Category:643 Utility Procedures

Excavation Safety - Marking Utilities

Many times the construction of roadway improvement projects will require the location or relocation of utility facilities. These facilities include power transmission, telephone, water, gas, petroleum products, steam, sewer, drainage, fiber optic, and railroads. They may be located above or below ground. They may be owned by public or private entities. It is critical to the successful completion of any roadway improvement project to ensure these facilities are located or relocated in a timely manner.

Information to accomplish this task is discussed in detail in the following articles:

• Utilities-Status and Liability Acceptance
• Local Utility Adjustments - Public and Private (includes Construction Inspection Guidelines for Utilities)
• Policy, Standards and Regulations
• Railroads (includes Construction Inspection Guidelines for Railroads)

A few general concepts guide the decisions Missouri Department of Transportation staff make concerning the location or relocation of utility facilities affected by a roadway improvement project. They are:

• The location, relocation or maintenance of utility facilities on a state roadway where the travelway, shoulders or the right of way will be affected must be done under the terms of an agreement and/or a permit.

• Utility facilities on major routes must be installed, serviced and maintained without entering or leaving the roadway except at approved access points.

• Overhead main line and service line utility crossings are permitted provided the supports are located near the right of way line.

• When a utility is located on private easement within the new right of way to be acquired for a road improvement project, the necessary relocations to permit construction will be made at the cost of the Missouri Highway and Transportation Commission (MHTC).

• In general, when a utility is located on the right of way of a public road, a street or on the right of way of a state roadway and it must be relocated to permit construction of a road improvement project, the relocation must be made at the cost of the utility.