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CALTRANS permit for ROW access and occupation

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(@jitterboogie)
Posts: 4275
Customer
Topic starter
 

Greetings all,

I'm planning a fairly large project across the areas of California that were burned and have been reading too much.?ÿ?ÿ

Does anyone on the site have any good information on the process, and would you be willing to share it offline( or online if you wish).

I may have an exemption, but its going to take more reading and discussion with the powers that be and the project manager.

?ÿ

Thanks in advance!

?ÿ

?ÿ

 
Posted : 05/04/2018 10:24 am
(@david-kendall)
Posts: 129
Registered
 

Please be more specific.?ÿ You will likely need to contact someone in the particular DOT district in which you are working.?ÿ I have dealt with two different ones and I find them to be responsive and forthcoming with information when they have it.?ÿ Each district seems to be it's own animal though.?ÿ Some have many maps online and all are required by law to tie out reference points to control monuments which are too dangerous for you to recover yourself (upon request).?ÿ ?ÿ

Review the online resources first and find your contacts.?ÿ If you don't review the online data and what you need is online then they will just politely refer you to the website

I don't understand what your exemption would refer to, unless you are exempt from being impacted by 80 mph traffic...?ÿ

Be safe!

What exactly are you trying to accomplish?

 
Posted : 05/04/2018 11:37 am
(@jim-frame)
Posts: 7277
 

I'm my experience, the process can range between simple to onerous, with little correlation between process complexity and worker exposure.?ÿ Since you're contemplating a large project, I recommend a sit-down meeting with an inspector familiar with survey activities.

 
Posted : 05/04/2018 12:16 pm
(@jitterboogie)
Posts: 4275
Customer
Topic starter
 
Posted by: David Kendall

Please be more specific.?ÿ You will likely need to contact someone in the particular DOT district in which you are working.?ÿ I have dealt with two different ones and I find them to be responsive and forthcoming with information when they have it.?ÿ Each district seems to be it's own animal though.?ÿ Some have many maps online and all are required by law to tie out reference points to control monuments which are too dangerous for you to recover yourself (upon request).?ÿ ?ÿ

Review the online resources first and find your contacts.?ÿ If you don't review the online data and what you need is online then they will just politely refer you to the website

I don't understand what your exemption would refer to, unless you are exempt from being impacted by 80 mph traffic...?ÿ

Be safe!

What exactly are you trying to accomplish?

We fly sensors for LiDAR/Orthophoto.?ÿ The exemption would be if the work is directly tied to CALTRANS/State of California etc.?ÿ Nothing in the ROW drive lines.?ÿ I'm reviewing the onerous docs they provide, and just got a contact in our list that is a CA PLS so I'll be picking his brain, mostly listening.?ÿ The projects range from local to regional to the entire state.?ÿ Just need to do it right, and avoid the potential conflict attempting to to the age old...."asking for forgiveness after we already did it and finally got caught"... dilemma.?ÿ

 
Posted : 05/04/2018 1:17 pm
(@jamesf1)
Posts: 403
Registered
 

I would be tempted to have my client take care of all permitting, etc.

 
Posted : 05/04/2018 1:57 pm
(@jim-frame)
Posts: 7277
 

One of the easiest permits I got was for the some of the most dangerous work I've ever done:?ÿ monitoring the 4 lanes of Interstate 5 in the City of Woodland for settlement during a water line bore-and-jack installation.?ÿ I had to take 3 shots along each of the 4 edges of pavement on 8 different days.?ÿ I applied for the permit, discussed the project (by phone) with the Caltrans inspector, and got approved to do the work.?ÿ The requirements??ÿ I had to park my truck in the median with a rotating beacon on the roof.?ÿ No signs, no cones, no flagman, just me with a level rod, looking for breaks in the traffic big enough to hot-foot it across the lanes, while my assistant was set up outside the ROW.?ÿ It wasn't fun.

