Nebraska Administrative Code
Topic - TRANSPORTATION, DEPARTMENT OF
Title 409 - NEBRASKA DEPARTMENT OF ROADS - CONSTRUCTION DIVISION
Chapter 1 - Contracts, Proposal Forms, and Qualifications of Bidders for State Highway Work - English (Metric) System Measurements
Section 409-1-001 - ABBREVIATIONS AND DEFINITIONS USED IN CONTRACTS AND PROPOSAL FORMS

001.01 ABBREVIATIONS:

Whenever the following abbreviations and acronyms are used in the Standard Specifications or in the Plans, they are to be construed the same as the respective expressions represented:

001.02 Common engineering and construction abbreviations for measurements and work items are:

Items of Work and Units of Measurement

001.03 DEFINITIONS

001.04 ACCESS CONNECTION:

Any roadway facility by means of which vehicles can enter or leave an arterial highway. Included are intersections at grade, private driveways, and ramps or separate lanes connecting with cross streets or frontage roads.

001.05 ADDENDUM:

A written and/or graphic document, issued to all bidders and identified as an addendum prior to bid opening, which modifies or supplements the bid documents and becomes a part of the contract.

001.06 ADVERTISEMENT:

A public announcement inviting bids for work to be performed or materials to be supplied.

001.07 ARTERIAL HIGHWAY:

A highway primarily for through traffic, usually on a continuous route.

001.08 AUXILIARY LANE:

The portion of the roadway adjoining the traveled way for parking, speed change, or for other purposes supplementary to through traffic movement.

001.09 AWARD:

The decision of the Department to accept the bid of the lowest responsible bidder for the work, subject to the execution and approval of a satisfactory contract therefore and bond to secure the performance thereof, and to such other conditions as may be specified or otherwise required by law.

001.10 BACKSLOPE:

The surface of a cut that slopes downward toward the roadway.

001.11 BALANCE FACTOR:

A ratio used to equate the amount of excavation to the amount of fill. Excavation generally will exceed the amount of fill because, in handling, soil shrinkage occurs.

001.12 BID:

A bidder's offer on Department provided forms to perform stated work at the quoted prices. It includes all documents as set forth in paragraph 003.04.

001.13 BIDDER:

Any individual, firm, corporation, or joint venture of individuals, firms, or corporations submitting a bid for the work contemplated, acting directly or through a duly authorized representative.

001.14 BORROW SITE:

The source of approved material required for the construction of embankments, or other portions of earthwork requirements, from locations shown in the Plans or approved by the Engineer.

001.15 BRIDGE:

A structure, including supports, erected over a depression or any obstruction, as a water course, highway, or railway, and having a track or passageway for carrying traffic or other moving loads and having a length measured along the centerline of a roadway of more than 20 feet ( 6.0 m) between undercopings of abutments or extreme ends of openings for multiple boxes.

001.16 BRIDGE LENGTH:

The overall length along the centerline of the bridge from end to end of the bridge floor.

001.17 CALENDAR DAY:

Every day shown on the calendar, including Sundays and holidays, beginning and ending at midnight.

001.18 CHANGE ORDER:

A written order issued by the Engineer to the Contractor, covering changes within the scope of the contract.

001.19 CHANNEL:

A natural or artificial waterway.

001.20 COMMISSION:

The Nebraska State Highway Commission.

001.21 CONTRACT:

001.22 CONTRACT BOND:

The security executed by the bidder and the bidder's surety or sureties furnished to the Department or political subdivision to guarantee complete performance of the contract.

001.23 CONTRACT ITEM:

An item of work specifically described and for which a price, either unit or lump sum, is provided. It includes the performance of all work and the furnishing of all labor, equipment, and materials described in the text of the Standard Specification item included in the contract or described in any subdivision of the text of the Supplemental Specification or Special Provision of the Contract.

001.24 CONTRACTOR:

The prequalified individual or legal entity contracting with the Department and/or any other political subdivision for the construction, reconstruction, improvement, maintenance, and/or repair of roads, bridges, and their appurtenances.

001.25 CONTRACT PERIOD:

The period from the specified date of commencing work to the date that the specified number of working days or calendar days, as the case may be, has elapsed, both dates inclusive, or from the specified date of commencing work to the specified date for completion, both dates inclusive, as specified in the contract.

