Utilities, Geotechnical and Roadway Design Requirements for Alberta Highway Projects

An unlocated pipeline, a soft muskeg crossing or a gravel pit that cannot supply the job can stall a highway project long after the design seemed complete. Much of that risk can be caught early if the utility search, the geotechnical work and the surfacing and roadway design are carried out to the level the province expects. This course sets out those detailed design requirements for consultants working on Alberta provincial highway projects.

You will learn how to search for, notify, locate and coordinate with utility owners, record utility status, and handle utility easements, clearing, agreements and special provisions. The geotechnical modules cover the scope of services and the role of the geotechnical engineer, the desktop study, the level of site investigation and minimum field and laboratory testing, identifying geotechnical risks, and design reports for bridge foundations using limit states design, bridge size culverts, embankments, retaining walls, landslide stabilization, borrow, soft ground, rock rippability and erosion and sediment control. You will also see how soil and rock descriptions on tender drawings reduce disputes over differing site conditions. Surfacing topics include the surfacing strategy review, gravel surfacing and seal coat, asphalt mix and binder selection, quantities and cost estimates, and aggregate sources and pit reclamation. The final module covers roadway design items such as roadside hazards and barriers, intersections, railway crossings, signing, pavement markings, rumble strips, lighting, traffic signals and roundabouts, and the content of the detailed design package. It is suited to highway, geotechnical and pavement engineers preparing detailed designs for provincial highways.

What Will Be Covered:

• Utility search, notification, locating and reporting requirements

• Utility coordination, easements, clearing, agreements and special provisions

• Geotechnical desktop studies, level of investigation and minimum field and laboratory testing

• Geotechnical risk identification and design reports for foundations, culverts, embankments and retaining walls

• Landslide stabilization, borrow, soft ground and muskeg, rock rippability and erosion control

• Presenting soil and rock conditions in tender documents and differing site conditions

• Surfacing strategy review, gravel surfacing, seal coat and asphalt mix and binder selection

• Aggregate sources, supply, payment and pit reclamation

• Roadside design, intersections, railway crossings, signing, markings, lighting and signals

• Detailed design package content, draft submission and final design review