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Section 2: Coordinating with Other Divisions and Sections

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Overview

The development and design of a bridge project may involve several divisions within TxDOT:

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Bridge Division

The Bridge Division provides in-house expertise and assistance to the districts in all aspects of structural project development, design, construction, maintenance, and inspection. The division is involved in research and its implementation, value engineering studies, partnering, and general support to TxDOT districts and other divisions. The division assists the districts with the implementation of innovative methods and materials to reduce the impact of construction on the public, improve long-term performance and durability, and develop aesthetically attractive structures.

Bridges are the most visible elements of the transportation system, and they create an emotional impact on the user. The Bridge Division develops aesthetically appropriate bridges as required for the districts, creating custom designs that consider site, local architecture, span length, structural safety, durability, and maintenance on a case-by-case basis.

The Bridge Division speeds up rehabilitation or replacement of structurally deficient or functionally obsolete bridges on public highways, roads, and streets both on and off the state system, making optimum use of federal, state, and local funding and assisting local governments in accelerating the reduction of deficient bridges.

The Bridge Division also reduces design and construction time and cost by standardizing bridge elements and by using standard design drawings for bridge construction where possible. These standard drawings are available to the public, including cities and counties, through TxDOT’s web site at http://www.dot.state.tx.us/insdtdot/orgchart/cmd/cserve/standard/bridge-e.htm.

Historic bridges are also a priority for the Bridge Division. The division works with the districts, the Environmental Affairs Division (ENV), and local entities to preserve this valuable heritage.

The division strongly supports and is represented on many state, national, and international engineering organizations including the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP), Transportation Research Board (TRB), American Concrete Institute (ACI), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), American Segmental Bridge Institute (ASBI), American Railway Engineers and Maintenance of Way Association (AREMA), National Steel Bridge Alliance (NSBA), Highway Innovative Technology Evaluation Center (HITEC), American Welding Society (AWS), and American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).

The Bridge Division is now composed of four sections instead of five: Project Development, Field Operations, Design and Administration. The duties performed by the former Technical Services Section have been assigned to the remaining four sections. For an organizational chart, see the Bridge Division internal web site at http://crossroads/org/brg/orgchart_files/DivisionWeb4-07.pdf

NOTE: Access to the internal web site is available only to TxDOT personnel.

Project Development Section. The Project Development Section provides a focal point for the following activities:

  • Through bridge project managers, provides the primary contacts with the district on all bridge project development issues.
  • Determines the critical bridge replacement and rehabilitation needs.
  • Administers the Highway Bridge Program.
  • Prepares programs or work based on funding and eligibility.
  • Administers the federal Railroad Grade Separation Program.
  • Does preliminary planning of structures.
  • Determines average bridge cost.
  • Coordinates plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E); bridge plan preparation; and review of final PS&E.
  • Coordinates federal discretionary bridge applications.
  • Negotiates and drafts various types of agreements.
  • Provides content for the Historic Bridge Manual.
  • Provides content for the Bridge Project Development Manual.
  • Provides content for the Bridge Division’s internal Project Development web pages at http://crossroads/org/brg/.

NOTE: Access to the internal web site is available only to TxDOT personnel.

Field Operations Section. The Field Operations Section includes construction/maintenance, inspection, and fabrication personnel. These groups are responsible for the following functions:

  • Bridge inspection.
  • Bridge construction inspections.
  • Consulting with districts on bridge construction/maintenance problems.
  • Reviewing PS&E for construction related aspects.
  • Bridge load rating and condition surveys prior to widening or replacement.
  • Inspecting structures damaged by impact, flood, fire, or failures and making recommendations.
  • Designing emergency shoring to prevent collapse of a damaged structure.
  • Reviewing form, falsework, and erection plans.
  • Reviewing structural field welding and bolted splice construction.
  • Instructing maintenance forces in welding practices.
  • Certifying field welders for structural welding.
  • Coordinating and making recommendations on change orders involving bridge items.
  • Developing, reviewing, and maintaining the standard construction specifications and special provisions.
  • Acting as a liaison with the Construction Division’s Materials and Pavements Section, Maintenance Division, and Federal Highway Administration.
  • Monitoring bridge painting contracts.
  • Providing inspection and training for post-tensioning operations.
  • Reviewing shop drawings.
  • Conducting structural reviews for fabrication issues.
  • Reviewing large proposed overloads.
  • Preparing designs and details or checking designs submitted for structural foundations and retaining walls.

Design Section. The Design Section is responsible for the following:

  • Consulting with bridge project managers in the preliminary phase to determine the proper bridge type.
  • Reviewing preliminary bridge layouts.
  • Preparing designs and details for all types of bridges and culverts used on the highway system.
  • Preparing designs and sketches for widening, repairing, and reconstructing bridges for detailing by the districts.
  • Assisting the districts by reviewing and monitoring consultant bridge designs.
  • �Making alternate studies and estimates of major bridges for best and most economical construction.
  • Recommending to the Construction Division and the Maintenance Division needed repairs for damaged structures.
  • Reviewing PS&E for bridge design aspects.
  • Preparing designs and reviews for historic, railroad, and unique structures, and structural applications.
  • Issuing all bridge standard drawings and maintaining up-to-date electronic standard drawing sheets.
  • Preparing designs and details or checking alternate designs submitted for sign support structures, light poles, traffic signal supports and other traffic structures.
  • Providing technical oversight of computer-aided design and drafting (CADD) software needs.
  • Providing expertise on bridge rail technology.