001.26 CONTRACT TIME OR COMPLETION DATE:

The number of working or calendar days specified in the proposal form as the time allowed for the completion of the work contemplated in the Contract, including authorized time extensions. When a calendar date of completion is shown in the proposal form, in lieu of a number of working or calendar days, the work contemplated shall be completed by that date.

001.27 CONTROL OF ACCESS:

The condition where the right of owners or occupants of abutting land or other persons to access, light, air, or view in connection with a highway is fully or partially controlled by public authority.

001.28 COUNTY:

The County in which the work is to be done, represented by its Board of Commissioners or Supervisors. Reference to any County officer shall be taken to mean such officer of the County as now defined.

001.29 CULVERT:

Any structure not classified as a bridge which provides an opening under any roadway.

001.30 CURRENT CONTROLLING OPERATION:

The operation that must be performed on the current day to prevent delay in the final completion of the work.

001.31 DEPARTMENT:

The Nebraska Department of Roads.

001.32 DETOUR:

A temporary official route using existing roads to divert traffic around a roadway project. Detours are maintained and marked by the State or other proper authority.

001.33 DIVIDED HIGHWAY:

A highway with separated roadways for traffic in opposite directions.

001.34 EARTHWORK MEASURED-IN-EMBANKMENT:

The calculated volume of the embankment shown in the Plans where balance factors do not apply.

001.35 EASEMENT (RIGHT-OF-WAY):

A right acquired by public authority to use or control property for a designated highway purpose.

001.36 EMBANKMENT:

A raised soil structure.

001.37 EMPLOYEE:

A person working on a Department project for the Contractor.

001.38 ENGINEER:

The Director, acting directly or through a representative duly authorized by the Director, such representative acting within the scope of the particular duties assigned to him/her or of the authority given to him/her.

001.39 EQUIPMENT:

All machinery and supplies necessary for the construction, performance, and completion of the Contract.

001.40 EXPRESSWAY:

A divided arterial highway for through traffic with full or partial control of access and which may have grade separations at intersections.

001.41 EXTRA WORK:

An item of work and/or provisions for materials not included in the original contract.

001.42 FEDERAL AGENCIES AND OFFICERS:

Agencies, officers, and their successors of the United States Government.

001.43 FINAL ACCEPTANCE:

Final acceptance is the date a final payment document is drawn by the Department.

001.44 FINAL TENTATIVE ACCEPTANCE:

Final tentative acceptance is the date of the "Final Tentative Acceptance" letter to the contractor accepting all of the work. The Engineer's "Final Tentative Acceptance" letter relieves the contractor of responsibility for the care and maintenance of the completed work; of public liability; and for damages due to the actions of the elements or the action of traffic.

001.45 FORESLOPE:

The surface sloping downward and away from shoulder line.

001.46 FREEWAY:

An expressway with full control of access.

001.47 FRONTAGE STREET OR FRONTAGE ROAD:

A local street or road adjacent to a highway for service to abutting property.

001.48 GRADE SEPARATION:

A crossing of two highways at different elevations.

001.49 HIGHWAY:

A road or street, including the entire area within the right-of-way, which has been designated a part of the State Highway System.

001.50 HOLIDAYS:

Nebraska legal holidays occur on January 1, the third Monday in January and February, the last Friday in April, the last Monday in May, July 4, the first Monday in September, the second Monday in October, November 11, the fourth Thursday and the following Friday in November, and December 25. If the date falls on Sunday, the following Monday shall be the holiday. If the date falls on Saturday, the preceding Friday shall be the holiday. All dates are subject to possible revision by State Statute or by proclamation of the Governor.

001.51 INSPECTOR:

The Engineer's authorized representative assigned to make detailed inspections of the work performed and materials furnished by the Contractor.

001.52 LABORATORY:

The testing laboratory of the Department or any other testing laboratory which may be designated by the Engineer.

001.53 LETTING:

The public opening and reading of bids received from prequalified bidders for work advertised by the Department.

001.54 MATERIALS:

Any substance specified for use in the construction of the project. All materials shall be new unless otherwise stated in the Plans or Special Provisions.

