Right of Way Management
Basics and Beyond
Presenter
Monty Zimmerman
Developed by
Monty Zimmerman
Right of Way Manager, City of Lenexa
Murv Morehead
Right of Way Coordinator, City of Overland Park
What is “Right of Way
Management”?
ROW Management is best defined as
“the ability of a municipality to govern,
regulate and/or control the activities
occurring within its property (ROW)”.
Learning Objectives
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Understanding BMP’s of ROW Management
ROW management challenges
Functions of a ROW management program
How to accomplish utility coordination
The importance of One Call
New construction techniques
Emerging Issues
BMP’s for a ROW Management
Program
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ROW Management Ordinance
Agency ROW Permit Requirements
Permit Review Process
Inspections
Restoration of permitted project
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Row Management Ordinance
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This is your enforcement mechanism
Sets forth regulations for access to the right of
way
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Outlines obligations of the city
Outlines obligations of ROW users
Outlines obligations to the public
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ROW Permit Requirements
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Current Franchise Agreement for service providers
Completed permit application form including bonds
& insurance
Proposed work plan showing existing utilities
Traffic control plan (if needed)
Payment of all applicable permit fees
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Permit Review
Application should have:
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Applicant’s name, address and phone number
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Start and completion dates
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Project location and scope of project
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One call ticket number
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Facility owner information, contractor information
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Excavation information
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Area in ROW where work will take place
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Construction method (open cut, tunneling or
boring)
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Inspection Process
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Inspect project periodically
Keep records of each visit
Monitor job site erosion/sediment protection
Monitor compaction during backfill operations
Monitor street/sidewalk repairs (if applicable)
Monitor traffic control/work zone (if
applicable)
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Restoration
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Restoration must be “as good or better” than
original condition
Pavement/sidewalk restoration should be done
as soon as possible
Green restoration should be done as planting
season allows
Make sure all restoration is in accordance with
your technical specs
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ROW Management Challenges
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Lack of resources
Resistance to comply with city ordinances
Time management
Coordinate additional utility installations in
existing ROW
Staying informed on the latest construction
trends in trenchless technology, (equipment,
chemicals, fluids, tooling, locating technology
and trends)
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Potential Responsibilities of ROW
Programs
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After hours emergency response
Liaison between agency, utility operators,
contractors and locators
Represent agency in regional/national ROW related
issues and become a damage prevention advocate
Assist project managers with CIP design as it
relates to utility and ROW issues
Manage utility relocations for CIP projects
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Duties and Responsibilities
City of Overland Park
City of Leawood
City of Shawnee
Johnson County
Manage ROW permit system
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Field inspection
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Investigate violations of ROW requirements
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Coordinate w/ building inspectors regarding ROW issues
City of Lenexa
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Ensure reqs for traffic control are meet for ROW permits
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yes
Coordinate and educate Utility Co. with city policies
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Maintain city ROW ordinance
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Serve as City rep in regional/national ROW activities
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Adhere to saftey rules develop and follow safe work habits
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Review construction plans for CIP projects
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Manage utility relocations for CIP projects
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Serve as damage prevention rep for city
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Liase between City and Utilites
Other duties as required by supervisor
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Ensure compliance with conditions in franchise agreements
Inform emergency services, of street closures
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Investigate & respond to complaints from residents & businesses
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Prepare and maintaing invoices for ROW work
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Research ROW and easement information
Survey ROW boundries for utilities, contractors & homeowners
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Street light & traffic signal operation
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Assist on street light petitions
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Provide locates for city owned streetlights and signals
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Issue and inspect driveway, sidewalk and irrigation installs
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Supervise other ROW employees
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Respond to after hours Utility emergencies
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Manage ROW and easement acquisitions for road projects
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Write legal discriptions for land acquisitions
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Provide data to appraisers to determine compensation for projects
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Negotiate for property being conveyed
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Coordinate field check meetings
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Administer payments for reimbursable utility relocates
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Orginize, plan & direct fence relocations
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Utility Coordination
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“Brownfield” is the most challenging, due to
already congested ROW
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Highly congested ROW’s require plans showing SUE
“level A” locations of existing utilities
Foster cooperation among all utilities/service
providers
Develop utility relocation schedule
Mediate/resolve conflicts
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Utility Coordination
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“Greenfield” presents a different set of challenges
in that it requires extensive planning for utility
placement
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Implementing use of utility corridors
Implementing use of shared trenches
Implementing use of joint trench concepts
Construction of duct banks
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Importance of One Call
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Contacting One Call is required by state law and
agency ordinance
Contacting One Call is the first step toward
preventing damages to existing utilities
Notifies utility owners/operators of impending
excavation
Reduces or eliminates excavator liability in the
event of a utility damage
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New Construction Techniques
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Trenchless technology
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Inneream, Arrowbore , Pipe Bursting, Slip
Lining, Cured In Place Pipe……
SUE (subsurface utility engineering)
Vacuum Excavation
Keyhole method
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Emerging Issues
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Sustainability
SUE (subsurface utility engineering)
One Call issues
Crossbores
Private utilities in the ROW
Web based ROW management tools
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Sustainability
“Because of the finite nature of our ROW’s, we
must embrace sustainable construction methods
and techniques that will allow the needs of today
to be met while at the same time assuring that
our most precious resource, our ROW, is
available for generations to come”.
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Sustainability
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Use of construction methods that reduce open
trenching thereby reducing restoration
requirements
Use of construction methods that reduce the
overall carbon footprint of a project
Use of construction methods that reduce
impacts to traffic patterns
How to get the message to engineers and
project managers
Costs?
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SUE (Subsurface Utility Engineering)
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SUE is “an engineering process that utilizes new
and existing technologies to accurately identify,
characterize and map underground utilities early
in the development of a project or in certain
cases during construction”.
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How to put this discipline into use
How to get the message to engineers and project
managers
When should SUE be used and at what level
Costs
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One Call Issues
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Should everyone participate
Should everyone participate equally
Should members pay more to incorporate new
technology statewide
Should penalties for non compliance with One Call
laws be strictly enforced/increased
Should a utility owner be required to locate their
service lines
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Crossbores
Defined as the “intersection of an existing
underground utility or underground structure by a
second utility resulting in direct contact between the
transactions of the utilities that compromises the
integrity of either utility or underground structure”.
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The most dangerous scenario is when a natural
gas line intersects with a sanitary sewer lateral
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Private Utilities in the ROW
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Do these utilities need to be a member of one call
Should private facilities be allowed in public ROW
What are the costs of not requiring private
facilities to be members of one call
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Web Based ROW Management Tools
Web based programs are designed to create
streamlined solutions for planning, coordinating,
permitting, analyzing, and communicating work in an
agencies' right of way. It is designed to save time and
money, and enable proactive management of utility
projects, public works projects, permitting incidents,
traffic and events.
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Web Based ROW Management Tools
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Many providers – Envista, ROWAY, ROW
Manager….
Provides real time mapping using Google Maps
24/7 access from anywhere an internet connection
is available
Most providers use a hosted site platform
Cost is based on the number of permits and
agency generates per year
Programs have the ability to communicate with
other organizations that use the same product
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Questions?
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