Clear Zone Fair Play.pdf

SPECIFICATIONS – Clear Zone Mowing

1.0 Intent

The following specifications list requirements for as-needed clear zone mowing services at Fair Play Welcome Center. In addition to these specifications, interested contractors must also review and comply with the Specifications – Monthly Grounds Maintenance and Invitation for Bid documents.

Welcome Center Road Location

Fair Play Welcome Center I-85 North Mile Post 0.5

Definition of Clear Zone Area - The area beginning along the entrance ramp and ending at the exit ramp within 30’ from edge of pavement.

SCPRT requires mowing of the Clear Zone Area at the Welcome Centers when the rest of the campus is mowed.

2.0 Equipment

2.01 Equipment - General

The Contractor must use equipment that is satisfactory to perform the mowing activity and all associated activities as prescribed and within the time specified. Routine equipment maintenance will only be allowed in designated parking areas identified in Section 2.03 Equipment-Parking. Refer to Section 3.03 Work Zone Traffic Control- Equipment Requirement for details regarding equipment Work Zone Traffic Control requirement.

2.02 Equipment - Travel

All mowing activities and associated activities should be performed in the same direction as the flow of traffic.

Equipment is restricted to traveling on the right hand shoulder of interstate routes when not actively managing vegetation and in no case shall travel be in traffic lanes except to cross the pavement for purposes of operating adjacent to the left shoulder. Turnarounds shall be confined to intersections or to interchanges. Activities along the interstate shall be conducted such that the equipment does not encroach into the travel-way. If this is not possible, a lane closure with appropriate traffic control may be required by SCDOT/SCPRT.

2.03 Equipment – Parking

Parking of Contractor’s vehicles and equipment will be permitted within SCDOT right-of-way only at locations designated by the Engineer or on non-SCDOT property with prior (written) approval from the property owner. In no case shall any vehicle or equipment be parked in the interstate median or within thirty feet of the travel-way of an interstate route. Damage to vegetation or soil within areas permitted for parking will be corrected at the Contractor’s expense. Parking of private vehicles within the interstate right-of-way is prohibited at all times.

3.0 Work Zone Traffic Control

3.01 Work Zone Traffic Control – General

The Contractor shall provide Work Zone Traffic Control for all mowing activities and the associated activities stated in these specifications. Work Zone Traffic Control (including devices, placement, equipment/vehicle requirements, and worker requirements) shall comply with these specifications, all supplemental specifications, the Engineer, and the latest editions of the following documents. These documents are available on the internet website links indicated.

• Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) http://www.mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/

• Work Zone Safety Guidelines for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, Municipalities, Counties, Utilities, and Contractors http://www.scdot.org/doing/trafficengineering.shtml

• SCDOT Standard Specifications for Highway Construction http://www.scdot.org/doing/const_man.shtml

• Applicable SCDOT Traffic Engineering Standard Drawings http://www.scdot.org/doing/standard drawings.shtml

All Work Zone Traffic Control devices shall be appropriate/proper for the given work zone and shall be in place before work commences each business day. The Engineer shall direct the Contractor to suspend operations at any time Work Zone Traffic Control is not compliant. The Contractor shall take immediate action to correct any Work Zone Traffic Control deficiency. No work shall proceed until the deficiency is corrected. All Work Zone Traffic Control devices shall be promptly removed when work is complete each day.

The Contractor shall be responsible for establishing a safe work area to motorists and pedestrians while working and for leaving the area safe during non-working hours. Adequate provisions shall be made for the protection of the highway traffic at all times during all activities. The work shall be planned and carried out to minimize the inconvenience to the traveling public and adjacent landowners. All Work Zone Traffic Control devices, except for Category IV devices, shall comply with the requirements of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Report 350 (NCHRP Report 350). An approved products list has been developed and only those traffic control devices listed on the “Approved Products List For Traffic Control Devices In Work Zones” are considered acceptable. This approved products list also includes the implementation dates and any special conditions or restrictions for each device. The approved products list is available on the following SCDOT intranet website:

http://www.dot.state.sc.us/TrafEng/Products/NCHRP350List_ALL2_.pdf

Lane closures may be restricted to specific days and times by the Engineer. The interstate route will not be affected by this work. No lanes on the interstate route will be closed during the mowing activity or during Woody Vegetative Debris Management activities. Work Zone Traffic Control is considered an associated part of the activity. No separate payment will be given for Work Zone Traffic Control. All necessary traffic control devices and personnel including, detours, lights, barricades, warning signs, flagmen, etc. shall be provided and provided for by the Contractor.

3.02 Work Zone Traffic Control – Signs, Sign Stands, Etc.

Subsections 601.1, 601.2, 601.3 and 601.4 of the Standard Specifications for Highway Construction shall apply. All signs mounted on portable sign supports shall have a minimum mounting height of five feet from the ground to the bottom of the sign. Signs shall be reasonably clean and clearly legible. Signs that are faded/deteriorated/illegible are not acceptable. “MOWING NEXT 3 MILES” signs (Standard W21-9A-48) shall be used for the mowing activity and the associated activity, Woody Vegetative Debris Management. These signs shall conform to the specifications stated in TYPICAL A. SIGN DETAIL. These signs shall be used on all routes.

Signs must be moved as necessary to remain within three miles of the mowing activity and the Woody Vegetative Debris Management activity as depicted in TYPICAL B. SIGN PLACEMENT. Flagmen, warning signs, barricades, and/or other suitable protective devices shall be placed not less than five hundred feet in each direction from the work site while loading or unloading materials or equipment.

