Evaluating the Impact of Overweight Load Routing on Buried Utility Facilities (0-6394-1)

Overweight traffic movements can negatively affect pavement integrity and quality. However, it is less known to what degree buried utility plant along and across the right of way is affected by these overweight loads, especially if the utility facility is aged, placed under an exception to the Utility Accommodation Rules (UAR), and/or subjected to repetitive loads. Routing decisions for repetitive overweight loads may be determined without consideration of cumulative impacts to utility infrastructure, particularly municipally owned lines that could be aged, accommodated under an exception, or of substandard materials. Given the growth in volume in overweight load (particularly mid-heavy and superload) permits, the adequacy of the UAR is unknown. This report focuses on the year one project objectives, which were (a) provide a review of technical design and engineering requirements for utility accommodation in Texas, (b) provide a preliminary assessment of potential impact of overweight loads on buried utilities, (c) provide a preliminary assessment of UAR adequacy to deal with overweight loads on buried utilities, (d) provide preliminary recommendations for a business process for TxDOT overweight routing coordination, and (e) provide recommendations for the phase 2 utility damage evaluation.