001.55 MEDIAN:

The portion of a divided highway separating the traveled ways.

001.56 MEDIAN LANE:

A speed-change lane within the median to accommodate left-turning vehicles.

001.57 MITIGATION SITE:

Those areas that will replace waterways, including wetlands, impacted in highway construction. The mitigation site must be constructed to insure that it meets the criteria of a wetland.

001.58 NOTICE TO CONTRACTORS:

The advertisement of the provisions, requirements, and instructions pertaining to the work on which bids are to be received, manner and time of submitting bids as prepared for the information of bidders.

001.59 NOTICE TO PROCEED:

A written notice to the Contractor establishing the date the Contractor shall begin the contracted work.

001.60 PAVEMENT STRUCTURE:

The combination of sub-base, base course, foundation course, and surface course placed on a subgrade to support the traffic load and distribute it to the roadbed.

001.61 PLANS:

The official Plans, profiles, typical cross sections, general cross sections, summary of soil and materials survey information, aerial photo maps, earthwork computations, design data, and supplemental drawings, or exact reproductions thereof, approved by the Engineer, which show the location, character, dimensions and details of the work to be done, and which are to be considered as a part of the contract supplementary to the Standard Specifications.

001.62 POINT OF DELIVERY:

A place, determined by the contract or the Engineer, where materials will be received or placed.

001.63 PROFILE GRADE:

The trace of a vertical plane intersecting the top of the proposed wearing surface, usually along the longitudinal centerline of the roadbed. Profile grade means either elevation or gradient of the trace depending on the context.

001.64 PROJECT:

The construction to be performed under the contract.

001.65 PROPOSAL FORM:

Includes the description of the location of the work, time and place where bids will be accepted, the general conditions and special provisions. It also includes, by reference, the plans and specifications.

001.66 PROPOSAL GUARANTY BID BOND (BID BOND):

A bond provided by the bidder and obtained from a Surety Company authorized to contract in Nebraska, which secures the bidder's bid until the Contract Bond becomes effective.

001.67 QUALITY ASSURANCE:

All those planned and systematic actions the Department takes to determine that a product or service will satisfy specified quality requirements.

001.68 QUALITY CONTROL:

All Contractor/supplier operational techniques and activities that are performed or conducted to fulfill the Contract requirements.

001.69 RAMP:

A connecting roadway between two intersecting highways at an interchange.

001.70 RIGHT-OF-WAY:

Real property used for transportation purposes.

001.71 ROAD:

A public way for the purposes of vehicular travel, including the entire area within the right-of-way. A road designated as part of the State Highway System may be called a highway, while a road in an urban area may be called a street.

001.72 ROADBED:

That portion of a roadway upon which the base course, surface course, shoulders and medians are constructed. Divided highways are considered to have two roadbeds.

001.73 ROADSIDE:

The area within the right-of-way, excluding the traveled way, auxiliary lanes, and the shoulders.

001.74 ROADSIDE DEVELOPMENT:

Improvements placed or constructed for the preservation or enhancement of landscape features, rehabilitation and prevention of erosion, and increasing the effectiveness and enhancing the appearance of the highway.

001.75 ROADWAY:

The portion of a highway, including shoulders, for vehicular use. A divided highway has two or more roadways.

001.76 ROADWAY WIDTH:

The clear width measured at right angles to the centerline and measured between the bottom inside face of the curbs, rails, or shoulder breaks.

001.77 SCHEDULE OF ITEMS:

A list of the contract items for which the bidder is to provide a price to complete the work described by that item.

001.78 SETBACK LINE:

A line outside of the right-of-way, established by public authority, on the highway side of which the erection of buildings or other permanent improvements is controlled.

001.79 SHOOFLY:

A Contractor built, marked, and maintained route around a specific construction site. When an entrance and/or exit ramp must be built to provide access to a "DETOUR," the ramps will be considered to be shooflies. Maintenance excludes snow removal.

001.80 SHOULDERS:

The portion of the roadway contiguous with the traveled way for accommodation of vehicles stopped for emergencies and for lateral support of the pavement structure.

001.81 SOIL:

Those materials listed in Bureau of Reclamation and Corps of Engineers Unified Soil Classification System.

