proposed highway construction may be allowed to remain
in place if they are in compliance with Federal DOT regulations for uncased
crossings, and are not in conflict with highway construction or maintenance;
provided both highway and utility officials are satisfied that the lines are,
and will remain, structurally and operationally safe. These will be dealt with
on a case-by-case basis.
d. Cutting
the surface or tunneling under hard-surfaced roads is specifically prohibited.
Open trench installations are restricted to unsurfaced highways with low
traffic volumes, except where unusual circumstances justify approval by the
DOTD to open cut hardsurfaced highways.
5. Appurtenances. Vents, drains, markers,
manholes, and shut-offs are appurtenances to pipeline installations. Controls
for such appurtenances follow.
a. Vent
standpipes shall be located and constructed so as not to interfere with
maintenance of the highway nor to be concealed by vegetation.
b. Drains shall not be used as a waste-way
for purging the carrier unless specifically authorized.
c. Markers. The utility will place readily
identifiable and suitable markers along or within 1 foot of the outer limits of
the right-of-way line indicating the location of the underground utility
crossing and/or showing an accurate offset to a parallel utility installation
within such highway right-of-way. Such markers shall be placed at agreed-upon
spacing, depending upon the type of installation and its hazard to the highway
user, the highway structure, the highway right-of-way or maintenance personnel
maintaining the highway right-of-way, or the facility itself. Such spacing
shall be agreed upon between the utility company and the engineer. Where curb
and gutter type of highways are involved, suitable markers may be in the form
of a metal plate or disc affixed to the curb. Vent pipes may serve as a marker
for crossings.
d. Manholes shall be
designed and located in such a manner that will cause the least interference to
other utilities and future highway expansion. The utility is responsible for
adjusting manhole or valve box covers in conjunction with resurfacing operation
by the state, when allowed to remain inside paved areas, and shall utilize such
manholes for maintaining its facilities only during low traffic volume periods.
Manholes shall normally be placed only in unpaved areas; however, when allowed
to remain inside paved areas, all manholes shall be placed in the outside or
slow lane of traffic of a multilane facility.
e. Shut-off valves shall be installed in
lines at or near ends of structures and near unusual hazards, unless hazardous
segments can be isolated by other readily available sectionalizing devices
within a reasonable distance. Automatic shut-off valves are preferred unless it
can be shown by the utility that such installations could be hazardous and have
adverse affects on the utility's system.
6. Restriction against Varied Use. Subject to
safety regulations adopted by the state of Louisiana or the federal government,
the following precautionary measures are to apply to pipeline installations.
a. Pipeline installation or relocation
permits should specify all information required for completing the pipe data
sheet; including the class and average temperature of transmittant, the maximum
working, test, or design pressures, and the design standards for the
carrier.
b. When it is anticipated
that there will be a change in the class of transmittant, or an increase in the
maximum design pressure specified in the permit, the utility is required to
give the highway agency advance notice and obtain approval for such changes.
The notice should specify the applicable codes to be used.
7. Installation
a. Trenched Construction and Backfill
i. All trenched construction must be approved
by the engineer. Trenches shall be cut to have vertical faces, where soil and
depth conditions permit, with a maximum width of outside diameter of pipe plus
2 feet. They shall be shored where necessary.
ii. Backfill placed under the roadway prism
shall equal or exceed the quality of the existing material and be compacted to
a density equal to or in excess of the density of the existing undisturbed
roadway embankment.
iii. Backfill
inside the highway right-of-way, but not under the roadway prism shall be
compacted to a density at least equal to the density of the surrounding
undisturbed soil. This shall be accomplished by the use of tools, methods and
materials approved by the engineer.
iv. The required compaction of the backfill
throughout the utility's installation within the limits of highway right-of-way
shall be satisfactory to the engineer who may make or cause to be made such
density tests that he may consider appropriate for the circumstance.
v. In some instances, the DOTD may require
that backfill and/or paving be performed by its own forces or under its
direction at the expense of the utility when considered necessary by the
engineer for the protection of the traveling public and/or the highway
itself.
vi. The pavement structure
shall be restored in appropriate layers utilizing materials at least equal in
quality and layer depths to the original construction. There will be additional
removal of base and surfacing to minimize later development of sag in the grade
of pavement over the ditch.
vii.
Blasting. Any blasting within the highway right-of-way will require written
approval of the chief engineer. No blasting will be allowed near highway
structure footings.
viii.
