Utility Coordination Process

Skip Maine state header navigation

Consultant Info

Contract Info

Construction Bid
Packages

Locally Administered Projects

Disadvantaged Business Enterprises

Utilities

Freight

Home

Utility Coordination Process

The following outlines a typical utility coordination process as it relates to a project development process funded with state and/or federal dollars administered through the Maine Department of Transportation (hereinafter “Department”). Any references to a “Utility Coordinator” refer to the person who is responsible for assuring that proper utility and railroad coordination occurs on a given project. This may be a MaineDOT employee, a town/city employee, or a consultant acting on behalf of either party. Any references to Letters #1-7 refer to standard letters that are routinely mailed out to utility or railroad companies at a particular stage of a project. Templates of these letters are available on the Department's Utilities Web Site, located at the following address: http://wwwmdot/mdot/utilities/coordpage.php

General Utility Coordinator Responsibilities:

• The Utility Coordinator will participate as an active member of the project team.

• The Utility Coordinator will meet with utility and railroad (hereinafter “RR”) contacts as necessary to identify and resolve all utility and railroad issues and/or conflicts relating to the project and the Department's current policies.

• The Utility Coordinator will provide information to utility and railroad contacts as early as possible to provide the maximum notice possible.

• If the Utility Coordinator is a consultant working for the Department, the Utility Coordinator shall keep a predefined Department representative informed of all coordination activities by:

• Copying that individual on all utility/RR related project correspondence, and

• Inviting that individual to critical utility/RR coordination meetings.

This predefined contact will be responsible for providing general oversight of the coordination process and for the review and processing of any necessary utility/RR agreements to be signed by the Department.

General Utility Coordination Process:

• Identify Utilities

• Verify Facility Information

• Preliminary Utility Comments, Conflicts, and Relocation Strategy

• Identify Specific Underground Facility Locations

• Final Facility Impacts, Relocation Strategy and Agreements

• Prepare Utility Specification and Certification

• Oversee Utility Relocation Schedule

Detailed Utility Coordination Process

I. Identify Utilities

Prior to Project Kickoff:

• A Property Office representative will research the Department's utility and railroad database to obtain a list of contact names, addresses and phone numbers for all utility and railroad companies located in the City/Town of the proposed project. This information may be obtained from the Department's Utilities Web Site at the following address: http://dot0dta1asora14.mdot.w2k.state.me.us:7778/reports/rwservlet?cmdkey=ut

• A Property Office representative will obtain a list of contact names, addresses, and phone numbers for any applicable municipal officials in the project town(s).

• A Property Office representative will mail an initial utility contact letter (Letter #1) to all utilities, railroads and municipalities within the City/Town of the proposed project to determine the following:

• Whether or not the addressee has existing facilities within the project area and, if so, the type of facilities;

• Whether or not the addressee intends to construct facilities within the project area over the next five years;

• The name of the individual that will be available to mark any existing facilities prior to the project survey;

• The name of the individual with whom the project team can coordinate throughout the project.

A Property Office representative will input the Letter #1 information into the Utility Database for the project for which it relates.

Project Kickoff:

The Utility Coordinator will obtain the Letter #1 information from the Utility Database.

Compile Preliminary Data:

• The Utility Coordinator will research the Department's accident data for any issues relating to the location of utility facilities. This information may be obtained from the Project Manager or from the Department's Traffic Engineering Division (624-3620).

• The Utility Coordinator will coordinate with the project team's Right-of-Way representative to obtain any available right-of-way information.

• The Utility Coordinator will determine whether or not there are any Department-owned traffic facilities within the project limits and will determine how those facilities will be handled throughout the development of the project. If the traffic facilities will not be modified as part of the project contract, the Utility Coordinator shall coordinate with a Department traffic representative as though they were a separate utility throughout the project. A list of the Department's traffic facilities is available at: http://www.maine.gov/mdot/traffic-counts/equip-loc-town.php

• For any railroad crossings, the Utility Coordinator will communicate with the Department's Multimodal Program (624-3420) to determine if any work is planned for the crossing in concern. If the railroad corridor is owned by the State of Maine , similar communication shall also occur with the Department's Office of Freight (624-3560).

Initial Field Review:

• The Utility Coordinator will make an initial site visit to identify (with documentation and photographs as necessary) the following:

• Visible utility facilities on the project;

• Typical offset of the utility poles;

• Whether all of the appropriate utilities were contacted with the initial utility contact letter (Letter #1);

• Features that may affect/limit utility relocations (i.e. buildings close to the highway, shade trees, etc…);

• Major utility installations that may be costly to relocate (i.e. substations, critical poles, telephone switching stations, pump stations, etc…);

• Utility facilities that may be located on their own easements;

• Proximity of any RR corridors to the project and the status and condition of any RR crossings;

• Overhead clearance issues around bridges or major drainage structures;

• Any other pertinent information.

Initial Team Meeting

• The Utility Coordinator will attend the Initial Team Meeting and provide a summary of the critical issues identified in the previous steps. If the Initial Team Meeting occurs before the above-mentioned work, a summary of critical issues shall be distributed to the team after-the-fact.

• If applicable, the Utility Coordinator will provide a proposed budget to complete the utility and railroad coordination for the project within the time frame identified at the meeting.

