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Section 9: Traffic Control Plan

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Overview

This section describes elements typically designed by a traffic engineer or roadway design engineer.

A Traffic Control Plan consists of the following elements:

Traffic Control Plans should clearly show provisions to efficiently move users through or around a work zone with minimal delay and minimize potential hazards to transportation users in the vicinity of a work zone and highway workers at the work zone interface with traffic. Workers include, but are not limited to, contractor and subcontractor personnel, utilities, TxDOT, and law enforcement performing duties within the transportation right of way. Coordination of work zone impacts may extend beyond the physical location of the work zone itself and to all modes of transportation, workers, and/or the regional transportation network. The scope of the Plan procedures should be based on the project characteristics to provide optimal development of the project Traffic Control Plan.

This section includes the following tasks. Tasks are listed in approximate chronological order, but may be performed concurrently.

50900. Finalize sequence of construction

50910. Design detour roadways

50920. Obtain approval of road closure/detour plans

50930. Prepare details for temporary signing, striping, and pavement marking

50940. Develop contract requirements

50950. Review Traffic Control Plan

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Sequence of Construction Staging/Phasing Plan

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50900: Finalize sequence of construction

Description. Construction staging plans detail the recommended phasing of project improvements. Staging should maximize mobility and safety during construction, while considering ease of construction.

Detours may be required to maintain traffic during certain construction stages.

Detailed layout and arrangement of work zone signs, work zone pavement markings, traffic control devices, and drainage facilities should be provided for each construction stage.

Pertinent Project Types. Projects impacting the normal flow of traffic

Responsible Party. Traffic engineer or roadway design engineer

Subtasks.

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  • Obtain preliminary roadway, drainage, and traffic plans. Refer to plans prepared while planning the sequence of construction. See Task 50200: Plan sequence of construction.
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  • Evaluate potential of construction impacts on existing traffic (e.g., pavement drop offs, work adjacent to travel lanes, lane closures).
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  • Consider need for nighttime illumination of construction area.
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  • Prepare written description of construction sequence (optional).
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  • Coordinate with District Pavement Engineer to obtain temporary pavement designs.
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  • Coordinate plans with appropriate district and area office staff to include design, construction, drainage, utilities, and traffic.

Helpful Suggestions.

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  • Make sure that nontypical and transition areas are detailed. The designer should envision what the driver will see along the project.
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  • Consider safe operation for pedestrians and bicyclists in all stages of construction. Construction markings, traffic control devices, and barriers should be designed with this goal.
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  • Continuous safe access to all properties during construction is necessary. Staging must consider property owner access; plans must describe how this need will be met.
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  • Consider incorporating the effects of utility adjustments performed during construction.

Authority.

Resource Material.

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Detour Plans

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50910: Design detour roadways

Description. Detours may be required to maintain traffic during certain construction stages. Detours may include rerouting traffic to existing parallel routes, constructing temporary paved routes, or a combination thereof. Impacts to existing parallel routes and the capacity to handle additional traffic must be analyzed.

Detailed layout and arrangement of construction signs, construction pavement markings, traffic control devices, and drainage facilities should be provided for each detour. Plans should include grade, stopping sight distance, and superelevation cross sections, as appropriate.

Pertinent Project Types. All projects involving detours

Responsible Party. Roadway design engineer

Subtasks.

Helpful Suggestions.

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  • Make sure that nontypical and transition areas are detailed.
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  • Consider safe operation for motorcycles, pedestrians and bicyclists in all stages of construction. Construction markings, traffic control devices, and barriers should be designed with this goal.
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  • Consider impacts to existing, parallel facilities in addition to the roadway’s capacity to handle traffic. Consider impacts to schools, emergency vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and neighborhoods due to traffic rerouting.
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  • Detours should be designed to operate at the existing regulatory speed whenever possible. When this cannot be accomplished, an advisory speed may be used or a request for regulatory construction speed zone ( Form 1204) should be considered. Design the detour to meet the lowered construction speed limit.
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  • Continuous safe access to all properties during construction is necessary. Staging and detour designs must consider this need; plans should describe how the need will be met.

Critical Sequencing.

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  • Prepare detour designs and plans after the roadway, drainage, and traffic plans are substantially complete and the construction staging plan is developed.

Authority.

Resource Material.

