DESIGN MEMORANDUM NO. 4A-98

TO:                                           Chief District Engineers
                                                  Design Engineers
                                                  Active Consultants

FROM:                                     John B. Sacksteder, P.E.
                                                  Director, Division of Highway Design

DATE:                                      June 16, 1998

SUBJECT:                               New Empower Kentucky Directions

Discussions are continuing on new ways to improve this Division’s operations and time to perform any of the routine functions. The following changes are to be implemented immediately.

Intersection approvals will be the responsibility of the Project Team. The Project Team can choose the manner in which approvals are given. Documentation may be by letter approval similar to the previous Central Office approval process, within the inspection reports, or by other means determined appropriate by the Project Team. Copy of the approved documentation shall be sent to the Central Office Location Engineer for their files. The Project Team should give an increased emphasis in considering the need for right and left-turn lanes at all intersections that may generate regular turning movements. Because of the requirement for FHWA’s approval of interchanges on the interstate system, all interchanges shall continue to be sent to Central Office Divisions of Highway Design and Traffic for approval.

Pavement Designs provided by the Central Office which are off the NHS System will be approved only by the Branch Manager of the Pavement Branch. Projects on the NHS System will continue to require the signature of the Director of the Division of Highway Design, the Deputy State Highway Engineer for Project Development, and FHWA (Interstates only).

Right-of-way Plans and Final Plans shall be signed only by the Project Manager as the representative of the Project Team and by the State Highway Engineer. Consultants will continue to be required to sign and seal plans prepared by them. The CADD cell library is currently being modified to accommodate this change in signature authority. Until such time that this modification occurs and on plans already printed, the Project Manager may erase or cross out the existing signature blocks and insert his title for signature.

The Districts have been previously advised of the availability of the Construction Working Day Program. This program can be downloaded from the Software Downloads portion of the Division of Highway Design’s INTRANET web page. This page can be reached by using an Internet browser at the address rd-fs1. Construction time should be discussed by the Project Team at the Final Inspection

stage and documented as part of the report of that meeting. The previous correspondence established that the Project Team will be responsible for setting the number of construction work days and/or completion dates for all projects beginning with the July, 1998, letting. Effective immediately, the Project Manager is required to submit the construction time as part of the submission of Final Plans. If construction days are to be utilized, a printout of the work day calculation shall accompany the submission. The Project Manager should have the recommended construction time approved by the District Construction member of the Project and other Team members, as deemed appropriate by the Project Manager. If Final Plans have already been submitted, the recommendation and time calculations shall be submitted by the Project Manager on all projects beginning with the August, 1998 letting. Questions about the operation of the Construction Time Program may be addressed to Doug Brookman in the Plan Processing Section.

Other questions regarding these items may be addressed to this office.

JBS:jad