Wisconsin WisDOT Standard Specifications (within FDM) — Section 207

Effective with the December 2018 Letting 98 2019 Standard Speci fications Section 207 Embankment

207.1Description

(1)This section describes placing in embankments and in miscellan eous backfills, material obtained

under the bid items in the road way and drainage excavation, bor row, or excavation for structures sections.

207.2Materials

(1)For embankment, use engineer-approved material containing no logs, stumps, brush, or other

perishable material. The contractor may place excess unstable topsoil and other unstable soil in embankments outside the roadwa y foundation as defined in 101.3 . Do not place frozen soil in embankments within the roadway foundation.

(2)For the top 8 inches of earth e mbankments, use materials free from large stone, rock, and broken

concrete or other materials that significantly affect scarifyin g, compacting, and finishing the subgrade.

(3)For those portions of embankments that the contractor proposes to bore holes for piling, or to drive

piling through, use materials that do not contain stone or broken concrete retained on a 3-inch sieve and free from quantities of gravel, stone, or broken concrete p assing a 3-inch sieve or other material that significantly affects bori ng the holes or driving the pili ng.

207.3Construction

207.3.1 General

(1)Before placing embankment materials, complete any required cle aring and grubbing of the site and

prepare the roadway foundation as specified in 205.3.2, unless the contract specifies otherwise.

(2)Remove ice and snow from the ground surface before placing emb ankment on the ground. Do not

place embankment on frozen subgrade.

(3)Unless the contract specifies o therwise, discontinue constructing embankments in the fall or early

winter if weather conditions prevail that cause substantial fre ezing of the materials during placement, except if using materials from rock excavation, or of a granula r nature and that contain only minor quantities of silt, clay, loam, or similar materials. 207.3.2 Placing Layers

(1)Construct an embankment starting at the lowest point of the fi ll, below the grade at the bottom of

ravines. Construct the embankmen t in layers by spreading and le veling the material during placement. Spread individual layers evenly to uniform thickness throughout and approximately parallel with the finished grade for the full width of the embankment, unless dir ected otherwise. Place the material in layers generally no thicker than 8 inches, to secure the required compaction. On side hills too steep to operate hauling equipment, over low wet ground, in marshes, or if filling in water, provide a single layer, just thick enough to support the hauling equipment while placing subsequent layers. 207.3.3 Placing in Marsh

(1)If constructing embankments in trenches excavated across wet m arshes or swamps, end dump the fill

material. Begin filling at one end of the marsh and proceed acr oss the marsh, close enough to the excavating operations to allow the equipment to remove any disp laced peat or muck as it accumulates ahead of the advancing embankment toe. Place fill material in a way that, and to a height that, effectively displaces unstable material from within the area of the proposed embankment. Build temporary surcharges, as required, to the height and horizontal dimensions the plans show. Progressively move temporary su rcharges ahead as the embankment advances.

(2)If excavating marsh areas in a dry condition, construct the em bankment in the excavation area in

layers and compact it to t he extent practicable. 207.3.4 Placing Rock

(1)If the material for embankment c onsists of rock, broken stone, or fragmented material of a size that

makes placing in 8-inch layers impracticable, then place the em bankment material in layers no thicker than the approximate average size of the larger rocks. Avoid ne sting and fill the voids with smaller stones and satisfactory soil or rock fines. 207.3.5 Hydraulic Fills

(1)If constructing embankments by the hydraulic method, obtain th e engineer's written approval as

specified in 208.3 and construct as the engineer directs.

Effective with the December 2018 Letting 99 2019 Standard Speci fications 207.3.6 Compaction 207.3.6.1 General

(1)Except as specified otherwis e for backfilling wet marshes, con structing rock fills, and hydraulic fills,

compact embankments using standar d compaction methods unless th e contract specifies special compaction.

(2)Do not compact embankment mater ial if the moisture content cau ses excessive rutting by the hauling

equipment, or excessive displacement or distortion under the co mpacting equipment. If these conditions exist, allow the materials to dry before compacting. If necessary, accelerate drying the materials by aerating or by us ing blade graders, harrows, discs , or other appropriate equipment to manipulate the material.

(3)If the embankment material does not contain sufficient moistur e to compact properly, add water in

quantities the engineer deems necessary to aid, accelerate, and secure effective compaction.

(4)Compact embankments, outside t he roadway foundation, to the de gree contemplated for standard

compaction. The engineer may allow less compaction outside the roadway foundation if the contractor uses unstable soil. 207.3.6.2 Standard Compaction

(1)Deposit, spread, and level, as specified above , the embankment material in layers generally no thicker

than 8 inches before compaction . Compact each layer of the emba nkment until the compaction equipment achieves no further significant consolidation. Provid e the required compaction for each layer before placing any material for a succeeding layer.

