DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS
GENERAL DESIGN GUIDELINES 2.02
2.02 CIVIL
The following information is provided as a general guideline in establishing civil engineering design
requirements.
SUBSURFACE INVESTIGATIONS
The University will be responsible for providing record information of underground utility lines and structures.
Contractors performing work involving site disturbance will be responsible for submitting for approvals a
University Dig Permit thru the office of Engineering Design and Construction. See appendix section for Dig
Permit form
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
Maintenance of Best Management Practices BMP's will be the responsibility of the Site Contractor per local
and state ordinances. The Site Contractor will be responsible for maintenance and inspections to ensure
proper monitoring is taking place.
NPDES PERMIT
The General contractor will be responsible for obtaining the NPDES permit per local and state ordinances.
The University's Safety and environmental compliance department will be listed as the owner's
representative.
As authorized by the Clean Water Act, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit
program controls water pollution by regulating point sources that discharge pollutants into waters of the
United States.
This general permit authorizes eligible discharges of storm water from small and large construction activities
that result in a total land disturbance equal or greater than 1 acre, and from small sites that are part of a
larger, common plan of development. This permit requires operators of such construction sites to implement
storm water controls and develop storm water pollution prevention plans (SWPPPs) to prevent sediment and
other pollutants associated with construction sites from being discharged in storm water runoff. This general
construction permit has been issued for a two-year time period and applies only to new projects and
unpermitted ongoing projects.
SOILS INVESTIGATIONS
If investigative soils analysis is required during project design, University will retain a soils engineer. The
soils engineer, in consultation with the University and the Design Professional, will determine number, sizes,
depth, and proposed location of borings and/ or pits. Boring locations and quantity will be project specific,
but in general, there will be one boring for every 2,000 square feet of building footprint, with a minimum of
four soil borings. To the extent possible, borings should be located near the location of proposed footings/
piers. Boring information will be shown, with dimensions, on a plot plan to be submitted in two (2) copies by
the Design Professional to the University at least five (5) working days prior to proposed sampling.
The plot plan will show:
a.
A graphic scale, north arrow, and location of existing buildings and trees
b.
Above and below ground service/ utility lines (both utility company and University-owned)
c.
Pavement areas and established benchmark(s) with elevation(s) noted
d.
Existing site features, not specifically mentioned, impacting boring or pit locations
e.
The soils/ geotechnical report shall be included as an informational item of the bidding
documents in the general requirements, Section I.
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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS
GENERAL DESIGN GUIDELINES 2.02
LANDSCAPING
Preservation of existing trees and landscaping will be a primary consideration. Each capital project will
provide the irrigation system and grassing. The University will provide the design, material and labor for
mulching and plant material.
On all capital projects, an irrigation design shall be provided to the owner for review and approval. Irrigation
systems will be designed to tie into the University well water system.
Finished lawn areas will have a finished slope no steeper than one (1) foot vertically to three (3) feet
horizontally. Steeper areas will be covered with ground covers or modified with walls or other treatments.
Specific treatments will be identified for project limit lines or edges.
IRRIGATION SPECIFICATIONS
ROADWAYS, PARKING LOTS, AND WALKWAYS
All curbs and sidewalks will be Portland cement concrete with a fibercrete additive.
Pavements shall be designed to accommodate the design vehicle for the pavements use. The minimum lane
width shall be 10-feet, excluding curb and shy distance (concrete pavements), curb and gutter (asphalt
pavements), or striping. Curve radii and intersection radii shall accommodate the design vehicle’s design
speed and turning movements.
Paved walks less than eight feet wide will be designed with a cross slope of two percent to facilitate
drainage. Walks equal to or greater than eight feet wide will have a minimum slope of one percent. It is
desired to maintain positive drainage away form walks so surface water does not cross them.
All sidewalks will have a minimum width of 6’. Minimum depth to be 6". Where a sidewalk abuts a road or
driveway, minimum width to be 10’. Walks adjacent to roads or driveways will not have grass strips between
sidewalk and road or driveway, unless a minimum 8’ grass strip can be provided. A medium broom finish will
be applied perpendicular to traffic flow. All brooming directions will be shown on the drawings and described
in the specifications.
All accessible parking spaces shall be “universal spaces.” Parking spaces, other than disabled, shall be 8.5’
in width. No compact car spaces will be permitted.
Locations where a parking lot abuts to lawn areas, a mowing strip will be incorporated into the design of the
parking lot. A mowing strip is a strip of pavement, 24” in width, on the lawn side of the curb or parking
bumpers allowing the lawn to be mowed while parking spaces are occupied.
Preferred material for sidewalks, ramps, and other paved, exterior walking surfaces is concrete. All materials
must be slip resistant.
All sidewalks leading up to a vehicular roadway or route shall have a truncated dome installed per ADA
Accessibility Guidelines. The truncated dome shall be Armor-Tile, color: Colonial Red. Design shall be in
general accordance with AASHTO “GREEN BOOK” – A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and
Streets, latest edition. Exceptions will be allowed with USA approval where context-sensitive design is
warranted.
TEMPORARY TRAFFIC CONTROL
Temporary traffic control shall be in accordance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
(MUTDC) Part 6: Temporary Traffic Control (current version). Closures of streets and rerouting of traffic
should be coordinated with the Campus police department and the Safety and Environmental Compliance
department thru the University Project Manager.
Project Contractors to provide signs and flag men for traffic control.
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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS
GENERAL DESIGN GUIDELINES 2.02
PARKING STANDARDS
SANITARY SEWERS
Sanitary sewers shall be designed in accordance with the standards and requirements of the Alabama
Department of Transportation requirements.
Sewer systems shall be designed to carry traffic loads in all locations.
