SECTION 206 - TRENCH, CULVERT AND STRUCTURE EXCAVATION
206-1 Description.
206-1.01 General. This work shall consist of the excavation and disposal of excavated material required
for trenches, culverts, structures, conduit and direct burial cable not otherwise provided for in other sections of these specifications. All such excavation shall be unclassified excavation as defined in §203- 1.01. The work shall be conducted in accordance with 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P.
206-1.02 Structure Excavation. The work specified under this item shall include the excavation for all
bridge foundations, walls and other major structures.
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NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Sections 200 - 599 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 Volume 2
206-1.03 Trench and Culvert Excavation. The work specified under this item shall include the
excavation of all materials and disposal of excavated material required for trenches, culverts, pipes, manholes, drainage structures and other minor structures, conduit and direct burial cable.
206-1.04 Conduit Excavation and Backfill including Surface Restoration. The work specified under
this item shall include the excavation, necessary backfill and surface restoration required for conduits and direct burial cables.
206-1.05 Test Pits. The work specified under this item shall include the excavation and backfill of test
pits at locations shown in the contract documents, or as directed by the Engineer. Excavation and backfill methods, limits and equipment used shall be approved by the Engineer. This work will not relieve the contractor of the responsibility to locate underground facilities as required under 16 NYCRR 753.
206-2 MATERIALS. (Not Specified).
206-3 Construction Details.
206-3.01 General. The appropriate construction details specified for “Excavation and Embankment” in
§203-3.01 through §203-3.14 shall apply to the work specified in this section. The excavation shall be dewatered and kept free from water, snow and ice when necessary. Special care shall be taken not to disturb the bottom of the excavation, and not to remove the material at final grade until just before the structure is placed. The provisions of §203-3.01D Suitable Materials and/or §203-3.01E Unsuitable Materials shall apply to all material excavated under this section. The Contractor shall carry out all excavation operations in a safe and prudent manner so that the workers, the public, and adjacent public and private property will be protected from unreasonable hazard in accordance with §107-05K. Open Excavations and Trenches. Slopes may not be steeper than allowed by 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P. When excavation is required for the installation of conduit or direct burial cable, the Contractor shall notify the Engineer upon completion of the excavation. No conduit or cable shall be placed in the excavation until the Engineer has approved the depth and cross-section. When the Contractor, in placing conduits, direct burial cable or utilities, excavates into the pavement, subgrade, subbase, or shoulder courses, such courses must be replaced in kind, character and condition, to maintain a uniform road section, except when the Contract Documents specify that other materials shall be used.
206-3.02 Structure Excavation. The Contractor’s competent person shall verify field conditions,
including excavation depth, groundwater, and soil conditions with the Engineer in accordance with 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P prior to performing structure excavation for all bridge foundations, walls and other major structures.
206-3.03 Trench and Culvert Excavation. The Contractor’s competent person shall verify field
conditions, including excavation depth, groundwater, and soil conditions with the Engineer in accordance with 29 CFR 1926 Subpart P prior to performing trench and culvert excavation. For utility lines, exclusive of conduit and cable lines, of less than 12 inches in diameter, the excavation width shall be the actual bottom width necessary to properly perform the installation work required, or 3 feet, whichever is less.
206-3.04 Conduit Excavation and Backfill including Surface Restoration. When the Contractor is
required to excavate through portland cement concrete, asphalt concrete, composite pavement, or
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NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Sections 200 - 599 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 Volume 2 sidewalk, a saw cut shall be made along neat lines and to the depth as shown in the contract documents or as directed by the Engineer. Any damage to existing pavement, sidewalk, curb or other facilities caused by the Contractor’s operations under this item shall be repaired by the Contractor at no additional cost to the State.
206-3.05 Test Pits. The Contractor shall excavate and backfill test pits in order to determine existing
underground utility type, size and/or condition where new utility connections to existing facilities are proposed. The Contractor shall excavate and backfill test pits in a manner approved by the Engineer that prevents damage to wrappings, coatings or other protective coverings, such as by hand digging, vacuum excavation or similar non-destructive locating equipment. The limits of the excavation shall be those sufficient to determine existing utility type, size and/or condition.
206-4 Method of Measurement.
206-4.01 General. The quantity of excavation will be in cubic yards, to the nearest whole cubic yard,
computed from payment lines shown on the plans or the appropriate standard sheets. Work performed beyond any designated payment line will not be included in the computation of quantities for the item involved.
206-4.02 Structure Excavation. Vacant.
