ROAD MAINTENANCE LEVEL DEFINITIONS.pdf

MAINTENANCE LEVEL DEFINITIONS.

• MAINTENANCE LEVEL 3: Roads open and maintained for travel by a prudent driver in a standard passenger car. User comfort and convenience are not considered priorities. Typically, low-speed, single-lane with turnouts and native or aggregate surfacing. The road surface is maintained to provide the passage of low-clearance vehicles (i.e., passenger cars).

MUTCD is applicable.

• MAINTENANCE LEVEL 2: Roads open for use by high-clearance vehicles. Passenger car traffic is discouraged, and the surface is not maintained for this use. Traffic is minor administrative, permitted, or dispersed recreation. Surface maintenance is performed only for purposes of drainage control. Maintenance is normally performed by a dozer rather than a motor grader, although either may be used.

Road Maintenance, Level 3– This work shall consist of maintaining of the existing roadbed prism of a native material or aggregate surfaced road to facilitate traffic and provide proper positive drainage of passenger car roads. Road Maintenance is work necessary to keep drainage function and maintain the road prism to allow a prudent driver to safely negotiate the road in a passenger car.

This work includes repairing slides, minor washouts with onsite materials, slumps, blade cutting and smooth blading the surface, especially washboard areas, and cleaning drainage/lead-off ditches. Existing onsite usable material from ditches/berms shall be brought back onto the road to repair minor damages or spread across the road. Priority will be to use the material over pipes or drainage dip ditch blocks. The entire roadway surface will be bladed, including widened roadbed sections at cattle guards, curves, fills and turnouts.

All usable material will be pulled back onto the existing roadway template and reworked into existing in/out slope and/or crown.

Berming caused by road maintenance along the roads edge preventing positive drainage shall be removed, and usable material shall be brought back onto the surface. Also, intersecting roads that are located on the Motorized use map (MVUM) will be bladed for a minimum distance to assure proper transition and positive drainage. This work is included in the main road mileage as incidental to the task order. Double lane roads are crowned and/or super elevated [US-1]at a rate of TWO to [US-2]max [WNC-3]FIVE percent with a smooth transition between the two.

Lead-off ditches that have silted in will be cleaned and all usable material will also be pulled back onto the roadway template.

Drainage ditches on both sides of the road will be cleaned out with all suitable material pulled back on to the roadway. Any 3-inch plus material will be swept off the surface after all suitable material has been worked back into the surface. Contractors shall not deviate from roadway template width or create false ditches during maintenance work.

5-passes or more with the grader will be necessary to maintain an ML-3 road

Road Maintenance, Level 2 Roads – This work shall consist of the maintaining of the roadbed of a native material road to facilitate traffic and provide proper drainage of high clearance roads. Road Maintenance is work necessary to keep drainage functioning and maintain the road prism to allow a prudent driver to safely negotiate the road in a high clearance vehicle. This work includes blading by dozer or motor grader, removal of excessive ruts, reshaping existing natural drainage crossings, maintaining to current standards existing out sloped drains, rolling dips, and lead-off ditches. Incidental items may include: removal of small trees up to 1.5 inch diameter breast height (dbh) from the shoulders, ditches, or 3-ft from ditch line /roadside hinge point to back slope/fore slope.[US-4] This may be done by lopping, mechanical cutting[WNC-5], or other means that will need COR approval prior. Slash shall be either scattered outside the edge of the road or as directed by COR. Slash shall not impede drainage, block open roads, or be placed in a hazardous manner.

3-passes or more will be required to maintain a ML2 road.

