1. |
Data Collected |
|
| 1.1 |
A traffic control and maintenance and protection of traffic (MPT) plan approved by a State department of transportation and any State-issued access permits for onsite bridge data collection for the Long-Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program. |
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2. |
Onsite Equipment and Personnel Requirements |
|
| 2.1 |
Equipment: None. |
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| 2.2 |
Personnel: PRE-PL-LO-005, Personnel Qualifications. |
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3. |
Methodology |
|
| 3.1 |
Establish contact with responsible parties within bridge owner organization and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA): |
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| 3.1.1 |
The primary contact with the bridge owner is the LTBP State Coordinator. This person facilitates the LTBP project and associated operations within their State. The State Coordinator determines the appropriate personnel for coordinating the field effort (PRE-PL-LO-007, Communication and Coordination Plan). |
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| 3.1.2 |
The primary local contact within FHWA is the FHWA Division Bridge Engineer for the State where the bridge is located. |
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| 3.1.3 |
With the LTBP State Coordinator’s assistance, contact the traffic control coordinator within the district or region where the bridge is located. |
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| 3.2 |
Work with FHWA LTBP staff and/or other LTBP contractors to obtain the bridge plans and latest inspection report for the bridge being evaluated. The bridge file developed by LTBP with the bridge owner provides the base material required to develop the traffic control plan (PRE‑ED‑BD‑001, Plans and Specifications for Bridge Design and Construction). |
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| 3.3 |
Responsibility: |
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| 3.3.1 |
Determine who is responsible for traffic control in four aspects: |
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| 3.3.1.1 |
Design of MPT plan. |
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| 3.3.1.2 |
Financial responsibility for MPT plan. |
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| 3.3.1.3 |
Approval of MPT plan. |
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| 3.3.1.4 |
Implementation of MPT plan. |
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| 3.3.2 |
If the bridge owner is responsible for all traffic control responsibilities, then do the following: |
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| 3.3.2.1 |
Obtain a copy of the approved MPT plan for the bridge, and make sure all LTBP contractor personnel understand the plan, the timeframe LTBP contractor personnel are allowed on the bridge, and any areas of safety concern. |
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| 3.3.2.2 |
Apply for and obtain any State-required access permits for LTBP contractor personnel to evaluate the bridge. |
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| 3.3.2.3 |
Develop a Personal Health and Safety Plan for the bridge, following PRE-PL-LO‑004, Personal Health and Safety Plan, and any State-specific requirements and guidelines. |
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| 3.3.2.4 |
Procure and/or supply any safety equipment required by the Personal Health and Safety Plan to all onsite LTBP contractor personnel. |
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| 3.3.3 |
If the LTBP contractor is responsible for all traffic control responsibilities, then do the following: |
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| 3.3.3.1 |
If the State has any preapproved contractors to perform maintenance of traffic, identify one of those contractors to perform the steps that follow. If not, then perform the steps that follow alone. |
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| 3.3.3.2 |
The field coordinator designs an MPT plan that follows the latest version of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and any State-specific requirements and guidelines. Submit it to the bridge owner for approval. If the bridge owner provides comments and/or rejects the MPT plan, then revise and resubmit the MPT, continuing the revisions and resubmissions process until the MPT plan is approved. |
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| 3.3.3.3 |
Review the MPT plan with all LTBP contractor onsite personnel so they understand the plan, the window of time LTBP contractor personnel are allowed on the bridge, and any areas of safety concern. |
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| 3.3.3.4 |
Apply for and obtain any State-required access permits for LTBP contractor personnel to evaluate the bridge. |
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| 3.3.3.5 |
Develop a Personal Health and Safety Plan for the bridge, following PRE-PL-LO-004, Personal Health and Safety Plan, and any State-specific requirements and guidelines. |
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| 3.3.3.6 |
Procure and/or supply any safety equipment required by the Personal Health and Safety Plan to all onsite LTBP contractor personnel. |
|
| 3.4 |
Clearly establish communication requirements for traffic control as part of the entire field communication plan (PRE-PL-LO-007, Communication and Coordination Plan), including a list of emergency contacts. These requirements includes establishing and maintaining communication with local law enforcement and emergency responders throughout traffic interruption. |
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| 3.5 |
Ensuring all requirements are met before field work: |
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| 3.5.1 |