Sewer piping installation shall include granular bedding with fines and backfill within the pipe envelope,
The minimum service line size shall be 6”. The minimum sewer line size shall be 8”.
Pre-cast concrete manholes shall comply with ASTM C478 or ASTM C76, Class 3. Cast-in-place manholes
shall be detailed in the construction documents. Eccentric covers shall be provided of a material approved
by the University.
Cleanouts may be used at the end of a sewer line where the distance to the downstream manhole is 150feet or less. Cleanouts are required on service lines outside a building footprint and at horizontal or vertical
bends in a service line. The deflection should utilize a wye with the cleanout as an upstream extension of the
downstream line’s alignment.
Only Ductile Iron will be allowed under slabs.
STORM DRAINAGE
This section applies to storm water conveyance systems outside the footprint of buildings. Building systems
are covered in the Mechanical Systems section.
Trunk storm sewers are defined as the primary spine(s) of the piping system and generally carry the flow
from more than one site.
Storm water systems shall be designed using the actual time of concentration. The worst case of complete
development, per the current Campus Master Plan, or current conditions shall be used for calculation of
offsite flow.
Minimum storm drainage size to be 12”
Generally the Rational Formula shall be used for areas under 200-acres. Runoff coefficients shall consider
percentage of impervious area and average site grade (slope).
Return periods will be 25 years with actual time of concentration (duration) for all building sites, pedestrian
malls, streets, quadrangles, and trunk storm sewers.
Return periods will be ten (10) years with actual time of concentration (duration) for parking lots, park space,
and open areas.
PM will establish “return periods” for all other areas. Return period must satisfy governing municipality’s
regulations.
No ponding is allowed on paved areas. Detention basins shall be labeled on the drawings.
Design Professional will compare above return periods with those required by the local municipality.
Coordination with municipality may be required and should be reviewed with the PM. Any discrepancies will
be discussed with the PM.
All buildings and structures will be developed such that no entry of water through entrances, window wells,
area ways, basements, drains, etc. will occur during a minimum hundred year storm. Design should maintain
positive drainage away from building entrances.
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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS
GENERAL DESIGN GUIDELINES 2.02
Connections to building drains shall be designed to prevent surcharge from the storm sewer for the 100-year
storm.
Sidewalk grade shall be set to prevent surface from collecting and channeling surface drainage.
Particular attention will be paid to bicycle and wheelchair safety in the design of storm drainage systems.
Grate bars will be placed perpendicular to direction of traffic flow. Grates in pedestrian areas should be sized
to avoid catching heels of shoes.
Storm drains, except small area drains, shall be reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) conforming to ASTM C76 or
AASHTO M170, Class 3 minimum, 12” or larger. HDPE pipe will be allowed by pre approval only and then
up to 24" if properly connected and bedded, and only when not located under roadways or parking areas.
Yard inlets to be open throat self cleaning "turtle back" design. See appendix drawing (xx).
Boxes to be pre cast concrete unless pre approved by the University.
Piping for small area drains in courtyards, small yard areas, and building area ways may be 8” or larger.
Storm drains less than 36” in diameter shall run on a straight line and grade between structures. Horizontal
and vertical bends are permitted in 8” and 10” lines provided a cleanout is included. The deflection should
utilize a wye with the cleanout as an upstream extension of the downstream line’s alignment.
Comply with the requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Systems (NPDES) General
Permit No. 2. During the design phase, the design professional must consider and minimize the post
construction storm water runoff in order to prevent or minimize water quality impacts and minimize the
quantity of storm water runoff.
Best management practices related to both water quality and water quantity shall be considered in the
design of all projects, and implemented when practical. Best management practices using storm water
detention and retention, grass swales, bioretention swales, riparian buffers and proper operation and
maintenance of these facilities shall be evaluated for the preferred method to manage storm water. The
University Project Manager will coordinate the review of these designs with the University's Safety and
Environmental Compliance office and other campus stakeholders.
WATER DISTRIBUTION
When additional water loads are to be applied to the water distribution systems, the PM and Facilities
Management – Utilities and Energy Management unit must be consulted and an evaluation of the load
design requirements and available water distribution facilities and operational needs of the Water Plant and
water distribution systems must be completed. The anticipated loads will be added to our current hydraulic
model and determined what is acceptable, and what changes are required.
All piping shall conform to AWWA standards and the requirements of the Alabama DNR.
All water meters will be located inside buildings.
The material for water distribution systems shall be Class 53 restrained joint cement lined ductile iron pipe
wrapped in plastic.
Fire hydrants shall be provided in accordance with the requirements of the local fire district or department.
Hydrants shall be provided with an auxiliary valve, installed with the streamer directed toward a street or
drive. Hydrants shall match existing campus hydrants. See Appendix section for detail.
Backflow preventers will be provided at each building.
SPILL PREVENTION
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DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS
GENERAL DESIGN GUIDELINES 2.02
Comply with Spill Prevention, Control and Counter Measures (SPCC) 40CFR112. Any and all oil storage
devices must be double walled/ vented or have secondary containment per SPCC 40CFR112.7. Oil includes
oil of any kind or in any form, including, but not limited to, petroleum, hydraulic oil, fuel oil, vegetable oil,
animal oils, sludge oil refuse and oil mixes with wastes other than dredged spoil.
The intent of this standard is that any “oil” spillage from storage tanks, reservoirs, etc., can not find its way
off of the immediate site through sanitary sewer, storm sewer or surface run-off. Where this Federal code is
applied in designs for the University of South Alabama, written notice of such must be made to the PM by
the Design Professional before final review of drawings and specifications. This notice will allow other
40CFR112 requirements to be provided by the University in order to comply with the code.
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