Unimproved or Low Grade Roads. When a utility facility is installed across or
under the roadway prism, the backfill and riding surface shall be restored as
specified by the DOTD.
b. Untrenched Construction and Grouting
i. Subsurface installations under
hard-surfaced highways are to be made by jacking or boring under the highway in
accordance with standard practice. Jacking and boring operations shall be in
accordance with the Louisiana Standard Specifications for Roads and
Bridges (Section 728) and additional requirements given in this
Chapter. In conflicts between the Louisiana Standard Specifications for
Roads and Bridges and this Chapter, this Chapter shall
govern.
ii. Wet-boring shall be
confined to the drilling mud bore method. The casing may be installed by
drilling a hole with an open type bit that leaves the cuttings in place. A
gel-forming colloidal drilling fluid consisting of approximately 2.5 percent
(by weight) high grade carefully processed bentonite may be used to consolidate
cuttings of the cutting bit, seal the walls of the hole, and furnish
lubrication for subsequent removal of cuttings and installation of the casing
immediately there after. Field adjustment of the percentage of bentonite may be
required to accommodate varying soil conditions. In this method, when drilling
through dense formation, cuttings may be partially removed from the hole in
3-inch plugs by use of compressed air as drilling progresses. However, in low
density soils of a sandy or silty nature, a plug shall be installed in the
mouth of the bore (hole) to prevent the movement of any cuttings from the hole
until immediately before installation of the casing. No bit larger than 3
inches in diameter shall have holes therein larger than 5/16 inch in diameter
through which drilling fluid is forced during boring. The casing will be
installed immediately after the casing hole is completed. In no case will water
be used to flush cuttings from the drill hole. The cuttings shall remain in the
bore hole except as previously provided for as drilling progresses so as to
consolidate them to support the bore wall. The filter cake which is formed by
cuttings and drilling fluid prevents cave-in or sluffing of the drill
hole.
iii. Untrenched construction
under all surfaced, noncontrolled-access highways shall be at least from ditch
line to ditch line.
iv. The utility
will restrict the oversize of the boring excavation to a minimum. Grout
backfill shall be required for overbreaks and voids, unused holes, abandoned
pipelines and/or casings 6 inches or larger in diameter, overcutting in excess
of 1 inch shall be remedied by pressure grouting the entire length of the
installation.
c. Utility
Bridges. If and when such installations can be justified and are approved by
the engineer, they shall conform to the bridge standards of the DOTD. Since the
need for such installations is very rare, each such request will be handled on
an individual basis as a special case.
8. Removal and Abandonment of Utility
Facilities. All facilities installed within state highway right-of-way shall be
removed and disposed of by their owner as soon as they stop serving a useful
purpose. Facilities may be abandoned under the following circumstances.
a. Pipelines and casings crossing highways or
other hard surfaces may be abandoned in place, with the recommendation of the
district utility and permit specialist and the project engineer, and with the
approval of the headquarters utility and permit engineer.
b. Pipe lines and casings installed along
highways, may be abandoned in place, with the recommendation of the district
utility and permit specialist and the project engineer, and with the approval
of the headquarters utility and permit engineer, provided that they are less
than 6 inches in diameter, or that they are buried with more than 8 feet of
cover.
c. Electrical and
communication facilities installed within a casing, and crossing under highways
or other hard surfaces may be abandoned in place with the recommendation of the
district utility and permit specialist and the project engineer, and with the
approval of the headquarters utility and permit engineer, provided that the
cable is removed from the casing.
d. Uncased cables crossing under highways or
other hard surfaces may be abandoned in place provided that they are removed to
a point as near to the edge of the highway as feasible.
e. Electrical and communication cables
installed along highways may be abandoned in place, with the recommendation of
the district utility and permit specialist and the project engineer, and with
the approval of the headquarters utility and permit engineer, provided that
they are less than 4 inches in diameter, or that they are buried with more than
8 feet of cover.
f. All above
ground facilities installed along state highways shall be removed and disposed
of by their owner as soon as they stop serving a useful purpose.
g. Facilities that are located so that their
removal would be likely to result in damage to the highway, or to other
facilities, may be abandoned in place, with the recommendation of the district
utility and permit specialist and the project engineer, and with the approval
of the headquarters utility and permit engineer. The procedure for abandoning
these facilities will be specified on a case-by-case basis; however, in
general, sections shall be removed where possible, and all remaining lines
shall be filled with grout.
9. Where it is not possible nor feasible to
remove pipelines and/or casings under existing highways, such pipelines and/or
casings may be abandoned in place provided removals shall be accomplished by
the owner, as near to the highway on each side as possible and in all cases,
beyond existing ditches to right-of-way lines, and further provided that all
pipelines and/or casings abandoned under the highway shall be abandoned in
accordance with D.O.T. Title 49 (i.e., pipelines are purged, capped, and filled
with grout; note that when highway construction will remove the line in the
near future, the DOTD's project engineer may approve the use of water in place
of grout).