001.82 SPECIAL PROVISIONS:

Additions and revisions to the Nebraska Standard Specifications for Highway Construction and Supplemental Specifications To The Standard Specifications for Highway Construction.

001.83 SPECIFICATIONS:

The general term comprising all the directions, provisions, and requirements contained in the Nebraska Standard Specifications for Highway Construction, together with such as may be added or adopted as Supplemental Specifications To The Standard Specifications for Highway Construction or Special Provisions, all of which are necessary for the proper performance of the Contract.

001.84 SPEED-CHANGE LANE:

An auxiliary lane, including tapered areas, primarily for the acceleration or deceleration of vehicles entering or leaving the through traffic lanes.

001.85 STATE:

The State of Nebraska acting through its authorized representatives.

001.86 STATION:

The point on the ground which is part of the line defining the profile of the survey. Distance between full stations is 100 feet (100 m). The beginning point of a survey is station 0, unless otherwise designated.

001.87 STREET:

A public way for the purpose of vehicular travel in a city or village and shall include the entire area within the right-of-way.

001.88 SUBCONTRACTOR:

Any individual, firm, or corporation to whom the Contractor or Subcontractor, with the written consent of the Department, sublets any part of the contract.

001.89 SUBGRADE:

The upper portion of the roadbed, upon which the pavement structure and shoulders are constructed. Usually the subgrade depth is 6-inches (150 mm).

001.90 SUBSIDIARY:

Work and material requirements that are not measured for payment and for which no direct payment is made. The bidder must include the cost of performing these requirements in another item that is identified in the Plans or Specifications.

001.91 SUBSTRUCTURE:

The part of the structure below:

001.92 SUPERINTENDENT:

The Contractor's authorized representative in responsible charge of the work.

001.93 SUPERSTRUCTURE:

The entire structure above the substructure.

001.94 SUPPLEMENTAL AGREEMENTS:

Written agreements executed by the Contractor and the Department or other contracting agency, subsequent to having entered into the contract, covering alterations in the Plans or unforeseen items of construction.

001.95 SUPPLEMENTAL SPECIFICATIONS:

Specifications adopted subsequent to the current edition of the Nebraska Standard Specifications for Highway Construction. Supplemental Specifications shall prevail over those published in the Nebraska Standard Specifications for Highway Construction whenever in conflict therewith.

001.96 SURETY:

The corporate body registered and/or licensed to do business in Nebraska bound with and for the bidder for the acceptable performance of the contract, the completion of the work, and for the payment of all just claims arising therefrom.

001.97 TRAFFIC LANE:

The portion of a traveled way for the movement of a single line of vehicles.

001.98 TRAVELED WAY:

The portion of the roadway for the movement of vehicles, exclusive of shoulders.

001.99 UNBALANCED BID, MATERIALLY:

A bid that generates a reasonable doubt that award to the bidder submitting a mathematically unbalanced bid will result in the lowest ultimate cost to the Department. May cause a bid to be disqualified.

001.100 UNBALANCED BID, MATHEMATICALLY:

A bid containing lump sum or unit bid items that do not reflect reasonable actual costs plus a reasonable proportionate share of the bidder's anticipated profit, overhead costs, and other indirect costs.

001.101 VALUE ENGINEERING PROPOSAL:

A proposal developed by the Contractor for modifying the Plans, Specifications, or other requirements of the Contract for the purpose of reducing the total cost of the construction without reducing the design capacity or quality of the finished product.

001.102 WEIGHT:

001.103 WETLANDS:

Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. (Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas.)

001.104 WORK:

Work shall be understood to mean the furnishing of all labor, materials, equipment, and other incidentals necessary or convenient to the successful completion of the project by the Contractor and the carrying out of all duties and obligations imposed by the Contract.

001.105 WORKING DAY:

001.106 WORKING DRAWINGS:

Shop drawings, shop plans, erection plans, false work plans, framework plans, cofferdam cribbing and shoring plans, bending diagrams for reinforcing steel, or any other supplementary plans or similar data, including a schedule of submittal dates for working drawings where specified, which the Contractor must submit to the Engineer.

001.107 WORK ORDER:

A written order directing the performance of work or furnishing of materials not included in the original contract.