Any permits that are required onsite should be available but protected from exposure or damage. |
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| 3.5.2 |
Ensure all required personnel or organizations have been notified of the impending traffic interruption and field work according to the communication plan. |
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| 3.5.3 |
Check the traffic control to verify that the plan has been implemented as designed and that onsite staff are safe while in the closure area. |
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| 3.6 |
Maintaining records: |
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| 3.6.1 |
Maintain records, including the MPT plan, permits, photo documentation, and logs of any issues or accidents that may arise during the field work. |
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| 3.6.2 |
Take photographs using FLD-DC-PH-002, Photographing for Documentation Purposes, and create a photo log. |
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| 3.7 |
Storing data, documents, and images: |
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| 3.7.1 |
FLD-DS-LS-001, Data, Document, and Image Storage—Local, for local storage. |
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| 3.7.2 |
FLD-DS-RS-001, Data, Document, and Image Storage—Remote, for remote storage. |
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| 3.8 |
Reporting: Transfer all metadata, data, documents, and images to FHWA, and/or upload all metadata, data, documents, and images into the LTBP Bridge Portal. |
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4. |
Data Collection Table |
|
| 4.1 |
Table: |
|
| # |
Field Name |
Data Type |
Accuracy |
Unit |
Field Description |
Row Color |
| 1 |
State |
Text |
Text |
|
State Code; e.g., Virginia = VA |
Green |
| 2 |
NBI structure number |
Text |
Text |
|
Item 8, structure number; from NBI Coding Guide |
Green |
| 3 |
Structure name |
Text |
Text |
|
Descriptive name for the bridge; e.g., Route 15 SB over I–66 |
Green |
| 4 |
Protocol name |
Text |
Text |
|
Title of the protocol |
Green |
| 5 |
Protocol version |
Text |
Month and year |
|
Month and year the protocol version was published; e.g., May 2015 |
Green |
| 6 |
Personnel performing data collection activities |
Text |
Text |
|
First name(s) Last name(s) |
Green |
| 7 |
Date data was collected |
Text |
Exact date |
|
mm/dd/yyyy |
Green |
| 8 |
Approved MPT plan |
BLOB |
NA |
|
Attachment |
Blue |
| 9 |
Permit |
BLOB |
NA |
|
Approved State-issued access permit for evaluation of the bridge |
Yellow |
| 10 |
Other Permit |
BLOB |
NA |
|
Second approved State-issued permit for evaluation of the bridge (if applicable) |
Yellow |
| 11 |
Comments |
|
|
|
|
Orange |
|
| 4.2 |
Table Key: |
|
| Column Descriptions |
# |
Sequential number of data item |
Field Name |
Data field name |
Data Type |
Type of data, such as text, number, predefined list, binary large object (BLOB), or PDF file |
Accuracy |
Accuracy to which the data are recorded |
Unit |
Unit in which a measurement is taken and recorded |
Field Description |
Commentary on the data or list of items in a predefined list |
| Row Color Key |
Green |
Data items only entered once for each protocol for each day the protocol is applied |
Pink |
Logical breakdown of data by elements or defect types (not always used) |
Blue |
Data identifying the element being evaluated or the type of defect being identified |
Yellow |
LTBP data reported individually for each element or defect identified |
Orange |
Comments on the data collection or data entered |
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|
5. |
Criteria for Data Validation |
|
| 5.1 |
None. |
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6. |
Commentary/Background |
|
| 6.1 |
This protocol provides guidance for establishing a safe, efficient traffic control and MPT plan for any onsite data collection for the LTBP Program. |
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| 6.2 |
Ideally, the bridge owner will provide traffic control during field work at bridges, but if that is not possible, an MPT plan must be developed. The LTBP Program is a nationwide program, and requirements vary significantly from State to State. |
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| 6.3 |
Each State has specific and often different requirements for traffic control procedures included in its design standards and State traffic control device manual. These requirements may include permitting requirements, lead times, communication chains, inclusion of State or local law enforcement, or many other logistical specifics. Establish requirements via the traffic control coordinator. Requirements for State-specific traffic control above and beyond the FHWA MUTCD are provided on the FHWA MUTCD Web site. |
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7. |
References |
|
| 7.1 |
LTBP Protocols: |
|
| 7.1.1 |
PRE-PL-LO-004, Personal Health and Safety Plan. |
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| 7.1.2 |
PRE-PL-LO-005, Personnel Qualifications. |
|
| 7.1.3 |
PRE-PL-LO-007, Communication and Coordination Plan. |
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| 7.1.4 |
PRE-ED-BD-001, Plans and Specifications for Bridge Design and Construction. |
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| 7.1.5 |
FLD-DC-PH-002, Photographing for Documentation Purposes. |
|
| 7.1.6 |
FLD-DS-LS-001, Data, Document, and Image Storage—Local. |
|
| 7.1.7 |
FLD-DS-RS-001, Data, Document, and Image Storage—Remote. |
|
| 7.2 |
External: |
|
| 7.2.1 |
FHWA, Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, 2009 Edition with Revisions 1 and 2 Incorporated, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, DC, 2012. |
|
| 7.2.2 |
State-specific requirements and/or guidelines for maintenance and protection of traffic: http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/. |
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