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Utility Construction Requirements

HOUGHTON COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION
UTILITY CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

08/19/02

All roadways to be effected by the construction either by the construction itself, or as haul routes will be completely inventoried as to surface type, width of paving, width of shoulders, drainage structures, depth of aggregate or paving material, diameter of drainage structures prior to the beginning of construction. A complete copy of the inventory will be supplied to the Houghton County Road Commission.

No warning or regulatory signs shall be removed, obstructed or rendered not visible under any circumstances without consulting with the Houghton County Road Commission engineer or staff.

Disposal of excavated materials:

All soil, earth, stones, rock, etc., shall be disposed of according to all state and local laws and regulations. The filling of any portion of right-of-way, drainage ditches, etc., is absolutely forbidden.

Final approval of all roads and drainage facilities construction within the right-of-way shall be by the Houghton County Highway Engineer or members of his staff.

CROSSING EXISTING STRUCTURES: During construction, it may be necessary to cross under existing sewers, drains, culverts, water lines, gas lines, electric conduits and other underground structures. The contractor shall protect such structures from damage or disturbance. In the event construction cannot proceed without damaging or disturbing existing structures, the contractor shall contact the owner of said structures and make arrangements to minimize the impact of disrupting said structure. The contractor shall be responsible for repairing or replacing all damaged structures at his own expense.

OPTIONAL CULVERT REPAIR: If the contractor encounters a deteriorated culvert which extends outside of a construction influence area and if he may elect to replace the entire structure including complete restoration rather than repairing only the disturbed section, the Houghton County Road Commission, at it=s option, may elect to furnish all or a part of the deteriorated culvert replacement at no cost to the Contractor.

ROADSIDE DITCHES AND CULVERTS: All roadside ditches and driveway culverts shall be cleaned, repaired and/or replaced to the same or better condition as existed before trenching operations commenced using approved materials, bands, etc. All culvert or waterway openings will be replaced to original dimensions and to the satisfaction of the Houghton County Road Commission at the expense of the contractor.

PAVEMENT RESTORATION:

GENERAL - All paved surfaces and shoulders shall be restored to original dimensions, except that no lanes shall be paved less than 9' in width per lane or 18' in total width.

PAGE 2 - HOUGHTON COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

 

LONGITUDINAL OR TRANSVERSE PAVEMENT RESTORATION

When pavement surfaces are damaged by either facility location necessity, or by construction operations, restoration shall be performed in full lane increments, no fractional lane width patching shall be permitted.

For example:

  1. On a 22'0 wide road:

    If a 6' width of surface is disturbed, one lane or 11' wide shall be restored.

  2. On a 20'0 wide road:

    If a 12' width of surface is disturbed, the entire 20'0 width shall be restored.

  3. On a 10'0 wide parking lane:

    If an 8' width of surface is disturbed, the entire 10' width shall be restored.

  4. For spot repairs such as a utility service connection cut perpendicular to the road centerline:

    The patch shall be long enough to accommodate the trench width as specified and shall be in full lane increments in width.

    All edges are to be saw-cut and either on a pavement joint or perpendicular to the direction of traffic unless otherwise approved by the county engineer.

    In the case of multiple road crossings, if less than 100' of existing pavement remains between patches, the trench area and the entire existing pavement between those patches shall be restored or overlain as directed by the county highway engineer.

  5. All pavement thicknesses shall be approved by the county highway engineer.

CONSTRUCTION METHODS

When a trench must be cut through paved areas (concrete or asphalt) such as roadways, driveways, sidewalks or parking lots, particular care shall be taken not to unnecessarily damage the adjoining areas of pavement, driveways or sidewalks. All cuts through existing surfaces shall be made with a concrete saw, sawing deep enough to allow a straight cut parallel with longitudinal and traverse construction or contraction joints.

PAGE 3 - HOUGHTON COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

All trenches in paved streets, roadways, parking areas, and driveways shall be backfilled with select backfill from a minimum of 8" below the finished grade of the pavement. The select backfill shall be placed in not more than 6" layers and thoroughly and uniformly compacted by machine tamping to not less than 95% of the maximum unit weight.

Material excavated from the trench may be used as select backfill when approved in writing by the county highway engineer. The material to be used for select backfill shall meet the following gradation:

Sieve Size ---- Percent Passing
2 2" ---- 100
1" 60-100
No. 100 0-30
Loss by washing 0-7

Trenches not in paved streets, roadways, parking areas or driveways shall be backfilled from a level of one foot above the pipe to the ground surface with existing material. Topsoil, seed, fertilizer and mulch will be required to restore areas disturbed outside of the pavement limits.

In either paved or unpaved areas, any depression resulting from settlement of the trench backfill within 18 months of the completion of the work will be repaired by the contractor.

A bond may be required.

MATERIALS - per current MDOT specifications

Bituminous surfaces

ITEM

MINIMUM FOR ALL PAVED SURFACES

FOR ALL SEASON PAVED ROUTES

Sand subbase

12" Cl. II

12" Cl. II or match existing

Agg. base

6" 22A

8" 22A

Wearing course

220#/sy. HMA 13A

58-28 PG asphalt

330#/sy., 2 courses,

HMA 13A, 58-28 PG asphalt

Concrete surfaces as approved by county highway engineer.

  1. CONSTRUCTION SIGNING: All work within Houghton County Road Commission right-of-way shall be signed according to the latest edition of the Michigan Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

    PAGE 4 - HOUGHTON COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS

  2. CONSTRUCTION DETOURS: No detour of traffic will be permitted unless provided for in advance of a construction permit being issued and outlined in contract documents.
  3. CLEANUP: Final acceptance of the work will not be obtained until all cleanup operations are completed. This may include areas outside of the project limits which were disturbed by the contractor.

 

 

 
                 
     
     
 

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Modified Load Restrictions - Monday, April 22, 2024 at 8:00 a.m.

   
 

Load Restrictions go into effect 2/22/2024

   
 
 
     
 
 
 
 
     
 

 

 
     
     

20140 Gagnon Circle
P.O. Box 269
Hancock, Michigan 49930

T (906) 482-3600
F (906) 482-9600

The Houghton County Road Commission is dedicated to providing a county road system that is safe and convenient for public travel while practicing sound financial management, respect for the environment, and sensitivity to community concerns.

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