10. Pipelines and cables
shall be removed from abandoned casings where possible.
11. In all cases the highway right-of-way
shall be repaired, at the permittee's expense, to match DOTD standards. An
approved backfill material shall be used to fill in any trenches or low areas,
and shall be compacted to the same density as the surrounding soil. Any
desirable trees or shrubs that are damaged shall be replaced, and any other
damages (i.e., to subsurface drainage, traffic signs, etc.) shall be
repaired.
12. Companies who fail to
comply with this by leaving their facilities within highway right-of-way after
they are no longer used, or by not repairing the right-of-way after removing
their facilities, shall not receive any permits until the situation is
rectified.
13. In cases where the
DOTD decides that it is necessary to remove a facility and/or to repair highway
right-of-way damaged by a utility or the utility's facility, the company shall
be invoiced for costs to the DOTD for removing abandoned facilities, or for
repairing damaged right-of-way. Unpaid invoices shall be referred to DOTD's
accounting section for further action.
14. Note that a recommendation for
abandonment by the project engineer is required only on construction projects.
The district construction engineer should be consulted by the district utility
and permit specialist when an abandonment may cause a potential problem with
future construction. The district maintenance engineer should be consulted by
the district utility and permit specialist when an abandonment may cause a
potential maintenance problem.
15.
The owner of the abandoned facilities shall maintain full responsibility for
any future problems caused by the facilities, and shall remove the facilities
upon receiving a written request from the DOTD. The cost of removing these
facilities shall be borne by the owner, and the DOTD shall assume no liability
for this cost.
C. Overhead Power and Communication Lines Standards
1. Type of Construction
a. Any parallel installations of overhead
lines on the highway right-of-way shall be limited to single pole type of
construction.
b. Joint use single
pole construction is encouraged.
c.
Only one parallel pole line will be allowed within highway right-of-way on each
side of the roadway.
2.
Vertical Clearance
a. The minimum vertical
clearance for overhead power and communication lines above the highway and the
lateral and vertical clearances from bridges shall conform with the
National Electrical Safety Code. However, in no instance
should an aerial crossing have less vertical clearance over the roadway surface
than 20 feet. A minimum vertical clearance of 16 feet shall be maintained
between existing ground elevation and any aerial installation when such
installation is within highway right-of-way, but does not cross the traveled
surface of a highway.
3.
Location
a. All pole lines shall occupy the
last few feet of the right-of-way behind the ditch and shall be no further from
the right-of-way line than one-half of the width of the cross arms plus 1 foot,
except in cases of absolute necessity where a permit or agreement is issued for
another location.
b. In keeping
with the nature and extent of roadside development along conventional highways
in urban places, such facilities shall be located at or as near as practical to
the right-of-way line. Where there are curbed sections, the utilities shall be
located as far as practical behind the outer curb face, and where feasible,
behind the sidewalks.
c. Location
of overhead utility installations on highways with narrow right-of-way or on
urban streets with closely abutting improvements are special cases which must
be resolved in a manner consistent with the prevailing limitations and
conditions. Before locating the utility at other than the right-of-way line,
consideration will be given to designs employing self-supporting, armless
single pole construction, with vertical alignment of wires or cables, or other
techniques permitted by governmental or industry code that are conducive to a
safe traffic environment. Exceptions to these clearances may be made where
poles and guys can be placed at locations behind guard rails, beyond deep
drainage ditches, or the toe or top of steep slopes, retaining walls, or other
similar protected location.
d. Guy
wires to ground anchors and stub poles will not be placed between a pole and
the traveled way where they encroach upon the clear roadside area. Guy wires to
ground anchors located within the highway right-of-way or guy wires overhanging
the right-of-way shall be protected with a shield to prevent their being cut
during roadside grass cutting operation or prevent personal injury to
maintenance personnel running into such guys. Guy wires to ground anchors
outside the highway right-of-way shall be avoided wherever it is feasible to do
so, except where the pole for which support is provided is located reasonably
close to the right-of-way.
e. Where
irregular shaped portions of the right-of-way extend beyond the normal
right-of-way limits, variances in the location from the right-of-way line will
be allowed as necessary to maintain a reasonably uniform alignment for parallel
overhead and underground installations so long as they do not adversely affect
the maintenance operations of the right-of-way.
f. Parallel installations of poles, guys, or
other related facilities will not be located in a highway median. On crossings
of a highway, any such facility will not be located in a highway median except
in unusual circumstances and approved by the DOTD. Poles and other
appurtenances for highway lighting may be located in the median if other
alternatives are determined to be impractical and where suitable protection is
provided to the highway user. Traffic impact attenuators will normally be
required in these situations.
g.