NATIONAL FORESTS ROAD BLADING

1. Each road designated to be bladed shall receive a sufficient number of motor grader passes to accomplish the following work:

a) All ditches shall be pulled and maintained in accordance with number 8 (SEE BELOW). Ditches' of these specifications

b) All aggregate and other suitable material which has been displaced onto fill slope, ditch in slope, and into ditch line shall be reclaimed onto roadbed.

c) All ruts, potholes, corrugations, and berms shall be removed from roadbed by cutting out or scarifying to the bottom of such defects.

d) All aggregate and other suitable material acquired from performing (a), (b), and (c) shall be uniformly mixed and distributed over entire roadbed to produce proper cross slope or crown (1/4 inch to ½ inch per foot) such that water cannot collect or pond on the surface.

e) Suitable material shall be reclaimed from fill slope, ditch in slope, ditch line, or acquired from ditch back slope and drifted over any solidly embedded rock so that no such rock is left protruding more than three inches above the graded roadbed surface. If suitable and sufficient material is not within 100 feet of the embedded rock, the Contractor will not be required to meet the three-inch maximum protruding height.

f) All existing drainage dips and swales within the roadbed shall be maintained so as to control surface drainage.

2. No undercutting at roadbed edges will be permitted.

3. No berms shall be left along either edge of the roadbed.

4. Loose rocks protruding 3 inches or more above graded surface and loose rocks 3 inches or more in diameter on surface shall be removed from the roadbed. It is permissible to waste over-sized rocks onto fill slope (not onto ditch in slope).

5. All roadbed widths shall be perpetuated as existing.

6. All down trees, logs, stumps, etc., in ditches or on roadbed being bladed shall be removed as a part of the road maintenance operation. EXCEPTION: Contractor will not be required to remove slash and other debris left by logging operations.

7. All bridge surfaces and low water structures shall be cleaned of all debris and loose surface materials.

8. Ditches

a) All ditches shall be pulled and maintained except those specifically designated by the Contracting Officer’s Representative.

This work is done concurrently with the Road Blading activity and is considered as incidental to the Road Blading activity.

b) b) When the edge of the roadbed or the face of the ditch in slope is eroded, then these slopes shall be bladed and shaped to maintain the road edge alignment and profile. Embedded rocks shall not be dislodged from eroding ditches. All ditches shall provide proper drainage.

c) All suitable material, having the same character as the roadbed material, excavated through this activity shall be reclaimed onto the roadbed and utilized as specified in 1.d).

d) Unsuitable material pulled from ditch line shall be spread along fill-side edge of roadbed or on fill slopes without inhibiting surface drainage.

e) Handwork required to properly connect ditch flow lines to drainage structures is considered a part of this activity.

f) All wing ditches and lead-off (tail) ditches shall be cleaned their full length to provide drainage away from roadbed, with no ponding at the outlet.

10. Excessive Unsuitable Material

a) Manageable amounts of grass, leaf litter, or pine straw shall be uniformly spread within the riding surface.

b) Where grass, leaf litter, or pine straw is excessive, material will be piled in selected spots along the roadbed edges and left to decay. Care shall be taken that this material does not interfere with surface drainage. Reusable material shall be reclaimed in subsequent bladings and smoothly spread within the roadbed.

11. Soil Conditions

a) Suitable moisture conditions for surface blading shall be from five (5) to fifteen (15) percent by weight.

Three conditions that may cause issues with typical road maintenance:

First, is that the road is too dry. In most cases work will only be stopped if fire restrictions are put into place by the Forest Supervisors that prohibit travel on Forest System Roads. (See fire plan) The second condition that will stop maintenance is too much moisture that will result in the “rutting” of the road. The material that is being pushed back onto the road must be able to be spread out evenly across the road. Rutting will not be allowed during maintenance activities.

The third condition to limit road maintenance will be snowfall. If snow accumulates on the road where the road material cannot be pulled up in effective manner, the contract will be paused until conditions improve on the ground.

b) No surface blading shall be performed when the ground is in a frozen state, or excessive moisture causing immediate rutting.

TASK/

SUBTASK PERFORMANCE STANDARDS ACCEPTABLE QUALITY

LEVEL (AQL)

MONITORING

METHOD

DISINCENTIVES

FOR NOT

MEETING

STANDARDS

Road

1. The roadbed has been crowned or sloped to conform to the original design prism to the maximum extent possible with the material available.