(2)Route hauling and leveling equipm ent over the entire area of e ach layer of fill to compact to the extent

practicable during placement. T he engineer may require specialized compaction equipment to provide additional compaction if, in the engineer's opinion, adequate c ompaction is not achieved without it.

(3)Specialized compaction equipment includes pad foot rollers, pn eumatic-tire rollers, v ibratory rollers, or

other alternate compaction equipment that produces the required results. Obtain the engineer’s approval before using alter nate compaction equipment. 207.3.6.3 Special Compaction

(1)Deposit, spread, and level the embankment material, as specified above, on the properly prepared

ground surface in layers genera lly not exceeding 8 inches thick before compaction. If compacting granular material with equipmen t adaptable for this purpose, th e contractor may increase layer thickness to 12 inches if obtai ning the required dry density. E xcept as specified for construction methods in 207.3.2 , 207.3.3, 207.3.4 , and 207.3.5 , compact each layer of spread and leveled material by suitable compaction equipm ent, to not less than the specifie d dry density before placing the succeeding layer.

(2)Compact the roadway foundation to at least the dry density spe cified in 207.3.6.3(3) . Compact

embankment areas outside the r oadway foundation as specified in 207.3.6.1(4) .

(3)For embankments of 6 feet or less high or for portions occurring within 200 feet of a bridge abutment,

compact the full depth of the embankment to at least 95 percent of maximum dry density. For embankments over 6 feet in height, compact the material placed 6 feet below the finished subgrade to at least 90 percent of maximum d ry density and backfill materia l placed within 6 feet of the finished subgrade to at least 95 percen t of maximum dry density.

(4)The engineer will determine the ma ximum dry density according to AASHTO T99, Method C except,

replace the fraction of materia l retained on the 3/4-inch sieve with No. 4 to 3/4-inch material. The engineer will determine the in-place dry density of compacted e mbankment material according to AASHTO T310 or by other engi neer-approved methods.

(5)If the material in the in-place density sample differs in perc entage of aggregate retained on a No. 4

sieve from the sample that the ma ximum dry density was determined from, the engineer will adjust the maximum dry density according to approved department procedure.

(6)The engineer will not apply the foregoing density requirements to portions of embankments

constructed of materials that, because of numerous large stones or high percentages of material retained on the No. 4 sieve, t he engineer cannot accurately tes t according to the above procedures for determining maximum dry density or in-place dry density. 207.3.6.4 Subgrade Compaction in Cuts

(1)Compact the finished earth subgrade in cut sections for a widt h equal to the width of the proposed

pavement plus shoulders as specif ied for standard compaction in 207.3.6.2 , unless the contract specifies using special compaction.

Effective with the December 2018 Letting 100 2019 Standard Spec ifications (2) On grading projects that require special compaction, compact t he finished earth subgrade in cut sections to the width described in 207.3.6.4(1) and to a depth of at least 6 inches to at least 95 percent of maximum density. The engineer will determine the maximum den sity and attained density in the subgrade as specified for special compaction under 207.3.6.3 . 207.3.7 Shrinkage and Surcharge

(1)If the engineer considers it necessary, build embankments to a n elevation above required grade to

allow for settlement; or place su fficient surcharge above the r equired elevation of earth grade over deposits of unstable material to secure displacement or settlement. 207.3.8 Slopes

(1)Build embankment slopes to the lines and section the plans show or as the engineer directs. For

slopes of rock fill embankments, c ompletely fill voids with roc k fines or soils, and trim slopes to a smooth uniform appearance.

(2)Construct embankments, whose slopes are receiving topsoil or s alvaged topsoil, so that after placing

the topsoil the finished embankment conforms to the required section. 207.3.9 Subgrade Intermediate Consolidation and Trimming

(1)In addition to maintaining drain age during construction as spe cified in 205.3.3 , at the end of each work

day consolidate and trim the subgrade to aid drainage and to pr otect against erosion. Consolidate and trim those portions of the subgr ade surface disturbed, operated over, or constructed during that workday. Consolidate and trim until float material is pressed f irmly against the subgr ade and produces a tight, smooth, well-drained surface. If rain is imminent duri ng the workday, consolidate and trim the subgrade before the rain falls to avoid ponding and erosion. 207.3.10 Backfilling Structures

(1)Place and compact required emban kments over and adjacent to cu lverts, bridges, retaining walls, and

other structures. This includes backfilling not performed incid ental to the excavation of these structures.

(2)Use materials and construction methods specified for backfill in 206.3.13 .

