Section 12: Forced Betterment Examples
Anchor: #i1001261Guidelines
Only those items for the direct benefit of the highway, necessary to comply with governmental laws or needed to restore the utility’s functional operation to a like condition in the most economical manner is eligible for reimbursement:
Anchor: #i1001271Coating and Wrapping
Any corrosion control measures required by industry or governmental codes, orders or laws are eligible for reimbursement.
Anchor: #i1001281Additional Thickness of Pipe
The Office of Pipeline Safety, DOT, has outlined requirements for wall thickness of gas and liquid fuel lines. Where a utility proposes to install a thickness in excess of such requirements underneath the highway, consideration will be given to the approval of the additional thickness if it is necessary due to circumstances outlined in the previous section on “ Betterments Necessitated by Highway Construction”.
Anchor: #i1001295Spare Conduits or Ducts
One spare conduit or duct may be approved for reimbursement where the frequency of interruptions of utility service and the importance of the service together with the expected interference with highway traffic by the utility installing temporary overhead lines, warrants such an approval for the benefit of the highway, or where building lines or ground conditions make subsequent boring impossible.
Anchor: #i1001305Taller Poles
Increased height or size of poles for overhead lines may be approved as a reimbursable item when needed to elevate the lines across the highway or the intersecting streets to give proper vertical clearance. The Utility may need to provide proof that a taller pole is required for the accommodation.
Anchor: #i1001315Joint Occupancy of Poles
When the existing facility consists of jointly‑occupied poles and the utilities separate their facilities in affecting the relocation, reimbursement is warranted in the actual costs of relocation, less the appropriate credits for betterments and salvage, not to exceed the most economical cost to restore the functional service of the utility.