SECTION 504—SIDEW ALKS, STEPS, AND HANDRAILS
504.01 Description
This work shall consist of constructing sidewalks, steps, handrails on steps or walls, and furnishing and installing detectable warning surfaces in accordance with the VDOT Road and Bridge Standards, these specifications and in conformity to the lines and grades shown on the plans or as established by the Engineer.
504.02 Materials
a.Concrete shall be Class A3 conforming to Section 217.
b.Reinforcing steel shall conform to Section 223.
c.Curing materials shall conform to Section 220.
d.Preformed joint filler shall conform to Section 212. Material shall be approximately 1/2 inch in thickness and shall have a width and depth equal to those of the structure. 504.02
e.Asphalt concrete shall conform to Section 211.
f.Rails and posts shall be galvanized steel pipe conforming to Section 232.02(c)4.b. Rails shall be of standard weight, and posts shall be extra strength pipe.
g.Geotextile drainage fabric shall conform to Section 245.
h.Grounding materials shall conform to Section 238.
i.CG-12 detectable warning surfaces shall conform to the following:
1.The requirements of this section for hydraulic cement concrete sidewalk except as follows: Permanent, durable materials suitable for heavy traffic outdoor areas or concrete pavers approved by the Department may be used to construct the detectable warning surfaces where called for on the Plans or elsewhere in the Contract. Concrete paver units shall conform to ASTM C936 and the lines, grades, details and requirements shown in the plans. Other durable materials suitable for outdoor exposure shall be in accordance with Department approved manufacturer’ s design and specification requirements.
2.Products not on the VDOT Materials Division Approved Product List 72 shall be submitted to the VDOT Location and Design Division Standards & Special Design Section and the appropriate District Materials Engineer for Department review, evaluation and approval prior to use. All detectable warning surfaces shall meet the ADA Standards as set forth by the United States Access Board. The color of the detectable warning surface shall be “safety yellow” unless otherwise noted in the plans or directed by the Engineer. When visual contrast other than “safety yellow” is specified in the Plans or Contract, the detectable warning surfaces shall contrast visually with adjacent walking surfaces either light- on-dark, or dark-on-light. The Engineer must verify and approve the visual contrast of the proposed warning surface prior to installation.
504.03 Procedures
a.Sidewalks: The Contractor shall excavate, shape and compact the earthen foundation to a firm, even surface. Unsuitable material shall be removed and replaced with Department approved material as directed by the Engineer. When geotextile drainage fabric is required, the Contractor shall clear the designated area of debris prior to fabric installation. Large holes shall be filled with sandy, coarse material, and sharp contours and rises shall be leveled. Adjacent strips of geotextile drainage fabric shall be overlapped at least 12 inches. If fabric is torn or punctured, the Contractor shall repair it at the Contractor’ s expense with the same type of fabric by installing a patch having an overlap of at least 12 inches in all dimensions over the damaged area. 504.03 Forms shall be straight, free from warp, extend the full depth of the proposed concrete and of sufficient strength to resist the pressure of the newly placed concrete without dislodging or springing. Forms shall be braced and stacked so that they will remain in true horizontal and vertical alignment until their removal. Where practicable, the Contractor shall endeavor to place forms at least 100 feet in advance of concrete placement. Forms shall be cleaned of foreign matter, repaired if necessary and coated with a releasing agent such as a Department approved oil or form-coating material or thoroughly wetted with water immediately before concrete placement.
1.Hydraulic cement concrete sidewalk: The Contractor shall thoroughly moisten the foundation immediately prior to concrete placement. Concrete shall be placed in forms by methods that will prevent segregation of the mix. Concrete shall be spread full depth and width and brought to grade by screeding and straightedging. Concrete shall be spaded adjacent to forms to prevent a honeycomb appearance in the finished work. The surface shall be smoothed with a wooden float to produce a surface free from irregularities. The final finish shall be obtained with an approved hand float that will produce a uniform surface texture. The Contractor may use light metal marking rollers or light brooming to hide trowel marks. Outside edges of the sidewalk slab and joints shall be rounded with an edging tool having a radius of 1/4 inch. The Contractor shall construct transverse expansion joints at intervals of approximately 100 feet, except for closures. Slabs shall be at least 3 feet long. Slabs shall be separated by the installation of transverse preformed joint filler, 1/2 inch in thickness, which shall extend from the bottom of the slab to approximately 1/4 inch below the top surface of the sidewalk. The slab between expansion joints shall be divided into sections approximately 5 feet long by transverse control joints formed by a jointing tool, trowel, or another approved means. The Contractor shall also provide transverse control joints when the time period between consecu- tive concrete placements is more than 45 minutes. Control joints shall extend into concrete at least 1/4 of the depth and shall be approximately 1/8 inch in width. Where slabs are more than 7 feet in width, control joints shall be formed longitudinally to obtain secure uniform blocks that are approximately square. Transverse control joints shall also be installed where the corners of drop inlets project into the sidewalk. The Contractor shall form construction joints around appurtenances extending into and through the sidewalk. Preformed joint filler 1/4 inch thick shall be installed in these joints except that joint filler shall not be used adjacent to drop inlets. The Contractor shall form and fill the expansion joint with 1/4-inch preformed joint filler no less than 6 feet and no more than 10 feet from drop inlets. Preformed joint filler shall also be installed between concrete sidewalk and any adjacent fixed structure that is not tied to the sidewalk with steel dowels. Where the sidewalk is constructed in conjunction with adjacent curb, expansion joints in the curb and sidewalk shall coincide. The expansion joint shall coincide where practicable where such construction is adjacent to existing curb. Where existing or proposed structures are within the limits of the sidewalk area, concrete around them shall be scored in a block approximately 8 inches wider than the maximum dimension of the structure at the sidewalk elevation. Preformed joint filler shall be securely fastened in place. The Engineer may drill cores from the completed slab to take depth measurements. Sections showing a deficiency of more than 3/8 inch shall be removed and replaced at the Contractor’ s expense to the specified depth. 504.03 The Contractor shall cure and protect concrete in accordance with Section 316.04 immediately following finishing operations. Sidewalks shall not be opened to pedestrian traffic for the first 5 days. Vehicular traffic shall be excluded for the first 14 days or until the minimum design compressive strength is attained, whichever is the lesser time. The Engineer will not permit the use of heavy concentrations of curing compound that will not properly set and that may be tracked into homes or businesses when liquid membrane-forming compound is used in curing operations.