On another project that spanned 10 counties, I got a blanket permit that allowed us to occupy existing marks within the ROW.?ÿ That one took a little longer to process, but because Caltrans was a participating agency on the project, someone on the inside shepherded it through.

Only once have I used option to have Caltrans tie their control to points outside the ROW.?ÿ It took a week or so to happen, but worked out well.

 
Posted : 05/04/2018 6:19 pm
(@jitterboogie)
Posts: 4275
Customer
Topic starter
 
Posted by: Jim Frame

One of the easiest permits I got was for the some of the most dangerous work I've ever done:?ÿ monitoring the 4 lanes of Interstate 5 in the City of Woodland for settlement during a water line bore-and-jack installation.?ÿ I had to take 3 shots along each of the 4 edges of pavement on 8 different days.?ÿ I applied for the permit, discussed the project (by phone) with the Caltrans inspector, and got approved to do the work.?ÿ The requirements??ÿ I had to park my truck in the median with a rotating beacon on the roof.?ÿ No signs, no cones, no flagman, just me with a level rod, looking for breaks in the traffic big enough to hot-foot it across the lanes, while my assistant was set up outside the ROW.?ÿ It wasn't fun.

On another project that spanned 10 counties, I got a blanket permit that allowed us to occupy existing marks within the ROW.?ÿ That one took a little longer to process, but because Caltrans was a participating agency on the project, someone on the inside shepherded it through.

Only once have I used option to have Caltrans tie their control to points outside the ROW.?ÿ It took a week or so to happen, but worked out well.

Thanks for the insight Jim.?ÿ That's why I wanted to touch base here with people that have had a chance to experience the process, and so I can avoid the pain of making some simple mistakes that would be time wasting.

I was given a flat time line of no sooner than 4-6 weeks, and maybe longer if the work loads jump up as the season rolls out.?ÿ I'm working with our surveyor and his connections to that population to see what would best work for us.?ÿ The blanket permit is something I'll pursue too as we have a bid that will cover the entire state for several months.

Thank you again for sharing your valuable experience.?ÿ I owe you a coffee or an adult beverage when I'm out your way.?ÿ

?ÿ

Jason

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?ÿ

 
Posted : 06/04/2018 7:02 am
(@jp7191)
Posts: 808
Registered
 
Posted by: Jim Frame

One of the easiest permits I got was for the some of the most dangerous work I've ever done:?ÿ monitoring the 4 lanes of Interstate 5 in the City of Woodland for settlement during a water line bore-and-jack installation.?ÿ I had to take 3 shots along each of the 4 edges of pavement on 8 different days.?ÿ I applied for the permit, discussed the project (by phone) with the Caltrans inspector, and got approved to do the work.?ÿ The requirements??ÿ I had to park my truck in the median with a rotating beacon on the roof.?ÿ No signs, no cones, no flagman, just me with a level rod, looking for breaks in the traffic big enough to hot-foot it across the lanes, while my assistant was set up outside the ROW.?ÿ It wasn't fun.

On another project that spanned 10 counties, I got a blanket permit that allowed us to occupy existing marks within the ROW.?ÿ That one took a little longer to process, but because Caltrans was a participating agency on the project, someone on the inside shepherded it through.

Only once have I used option to have Caltrans tie their control to points outside the ROW.?ÿ It took a week or so to happen, but worked out well.

I have the same story but across I-10 in southern California.?ÿ The Hwy Patrol was kind enough to run a traffic break with their squad cars for us.?ÿ It was the closest I ever came to getting hit by a car.?ÿ After crossing the interstate while taking measurements I went through a 3 wire r/w fence and crossed a frontage road to where the survey rig was parked.?ÿ The exhilaration of crossing the interstate without getting hit helped me in forgetting?ÿ about the frontage road traffic.?ÿ If my Instrument man had not of put up his hand and yelled STOP! the next step would of taken my life or made it miserable.?ÿ Jp

 
Posted : 06/04/2018 12:38 pm