II. Verify Facility Information

Preliminary Public Meeting/Survey Plan Available:

• The Utility Coordinator will attend the Preliminary Public Meeting as applicable on projects where significant utility or railroad involvement is anticipated or when requested by the Project Manager.

• The Utility Coordinator will mail copies of the existing topographic survey plans (which may or may not include an initial proposed horizontal and vertical alignment) to all utility and railroad contacts for their review and comment. A letter shall accompany the survey plans requesting verification of the existing facilities indicated on the plan and any concerns that may exist (Letter #2).

• The Utility Coordinator will coordinate with the project team's Survey representative for any additional survey identified from the Letter #2 mailing.

III. Prelim. Utility Comments, Conflicts, and Relocation Strategy

Horizontal/Vertical Alignment Available:

• When the centerline of the highway is to be modified, the Utility Coordinator will distribute plans indicating the proposed horizontal and vertical alignment to all affected utilities and railroads within the proposed project for their comments (if not addressed with the survey plan distribution).

• If the RR or utilities express alignment concerns, the Utility Coordinator shall provide a written summary of those concerns to the Project Manager and other team members as applicable. The Utility Coordinator is responsible for assuring that all concerns are addressed to a conclusion and that all parties are aware of what the conclusion is.

Preliminary Plan Available/ Formal Public Contact:

• The Utility Coordinator will write a summary of the utility and railroad issues associated with the proposed project and submit them to the Project Manager for inclusion in the Preliminary Design Report (PDR).

• Depending upon the extent of the utility and/or RR work, the Utility Coordinator will meet with or, at least, communicate with the utilities to identify how utility work will generally be undertaken. Discussions shall include the right-of-way needs to accommodate the utility facilities.

• The Utility Coordinator will work with the project team to determine the proposed right-of-way limits/needs.

• The Utility Coordinator will attend the Preliminary Public Meeting as required. (Factors that will require the Utility Coordinator's attendance at the preliminary public meeting include: extensive utility relocation, significant trimming or shade tree removal necessitated by the utilities, utility impacts on a controversial right-of-way width, or requests by the Project Manager for utility representation).

• The Utility Coordinator will distribute preliminary plans to the utilities & railroads for a more detailed determination of impacts (Letter #3). As a result of the preliminary plan distribution, the Utility Coordinator will determine the need for any agreements with the railroad(s) or utilities.

IV. Identify Specific Underground Facility Locations

Drainage Plans Available

• The Utility Coordinator shall identify locations where utility test pits are required to obtain the specific depth of underground facilities that may conflict with the proposed design. The Utility Coordinator shall review the proposed test pit locations with the project team and then coordinate with the utilities and Survey for the work to be accomplished .

V. Final Facility Impacts, Relocation Strategy and Agreements

75%-80% Plans Available/Precoordination Meeting:

• The Utility Coordinator will provide all affected utility and railroad companies with 75% - 80% plans for review and comment (Letter #4).

• The Utility Coordinator will hold and moderate a Utility Precoordination Meeting to review utility and railroad impacts and relocations in the field and to discuss proposed schedules for the relocations (Letter #4).

• Following the Precoordination Meeting, the Utility Coordinator will prepare and distribute written minutes from the Precoordination Meeting, including any significant comments from the affected utility or railroad companies.

• The Utility Coordinator will prepare and distribute the draft railroad and utility Special Provisions (Letter #5).

• The Utility Coordinator will prepare any draft agreements and initiate the agreement approval process.

VI. Prepare Utility Specification and Certification

Project to Contracts:

• The Utility Coordinator will provide the final railroad and utility Special Provisions to the Project Manager with a certification that all necessary arrangements have been made. A template certification form is available at: http://www.maine.gov/mdot/utilities/coordination/certification.pdf

• The Utility Coordinator will fill out a “Location Permit for Projects” form to document the approved utility locations resulting from the utility coordination process. This form may be found at http://www.maine.gov/mdot/utilities/coordination/projperm.doc and is to be sent to the address indicated on the form with all associated attachments .

• If the Utility Coordinator needs to authorize utilities to relocate facilities well before project advertising, the Utility Coordinator should consult with the Utility & Railroad Services Manager to see if the Department should issue a “Letter of Premature Investment” (LOPI) to all affected utilities.

Advertise and Award:

• The Utility Coordinator will provide guidance to the Project Manager to resolve questions from contractors relating to railroads and utilities during the bidding phase of the project.

VII. Oversee Utility Relocation Schedule

Preconstruction:

• Upon notification from the Department's Construction Resident of a Preconstruction Meeting, the Utility Coordinator shall schedule a joint Preconstruction Utility Meeting with the affected utilities and railroad(s) (Letter #6).

• The Utility Coordinator will attend the Preconstruction Meeting and chair the joint Preconstruction Utility Meeting to coordinate the utility schedules with the Contractor's schedule.

• Following the Preconstruction Utility Meeting, the Utility Coordinator shall prepare and distribute written minutes to all utilities and railroads on the project, the Contractor, and the Construction Resident (Letter #7).

Construction:

• The Utility Coordinator will work directly with the Construction Manager to resolve any utility or railroad issues that arise during construction.

• The Utility Coordinator shall work with the Construction Manager to work out an understanding of how the utility work schedule will be tracked to assure that work does not slip beyond anticipated dates.