2.Asphalt concrete sidewalk: When specified on the plans, the Contractor shall place bedding material consisting of approved aggregate conforming to the grading requirements of No. 8 aggregate in layers not more than 4 inches in depth, loose measurement, and thoroughly compacted. Asphalt concrete shall then be placed in forms in one or more courses to provide the specified depth once compacted. The Contractor shall compact the asphalt concrete by means of a hand-operated or power roller of a type and weight acceptable to the Engineer. The Engineer will allow tamping by hand in areas inaccessible to a roller. Regardless of the method, the means of compaction shall produce a smooth, dense, uniformly compacted sidewalk.
c.Handrails: The Contractor shall construct steel handrails using standard or special fittings as necessary, or joints may be welded. If joints are welded, exposed joints shall be finished by grinding or filing to give a neat smooth textural appearance. Handrails shall be bonded internally to maintain continuity. Handrails shall be electrically grounded according to Section 410.03(b). Metal items, including rails, posts, and fittings, shall be galvanized in accordance with Section 233 except in the case of metal posts and rails fabricated from pregalvanized material whose ends and other exposed areas were satisfactorily repaired and protected with a material conforming to Section 233. When rails are placed on a mortar rubble wall, the wall shall be securely capped with 12 inches of Class A3 concrete.
d.CG-12 Detectable Warning Surface: The sidewalk ramp shall be constructed in accordance with Section 502, the provisions of this section for hydraulic cement concrete sidewalk and the details shown in the VDOT Road and Bridge Standard. Detectable warning/truncated domes and detectable warning surfaces shall be furnished and installed in accordance with the details in this section, the manufacturer’ s recommendations where applicable, the VDOT Road and Bridge Standard and the plans. All permanent installations of detectable warning surfaces shall be “wet set” in freshly placed concrete. Concrete pavers shall be wet set in concrete with a minimum depth of 4 inches of concrete underneath, unless otherwise shown on the plans or recommended by the manufacturer. Surface mounted detectable warning surfaces are permitted only for temporary installations where the detectable warning will be in service 6 months or less. 504.04 The Contractor shall provide the Department with the manufacturer’ s installation instructions at least 48 hours in advance of the start of installation.
504.04 Measurement and Payment
Hydraulic cement concrete sidewalks will be measured in square yards of finished surface and will be paid for at the contract unit price per square yard for the depth specified. Each structure located within the limits of the sidewalk having an area greater than 1 square yard will be excluded in computing the square yards of sidewalk eligible for payment. Asphalt concrete sidewalks will be measured in tons of asphalt mixture placed and finished and will be paid for at the contract unit price per ton. The contract unit price for sidewalks shall include excavating, removing existing sidewalk, and disposing of surplus and unsuitable material if regular excavation is not shown in the sidewalk area. When the side- walk area is located in the cross-sectional area for roadway excavation, excavation within the sidewalk area will be paid for at the contract unit price for regular excavation. Bedding material will be measured in tons or cubic yards in accordance with Section 109 and will be paid for at the contract unit price per ton or cubic yard. Concrete steps will be measured in cubic yards of concrete and pounds of reinforcing steel and will be paid for at the contract unit price per cubic yard of concrete and per pound of reinforcing steel. Handrails will be measured in linear feet along the top rail and will be paid for at the contract unit price per linear foot. This price shall include grounding and concrete placed on mortar rubble walls for setting the handrail. CG-12 Detectable Warning Surface will be measured in square yards and paid for at the contract unit price per square yard. This price shall be full compensation for furnishing and installing approved truncated dome finished materials including but not limited to concrete pavers, other Department approved materials, integral visual contrast, dowels or other anchorage devices. Geotextile drainage fabric will be measured in square yards to the limits shown on the plans or as directed by the Engineer and will be paid for at the contract unit price per square yard. Overlaps, overwidths, and waste fabric will not be measured. This price shall include preparing the surface; furnishing and installing fabric, overlaps, and repair work; and excavating and backfilling toe-ins. Payment will be made under: —————————————————————————————————Pay Item Pay Unit—————————————————————————————————Hydraulic cement concrete sidewalk (Depth) Square yard Asphalt concrete sidewalk Ton Bedding material Ton or Cubic yard Concrete, Class A3, Miscellaneous Cubic yard Reinforcing steel Pound Handrail (Standard) Linear foot CG-12 Detectable Warning Surface Square yard Geotextile drainage fabric Square yard—————————————————————————————————
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Source: Road and Bridge Specifications, 2020 Edition. Pages 687–691 of 1,065. View official source ↗