Location of above-ground utility installations where sufficient right-of-way is
available shall be as follows.
i. Where the
highway is constructed with shoulders, above-ground utility appurtenances shall
be at least 30 feet from the edge of the traveled way when the design speed is
50 miles per hour or more; or at least 20 feet from the edge of the traveled
way when the design speed is below 50 miles per hour.
ii. Where curb and gutter sections are
involved without a parking lane, above-ground utility appurtenances shall be a
minimum of 6 feet back of the face of the curb.
iii. Where curb and gutter sections are
involved and a parking lane is adjacent to the curb, above-ground utility
appurtenances may be located a minimum of 2 feet back of the face of the
curb.
h. Requirements
for street lighting facilities on state highways are as follows.
i. Construction shall conform to all
applicable codes, standards, and specifications.
ii. Illumination. Roadway should be lighted
in continuous lengths without intervening unlit areas. Average initial level of
illumination shall not be less than 0.8 FC on the roadway. The ratio of average
initial illumination to minimum initial illumination at any point on the
roadway shall not be greater than 4:1. Luminaire mounting heights shall be 30
feet minimum, preferably higher.
iii. Light Poles and Foundations. Light poles
shall be manufactured from steel, aluminum, fiberglass or other corrosion
resistant materials. Wood poles are not acceptable; however, lights may be
installed on existing wood utility poles provided the system conforms to all
illumination requirements of these standards. Poles and foundations shall be
designed to withstand wind velocities for the area where the poles are
installed. The design wind velocities shall be for the 25-year mean recurrence
interval. Pole foundations shall be flush with the existing ground. On slopes,
the longitudinal centerline shall be flush with the existing ground. A 6-foot
diameter by 4-inch thick concrete mowing apron shall be placed around each
light pole. The apron shall be constructed flush with the ground line. Light
poles located within 40 feet of the roadway shall conform to AASHTO criteria
for breakaway supports or shall be located such that they are protected from
vehicular collision. The above may be excepted by the DOTD where a greater
hazard would be created by falling poles.
iv. Light Pole Locations. Light poles shall
not be located between the traveled roadway and guard rails or barriers. Light
poles shall not be located within 15 feet from the edge of the traveled lane
except when the posted speed limit is below 40 mph, poles may be located 10
feet minimum from the traveled road, where poles are located behind barrier
curbing, they may be installed 6 feet minimum behind the curb, when poles are
located on urban routes that routinely have on street parking, they may be
placed 2 feet minimum behind the curb, and where the right-of-way is
insufficient to allow compliance, minimum clearances may be reduced to that of
the right-of-way.
v. Wiring. The
electrical system shall conform to the National Electrical Safety
Code. An equipment grounding conductor shall be installed with each
new circuit and shall be connected to each new light pole and fixture. Where
lights are connected phase to phase, the branch circuit overcurrent device
shall disconnect both phases upon a single line to ground fault. All new light
poles shall be served by underground wiring conforming to the following
conditions: nonmetallic conduit, duct and direct buried cables shall be buried
3 feet minimum (preferably 4 feet) below the ground; rigid steel conduit shall
be buried 3 feet when possible, and 2 feet minimum; electrical marker tape
shall be installed above all new underground electrical facilities. The tape
shall be installed 8-12 inches below the ground. The buried depths may be
reduced 1 foot from that given provided the cable and/or raceway is encased in
3 inches minimum of red concrete. Under roadway, crossings shall be installed
through jacked crossings located 4 feet minimum below the roadway. Excavation
shall not take place closer than 4 feet from edge of shoulder and water shall
not be used in the jacking process. The ends of the under roadway ducts or
casings shall be marked with surface markers.
vi. Plans and Drawings. Permit request shall
include fully dimensional and detailed plans and design calculations. After
construction is completed, detailed drawings showing the exact locations of all
newly installed underground cables shall be provided to the DOTD.
vii. Aerial power or communication lines
shall not cross under bridges, and should not cross over bridges where it is
possible to avoid such installations. This is necessary to allow the state
sufficient room for equipment to maintain a bridge. Lateral clearance from a
bridge shall be sufficient to allow construction and/or maintenance of the
bridge structure itself or 25 feet minimum.