3.03 Work Zone Traffic Control - Equipment Requirements

In addition to requirements stated or referenced in these specifications, all motorized equipment and/or vehicles shall at a minimum have a top-mounted amber color warning light that is fully operational. This light shall meet the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Class I standards and must provide 360 degree visibility. A standard Slow Moving Vehicle (SMV) emblem shall be mounted on the rear of all slow-moving equipment. All http://www.mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/ http://www.scdot.org/doing/trafficengineering.shtml http://www.scdot.org/doing/const_man.shtml http://www.scdot.org/doing/standard%20drawings.shtml http://www.scdot.org/doing/standard%20drawings.shtml http://www.dot.state.sc.us/TrafEng/Products/NCHRP350List_ALL2_.pdf equipment shall conform to the prevailing OSHA standards. Additionally, FOR MOWING EQUIPMENT the following will be required, at a minimum:

For each tractor:

• All manufacturer-installed lights, including headlights, shall be fully operational.

• The standard slow moving vehicle emblem (SMV) shall be mounted on the rear of the tractor (or on the rear-mounted mowing deck) in such a position that it is clearly visible by vehicles approaching from the rear. The emblem shall not interfere with the visibility of the tractor’s lights, including the top-mounted light.

For each rear-mounted mowing deck that extends beyond the width of the rear tractor tires:

• Two flags, a minimum of 24 inches by 24 inches, and red, orange, or fluorescent red-orange in color are required. Faded/deteriorated flags are not acceptable. Each flag shall be mounted on a rigid staff a minimum three feet in length, in a flexible mount, within six inches of each outer edge of the mowing deck.

EXCEPTION: only in cases where adjacent vegetation (such as brush or limbs) interferes with the integrity of the flag that is mounted on the side opposite from traffic may this flag be temporarily removed. Once the interference is passed, the flag must be re-installed.

3.04 Work Zone Traffic Control – Worker Requirements

The Contractor shall be responsible for the safety and health of all [his/her] workers on the job and shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) as well as state regulations, and the worker safety requirements specified in the current edition of the Work Zone Safety Guidelines for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, Municipalities, Counties, Utilities, and Contractors. This document specifies the minimum requirements for worker attire and safety apparel and is located on the following SCDOT internet website: http://www.scdot.org/doing/trafficengineering.shtml At a minimum, workers shall wear a class II safety vest in accordance with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Worker Visibility Rule. All high-visibility safety apparel is required to have an orange-red background. Faded/deteriorated vests are not acceptable. For specific worker safety requirements, the Contractor should contact the South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (http://www.llr.state.sc.us/).

http://www.scdot.org/doing/trafficengineering.shtml http://www.llr.state.sc.us/

TYPICAL A. SIGN DETAIL

TYPICAL B. SIGN PLACEMENT

4.0 Routine Mowing of Clear Zone Area

When: As directed by SCPRT Representative.

Where: ROUTINE MOWING (Interstate Welcome Centers) includes the following areas:

• Interstate Shoulders (Welcome Centers) (SECTION 4.01)

• Interstate Signs and Structures (SECTION 4.02)

Frequency: SCDOT will mow the Clear Zone Area, three times annually. The estimated frequency will be determined by SCPRT.

What: All vegetation except trees.

How: Mowing will be performed as described in Sections 4.01 and 4.02 of these specifications.

Vegetation shall be mowed to a uniform height of no less than 2 inches and no more than 4 inches.

Begin mowing at the beginning of the welcome center entrance ramp to the end of the exit ramp segment. This activity shall not result in the deposit of vegetative debris onto the road surface.

4.01 Interstate Shoulders (Welcome Centers)

As shown in TYPICAL C. ROUTINE MOWING (Interstate Shoulders/Roadsides), interstate shoulders/roadsides shall be mowed thirty feet from the edge of the pavement. If fill slopes or back slopes are steep and are within this area, mow to the steep slope and one swath of the mower or not less than five feet shall be mowed on these slopes. This mowing width may be increased when necessary to provide adequate visibility for signs erected by SCDOT, when SCDOT determines that increasing the widths is in the public interest or upon request of the governing body of a county or municipality. This activity shall not interfere in any way with the visibility of any outdoor advertising sign. If the Department of Natural Resources makes an assessment and written determination that vegetation management pursuant [to SC Code of Laws, Section 57-23-800] causes an increase in safety risks because of the attraction of wildlife to a specific area along the highway, then the department may increase the distance from the pavement required to be mowed.

TYPICAL C – ROUTINE MOWING (Interstate Shoulders/Roadsides)

4.02 Intestate Signs and Structures (Welcome Centers)

Vegetation under and around interstate signs and structures within the defined Clear Zone Area shall be mowed at a uniform height to the adjacent mowed vegetation. Mowing at Interstate Information/Guide Signs shall be in accordance with TYPICAL D. ROUTINE MOWING (Interstate Information/Guide Signs).

Mowing will be accomplished regardless of slope or guardrail/cable rail. Interstate mainline sign locations shall be mowed to allow full view by approaching motorists for a minimum distance of 1,200 feet. Regardless of road curvature, this distance (1,200 feet) shall be measured along the pavement mainline from the sign face. Additionally, the area that occurs ten feet behind the sign face and extends ten feet beyond the edge of the sign most distant from the pavement shall also be mowed. Ramp panels shall be cleared to provide maximum sight distance. Interstate Information/Guide Signs do not include logo signs. The sight area for logo signs will be maintained to the routine mowing limits only.

5.0 Basis of Payment

SCPRT agrees to pay the Contractor for satisfactorily completed services. SCPRT may withhold payment for work not performed, unsatisfactory work, damages, etc.

TYPICAL D. ROUTINE MOWING (Interstate Information/Guide Signs)

1.0 Intent