(3)If special compaction is specified, compact backfill material placed 6 feet or more below the finished

subgrade to at least 90 percent o f maximum density and backfill material placed within 6 feet of the finished subgrade to at least 95 percent of maximum density. Fo r bridge approaches, compact as specified in 207.3.6.3 . 207.3.11 Finish Grading

(1)Trim, finish, and maintain earth grade as specified for finish grading under 205.3.14.

(2)The engineer may require the removal and disposal of rock, sto ne, and boulders excavated by plowing

and scarifying.

207.4Measurement

(1)The department will not directly measure work u nder this secti on.

207.5Payment

(1)The department will not pay directly for work specified under this section. This work is incidental to the

roadway and drainage excavation, borrow, excavation for structu res, granular backfill, structure backfill sections, and other contract bid items. The work includes formi ng, compacting, shaping, sloping, trimming, finishing, maintaining embankments, and other inciden tal work required under this section.

(2)The department will not pay separately for removing and disposing of rock, stone, and boulders that

the engineer rejects under 207.3.11 .

Effective with the December 2018 Letting 101 2019 Standard Spec ifications Section 208 Borrow

208.1Description

(1)This section describes constru cting embankments and other portions of the work consistent with the

earthwork summary the plans show for borro w. If the contract specifies moving material from one division to another, that material is not borrow.

208.2Materials

208.2.1 Quality

(1)Under the Borrow bid item, furnis h material consisting of sati sfactory soil or a mix ture of satisfactory

soil, stone, gravel, or other acc eptable materials, of a charac ter and quality satisfactory for the purpose intended. Use material free from sod, stumps, logs, and other p erishable and deleterious matter.

(2)For select borrow excavation furnish material conforming to th e quality requirements specified in the

contract. 208.2.2 Source

(1)Obtain suitable borrow material from one or more of the following sources:

1.Contractor-furnished sour ces the engineer approves.

2.State-furnished sources out side the project right-of-way li mits.

3.Surplus or waste materials fr om divisions consistent with t he earthwork summary the plans show.

4.If the engineer authorizes in writing, from one or more of the following sources:

4.1Material from within the right-of-way limits but outside e xcavation limits that the contract does not

already designate as excavation.

4.2Surplus excavation from other contracts.

4.3Material from old road fills, removed as specified in 214.

(2)Use material with suitable engineering properties obtained fro m work done under other contract bid

items to reduce the quantity of borrow required in that divisio n.

(3)Unless the contract specifies o therwise, the contractor shall negotiate with property owners or others

from whom the contractor proposes to obtain borrow material.

(4)The department may approve non-comm ercial borrow sources where the contractor proposes to

create or enlarge an area of open water if the contractor submi ts a written request. Include with that request written evidence that the following conditions are met:

1.The owner of the property h as a valid and practicable plan for creating or enlarging a body of impounded

water and that plan complies with all applicable ordinances or regulations.

2.If the proposed site is within 5 miles of a public-use airp ort, the airport manager or airport owner and the

department's bureau of aeronautics have been contacted and conf irm receipt of the following: - Contractor and landowner names and contact information including phone numbers. - Scale map showing the locati on of the proposed site in relati on to the airport. - Detailed reclamation plans showing the location, size, and ou tline of proposed new open water; slopes of the impoundment area; proposed re-vegetation plan; an d other requested information.

3.WDNR and other federal and state agencies with jurisdiction have approved the plan.

4.The proposed plan is not cont rary to the public interest an d will not create a public nuisance or hazard.

(5)Provide the final condition of the borrow site as specified fo r final cleanup in 104.9 .

208.3Construction

(1)Clear and grub the area for the borrow site in the same manner specified for roadway and drainage

excavation. Remove sod or other p erishable or unsuitable material from the proposed borrow source area. Excavate borrow sites in a way that allows the engineer t o accurately measure the material excavated and incorporated in the work.

(2)Dispose of stone, broken rock, boulders, and other materials u nsuitable for use in the work as

specified in 205.3.12 .

(3)Dispose of stumps, trees, logs , brush, tops, and other debris resulting from clearing and grubbing work

in borrow site areas as specified in 201.3 .

(4)Except for commercial sites, str ip off the available topsoil, or other soil favorable to plant growth,

overlying the borrow site. Stock pile the topsoil in sufficient quantities to cover all surfaces of excavated areas from 4 to 6 inches deep . If the topsoil overlying the bor row site is less than 4 inches deep, replace the topsoil to the original depth. After trimming and finishing the site, spread the salvaged

Source: Wisconsin Standard Specifications for Highway and Structure Construction, 2019 Edition. Pages 107–109 of 601.

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206 Excavation for Structures

208 Borrow