D. Underground Electric Power and Communication Lines Standards
1. Underground
utility construction shall conform to all applicable codes, standards and
specifications.
2. The minimum
depths of bury are as follows.
a. Underground
electric power lines shall have a minimum cover under ditches or within the
limits of the right-of-way of 48 inches. Minimum cover under pavement shall be
48 inches. Installations within the highway prism shall be encased.
b. Underground communication lines shall have
a minimum cover under ditches and within the right-of-way limits of 24 inches
on all highways. Minimum cover under pavement shall be 48 inches. Such
facilities may be encased within the limits of the highway structure provided
the utility agrees not to open cut roadway or breach controls of access to
maintain such facilities, except under extreme emergencies with DOTD's
approval, and under controlled conditions.
c. Pedestals or other above-ground utility
appurtenances installed as part of buried cable plant shall be located at or
within 1 foot of the right-of-way line, outside controls of access or the
highway maintenance operating area.
d. All proposed locations and utility designs
will be reviewed by the DOTD to insure that the proposed construction will not
cause avoidable interference with the existing or planned highway facilities or
with highway operation or maintenance.
e. On both cased and uncased installations,
particularly on crossings of the highway, consideration will be given for
placing spare conduit or duct to accommodate known or planned expansion of
underground lines.
f. The general
controls previously outlined for pipelines as related to markers, installation,
trenched or untrenched construction, and adjustment will be followed, as
applicable, on underground installation of electric power and communication
lines. Accurate markings of underground electric power lines are
required.
g. Subject to the
approval of the DOTD, a utility may be allowed to plow in a utility facility
provided it is able to maintain reasonable controls to insure that the
horizontal installation can be made within 1 foot of the approved location and
that the stipulated minimum cover can be obtained and maintained in this type
of installation. It is the utility company's responsibility to provide the
state with a recommended procedure of restoring the highway right-of-way to its
original state or an acceptable condition. Such procedure should include some
method of compaction which will assure the state that a satisfactory condition
is attained in the vicinity of the disturbed soil. Such installation will only
be allowed between the roadway prism and the right-of-way limits. No plowing
operations will be allowed within the roadway prism area.
3. Location and Alignment
a. On parallel installations, locations
parallel to the pavement at or adjacent to the right-of-way line are preferable
so as to minimize interference with highway drainage, the structural integrity
of the traveled way, shoulders and embankment, and the safe operation of the
highway. As a minimum, where practical, their lateral location will be offset a
suitable distance beyond the slope, ditch or curb line, as the DOTD may
stipulate.
b. Crossings will be
located as near normal (90°) to the highway alignment as
practical.
c. Conditions which are
generally unsuitable or undesirable for underground crossings shall be avoided.
These include such locations as:
i. in deep
cuts;
ii. near the top of steep
hills;
iii. near footings of
bridges and retaining walls;
iv.
across intersection at grade or ramp terminals;
v. at crossdrains where flow of water drift
or streambed load maybe obstructed;
vi. within basins of an underpass drained by
a pump; and
vii. in wet or rocky
terrain where it will be difficult to maintain minimum bury.
4. Cased and Uncased
Construction
a. Where it is acceptable to
both the utility and the DOTD, underground communication line cables crossing
the highway may be installed without protective conduit or duct provided the
utility agrees not to open cut road or breach controls of access to maintain
said facility except in extreme emergency with DOTD's approval and under
controlled conditions. Normally, such installation will be limited to open
trench construction or to small bores for wire or cable facilities, where soil
conditions permit installation by boring a hole about the same diameter as the
cable and pulling the cable through. Underground electric power lines shall not
be allowed to cross the highway without casing.
b. Where crossings of underground lines are
encased, the DOTD's standards applicable to the encasement of pipelines shall
apply.
c. Consideration shall be
given to the encasement or other suitable protection for any wire or cable
facilities:
i. with less than minimum
bury;
ii. near the footings of
bridges or other highway structures; or
iii. near other locations where they may be a
hazard.
d. The utility
is required to furnish reasonable information as to the control and
construction methods to be employed, before the proposed installations are
considered by the DOTD for crossing of the highway. This is to insure the
necessary protection of the utility facility and the integrity and operation of
the highway facility.
e. Where less
than minimum cover is allowed across ditch sections, a floating slab of
concrete is recommended for protection of the facility and highway maintenance
operation.
5.
Abandonment and Removal of Electrical and Communication Lines. Where
applicable, the removal and abandonment rules stated herein for pipelines shall
also govern electrical and communication lines, and any other utility
facilities.
AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 48:381-382, 48:193.
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