90% Visual --Rework at contractor’s expense.

Maintenance

2. All berms and false ditches have been removed from the shoulders to the maximum extent possible and incorporated into the travel way.

--No payment for performance less than AQL.

Blading, Level 3and 4 Roads

3. Material that had migrated to the shoulder has been returned to the traveled way.

-Poor performance rating.'

4. Road shoulders are free of vegetation.

5. Berms of material caused by road maintenance operations were removed from the traveled way prior to the end of each day’s work.

6. Fines accumulated while blading was not wasted over fill shoulders.

7. Side casting into streams, lakes or watercourses has not occurred.

8. There is a smooth transition before and after cattle guards and bridges.

9. Material has not been deposited inside cattle guards or onto bridges.

10. Bridge decks are cleaned to the point that decking material can be inspected and deck drains are open and free flowing.

11. Drainage dips and their outlet ditches reasonably conform to their original lines, grades, and cross sections.

12. Widened roadbed sections at cattle guards, curves, fills, and turnouts have been included with blading of the road surface.

13. Intersecting roads have been bladed for distance of 50 feet each direction and there is a smooth transition between the two riding surfaces.

14. Ditches are cleaned of any material which would obstruct flow of water.

15. The back slope is not undercut.

16. Drainage dips are maintained to a depth and width to provide drainage.

17. Lead off ditches are shaped to drain water away from the roadway.

Figure 1 INSLOPED ROAD WITH GRAVEL

Figure 2 TYPICAL INSLOPED WITH DITCH ROAD MAINTENANCE

Figure 3 TYPICAL CROWNED ROAD WITH DITCH MAINTENANCE

Figure 4 TYPICAL OUTSLOPED ROAD MAINTENACE

Figure 5 MAINTENANCE FOR CURVE WIDENING AND TURN OUTS

Figure 6 TYPICAL LEAD-OUT TEMPLATE

Figure 7 Typical Ditching Details

Best Management Practices (BMPs)

• Avoid or minimize adverse effects to soil from erosion, sedimentations, and other pollutant delivery during road construction/reconstruction

• Use suitable measures in compliance with local direction to prevent and control invasive species

• Shape road surfaces to drain as designed

• Construct drainage control structures/features as need within the road prism

• Ensure culverts are clean and functioning

• Remove roadside berms unless specifically designed for erosion control measures

• Maintain the road surface drainage system to intercept.

o Clean ditches and catch basins only as needed to keep them functioning o So not undercut the toe of the cut slope when clearing ditches or catch basins.

• Do not undercut the toe of the cut slope when grading roads

• Do not permit side casting of maintenance-generated debris within a streamside management zone (SMZ)

• Avoid or minimize excavated materials entering waterbodies or riparian areas

• Utilize potential side cast or other waste on the road where applicable.

• Remove vegetation from Swales, ditches, shoulders, and cut/fill slopes only when it impedes adequate drainage, vehicle passage or obstructs necessary sight distances to avoid or minimize unnecessary or excessive vegetation disturbance.

• Design and locate parking and staging areas of appropriate size and configuration to accommodate expected vehicles and avoid minimize adverse effects to adjacent soil.

• Allow temporary re-fueling and servicing at approved locations, located well away from water or riparian zones.

• Use suitable measures around vehicle service, storage, and refueling areas, chemical storage and use areas, and waste dump to fully contain spills and avoid or minimize soil contamination and seepage to groundwater.

• Use suitable measure to avoid spilling fuels, lubricants, cleaners and other chemicals during handling and transporting

• Prohibit excess chemicals or waste from being stored or accumulated in the project area

• Remove service residues, used oil, and other hazardous and undesirable materials from the NFS land and properly dispose of them following completion of the project.

• Report spills and initiate suitable clean up actions in accordance with applicable state and federal laws, rules, and regulations.

NATIONAL FORESTS ROAD BLADING