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50920: Obtain approval of road closure/detour plans

Description. Closing a roadway during construction may impact local governments and businesses, emergency services, school districts, and the post office. Coordinate with entities such as the post office, county, city, school district, major employers, and emergency vehicle response teams to minimize the impact of a road closure on the community.

Obtain written concurrence from entities having jurisdiction over affected roadways. Place signed local entity concurrence documents in the project file of record.

On-system roadways should not be closed, unless highly unusual circumstances exist. On-system closures require an executed signed Agreement for Temporary System Closure.

Impacts to off-system roadways may result from completely closing a roadway to rehabilitate or replace a bridge or from using an off-system facility as a detour route for an on-system closure.

Refer to related information in Task 50210: Develop conceptual detour/road closure plan.

Pertinent Project Types. Projects including an on-system or off-system road closure or detour route on an existing off-system facility

Responsible Party. Project manager

Subtasks.

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  • Submit closure requests to the local government agencies through appropriate channels in the district.
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  • Notify local post office, police, emergency services, fire departments and school districts of road closure.
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Closed route type

Detouring to

Documentation required

Off-System

Off-System

On-System

letter of concurrence signed by city and county officials

On-System

Off-System

Executed “Agreement for Temporary System Detour” outlining the responsibilities between Contracting Parties

On-System

On-System

Return receipt or signature confirmation to document that notification was delivered to local government officials (including post office, fire, police, EMS, and school district)



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  • Prepare a map showing the location of the project site, the detour route including length and current physical condition, the amount of traffic (ADT), and the percentage of trucks using the road to be closed and on all roads used as a detour.
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  • Send a road closure memorandum to the District Engineer for approval. Include the following in the memorandum:

Helpful Suggestions.

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  • Allow enough lead time for municipal officials’ approval of closure request.
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  • Impacts to the traveling public due to detours may be calculated in the form of road user costs. If these impacts are substantial, a special provision may be included in the PS&E to require payment of increased liquidated damages by the contractor.

Critical Sequencing.

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  • Discussion and preliminary approval of road closure/detour plans should be initiated when a road closure or detour is first considered.
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  • Written approval should be obtained as soon as detour plans are completed to the point where road closure/detour timing can be reasonably defined.

Authority.

Resource Material.

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Temporary Signing, Striping, and Pavement Marking

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50930: Prepare details for temporary signing, striping, and pavement marking

Description. For detour routes on existing pavement and parallel routes, provide a detailed layout and arrangement of construction signs, construction pavement markings, traffic control devices (including temporary signals and signal heads), and drainage facilities. Dimension typical sections and plans both horizontally and vertically as necessary to result in a safe product.

Traffic control plans (TCP) detail how construction of project improvements will be accomplished. TCP should maximize traffic operations and safety, and should maximize construction worker safety during construction.

Details may be needed for parallel routes or shifted traffic on existing pavement. Nighttime work may also be specified.

TxDOT standard sheets should be used whenever possible because of contractor and inspector familiarity with these sheets.

Pertinent Project Types. All projects except those that are simple enough to be described using barricade and construction standards

Responsible Party. Roadway design engineer

Subtasks.

Helpful Suggestions.

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  • Make sure that nontypical and transition areas are detailed.
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  • Consider safe operation for motorcyclists, pedestrians and bicyclists in detailing the TCP. Design construction markings, traffic control devices, and barriers with this goal.

Resource Material.

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Contract Provisions

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50940: Develop contract requirements

Description. A traffic control plan may require developing specific contract requirements.

Contract requirements may address the following subjects:

Pertinent Project Types. Projects impacting the normal flow of traffic

Responsible Party. Roadway design engineer

Helpful Suggestions.

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  • Design Division and Traffic Operations Division Field Coordination personnel are available to provide assistance.
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Review

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50950: Review traffic control plan

Description. Each district should have a District Safety Review Team (DSRT). This should be a multidisciplinary team of individuals having sufficient authority to implement, monitor, and review the application of safety techniques and strategies, including project traffic control plans.

The team might include:

The District Safety Review Team should review as many traffic control plans as practical, but more importantly, the team should be involved in the development process to eliminate the need for lengthy reviews.

The review process should address all areas which influence work zone operations. Some projects may require a focus on a particular area of concern. Apply lessons learned from previous projects; review efforts to address safety and mobility.

Pertinent Project Types. Projects affecting the normal flow of traffic

Responsible Party. Project engineer(s) supported by a multidisciplinary team

Authority.

Resource Material.
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