206-4.03 Trench and Culvert Excavation. Unless otherwise shown or indicated on the contract plans,
payment lines for excavation of pipe and culvert lines, and minor structures will be determined as follows:
A.Bottom Payment Line. The elevation of the bottom payment line will be the invert elevation of the pipe, conduit, or culvert. For pipes, conduits, or culverts of nominal horizontal dimensions of 12 to 144 inches, the width of the excavations at the bottom payment line will be the nominal inside horizontal dimension of the pipe, conduit, or culvert plus 4 feet, or three (3) times the nominal inside horizontal dimension, whichever is less; for pipes with a nominal horizontal dimension greater than 144 inches the width will be as shown on the appropriate standard sheets or in the contract documents. For concrete and smooth interior corrugated polyethylene pipe, twice the minimum wall thickness will be added to the preceding. For concrete pipe, the bottom payment line is the Bedding Control Line shown on the applicable standard sheet.
B.Top Payment Line. The top payment line will be the surface at the centerline of the pipe, culvert or conduit immediately prior to commencing trench excavation.
C.Side Payment Lines. The side payment lines of the excavation will be vertical to the bottom payment line. For utility lines, exclusive of conduit and cable lines, of less than 12-inch diameter, the excavation width will be the actual bottom width necessary, as determined by the Engineer, to properly perform the installation work required, or 3 feet, whichever is less.
D.Payment Lines for Minor Structures. Payment lines for minor structures will be vertical from the bottom of the footing and will extend vertically from a line 2 feet from the perimeter of the structure footing. The top payment line shall be the same as for (B) above. The bottom payment line will be the bottom of footing elevation, or the bottom of undercut elevation as directed by the Engineer.
206-4.04 Conduit Excavation and Backfill including Surface Restoration. The quantity of conduit
and/or cable excavation and backfill including surface restoration for payment will be the number of
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NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Sections 200 - 599 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 Volume 2 linear feet measured along the center of the conduit and/or cable placed, in accordance with the methods stated below. Wherever a pair or group of conduits and/or cables are physically connected together, they will be considered as a single conduit and/or cable.
A.Wherever conduit and/or cable in the same trench are physically separated laterally by 6 inches or more between centerlines, as shown on the plans or as directed by the Engineer, the linear feet measurement will be made along the center of each conduit and/or cable.
B.Wherever a pair or group of conduits and/or cable in the same trench are physically separated laterally by less than 6 inches between centerlines of adjacent conduit and/or cable, as shown on the plans or as directed by the Engineer, the linear feet measurement for those conduits and/or cable will be made along the center of that pair or group of conduit and/or cables.
206-4.05 Test Pits. The quantity to be measured for payment will be the number of test holes excavated
and backfilled in accordance with the contract documents.
206-5 Basis of Payment.
206-5.01 General. The cost for necessary guarding to protect the public from open trenches, and that
required for the protection to ensure the safety of the workers, and for any necessary excavation support shall be included in other items. No extra payment will be made for the cost of any materials excavated or placed outside the payment lines shown on the plans or as described in this specification. No extra payment will be made for excavation protection or support systems not shown in the contract plans, unless use of such systems is directed by the Engineer. With exception of the Conduit Excavation and Backfill including Surface Restoration item, the work of replacing pavement, subcourses and shoulder courses will be paid for and performed under the provisions of their respective items and subsections.
206-5.02 Structure Excavation. The unit price bid for this work shall include the cost of labor, materials
and equipment required to satisfactorily complete the work including the costs of excavation, disposal of excavated material, presplitting rock excavations where required, and keeping the site dewatered and free from earth, water, ice and snow where necessary. Payment for Sheeting, Cofferdams or Temporary Water Diversion Structures required by the contract documents will be made in accordance with the appropriate item. Where cofferdams are specified for structure excavation, the work required to keep the site free from earth, water, ice and snow shall be included in the item for cofferdams when necessary.
206-5.03 Trench and Culvert Excavation. The unit price bid for this work shall include the cost of
labor, materials and equipment required to satisfactorily complete the work, including the costs of excavation, disposal of excavated material, presplitting rock excavations where required, and keeping the site dewatered and free from earth, water, ice and snow when necessary.
206-5.04 Conduit Excavation and Backfill including Surface Restoration. The unit price bid for this
work shall include the cost of furnishing all labor, materials and equipment necessary to satisfactorily excavate and backfill the trench, including sawcutting, and to restore and replace any pavement, shoulder, and sidewalk courses, subcourses, curbs, drives, lawns and other top surfaces as required to complete the work.
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NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Sections 200 - 599 STANDARD SPECIFICATIONS (USC) January 1, 2026 Volume 2
206-5.05 Test Pits. The unit price bid for this work shall include the cost of furnishing all labor, materials
and equipment necessary to satisfactorily excavate and backfill the test pit and replace any pavement, shoulder and sidewalk courses, subcourses, curbs, drives, lawns and other top surfaces required to complete the work. Payment will be made under: Item No. Item Pay Unit 206.01 Structure Excavation Cubic Yard 206.0201 Trench and Culvert Excavation Cubic Yard 206.03 Conduit Excavation and Backfill including Surface Restoration Foot 206.05 Test Pit Excavation Each
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Source: Standard Specifications (US Customary Units), 2026 (Jan) Edition. Pages 262–266 of 1,489. View official source ↗