Administration Section. The Administration Section is responsible for the following:

  • Administering personnel activities including those related to payroll, benefits, training, records management safety, service awards, leave accounting, and classification.
  • Coordinating and monitoring the division’s budget, travel requests, equipment inventory, record retention, legislation, and public information requests.
  • Providing and supporting information resource users with equipment, software, and automation services, and producing technical documentation and maintaining division web pages.
  • Coordinating technical training.
  • Maintaining all manuals concerning bridges.
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Design Division

The Design Division guides development of all highway projects through preliminary engineering stages on interstate, state, rural, and urban highway systems.

Field Sections. The Field Sections have the following responsibilities:

  • Acting as the receiving point for plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E) from the districts.
  • Coordinating with the Bridge Division’s Project Development Section and the districts at preliminary and planning stages.
  • Ensuring proper documentation is provided with PS&E.
  • Finding and resolving discrepancies and making necessary changes to PS&E.

During the development of a bridge project, the Bridge Division works closely with the Field Sections. More information about their roles is provided on the Design Division internal web page at http://crossroads/org/des/.

NOTE: Access to the internal web site is available only to TxDOT personnel.

Roadway Design Section’s Hydraulics Branch. The Hydraulics Branch provides hydrologic and hydraulic review and consultation support for environmental issues and drainage complaint resolution and litigation. It also prepares and checks designs submitted for hydrologic and hydraulic studies.

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Transportation Planning and Programming Division (TPP)

The Bridge Division coordinates regularly with the Transportation Planning and Programming Division’s (TPP) Programming and Scheduling (P&S) Section and Traffic Analysis Section. Statewide average daily traffic (ADT) data are gathered, summarized, and reported by the TPP Traffic Analysis Section. These ADT data for bridges are then made a part of the bridge inspection database that is maintained by the Bridge Division Inspection Branch.

The Bridge Division’s Programs Branch coordinates with the TPP P&S Section in selecting Highway Bridge Program projects according to statewide prioritization for authorization under the yearly Unified Transportation Program (UTP). The annual UTP is also published by the TPP P&S Section.

Similar coordination must occur between the Bridge Division’s Programs Branch and the TPP P&S Section in identifying, prioritizing, and selecting projects for the Federal Railroad Grade Separation Program discussed in Chapter 2.

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Traffic Operations Division (TRF), Railroad Section (RR)

TRF-RR’s responsibilities, as they pertain to bridge projects, include the following:

  • Coordinating with the railroad company and the bridge project managers during the bridge project.
  • Preparing railroad agreements for highway-rail grade separations.
  • Planning review of projects involving highway-rail grade separations.

The Bridge Division’s Programs Branch coordinates with TRF-RR to obtain information and data on highway-railroad grade crossings in order to identify and prioritize projects for the Federal Railroad Grade Separation Program discussed in Chapter 2.

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Environmental Affairs Division (ENV)

The district bridge designer works with the district’s environmental coordinator to assess impacts to the environment caused by a proposed bridge project and to initiate the environmental review process.

The responsibilities of ENV as they pertain to bridge projects, include the following:

  • Ensuring all projects comply with applicable federal, state, and local environmental laws.
  • Acting as consultant to the districts, offering expertise on likely impacts caused by a project and required considerations and permits. Projects that require involvement from ENV include:
    • Work over navigable waters
    • Dredge and fill operations
    • Lead-based paint removal
    • Work involving historically significant bridges

For additional information, refer to the Environment and Project Development Manual.

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Construction Division, Materials and Pavements Section

The responsibilities of the Materials and Pavements Section of the Construction Division as they relate to bridge projects include the following:

  • Providing assistance in the development and review of structural material specifications.
  • Analyzing concrete core and powder samples taken from bridge components for chloride content for condition survey purposes.
  • Providing mill test reports to the Field Operations Section for load rating analysis.
  • Analyzing paint samples from existing bridges to determine lead content so that appropriate general notes and special provisions can be included in the PS&E for bridge rehabilitation projects.
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Maintenance Division, Maintenance Operations Section

Routine maintenance by the districts often uncovers problems such as deterioration, cracking, warping, and accidental damage due to vehicle collision. These problems are relayed through the Maintenance Operations Section to the Bridge Division’s Project Development Section or directly to the Project Development Section from the district. The severity of the problem determines the requirement for inspection and a condition survey by the Field Operations Section.

The Maintenance Division also becomes involved when a district receives a request to place an unusual attachment on a highway structure. The Maintenance Division reviews the request from a maintenance perspective and, if acceptable, forwards the proposal to the Bridge Division’s Project Development Section. Unusual attachment requests (see Chapter 4, Utility Attachments) are rare; most are routine and sent from the districts directly to the bridge project manager.

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Turnpike Authority Division

The Bridge Division coordinates with the Turnpike Authority Division in all aspects of structural project development, design, construction, maintenance, and inspection, with level of coordination and other support depending on the specific project.

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