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Section 203.06.
SECTION 203
EXCAVATION AND EMBANKMENT
203.01 GENERAL
This work consists of the excavation, haul, placement and compaction of embankment.
A. Common Excavation.
Common Excavation consists of excavation within the right of way, not otherwise
classified. Place common excavation used as embankment as specified in Section
203.04 F.
B. Rock Excavation.
Notify the Engineer when rock excavation is necessary. Rock Excavation consists of
material that must be blasted before it can be excavated and removed, or requires
heavy-duty dozer-mounted rippers or dozer blades to break the material into chunks.
The Engineer will classify the excavation as shale excavation when the material breaks
or shatters into pieces of less than one cubic foot in size during breaking operations
(excluding blasting) as specified in Section 203.01 C.
Rock excavation includes all boulders and other detached rock having a volume of
½ cubic yard or more.
C. Shale Excavation.
Notify the Engineer when shale excavation is necessary. Shale Excavation consists of
excavating material that is laminated, fissile, or sedimentary material that is principally
composed of fine-grained particles. The Engineer will classify the excavation as shale
excavation when the material requires a dozer with heavy-duty rear-mounted rippers to
rip the material.
D. Muck Excavation.
Notify the Engineer when muck excavation is necessary. Muck Excavation consists of
the excavation and disposal of saturated or unsaturated mixtures of soils and organic
matter unsuitable for use as embankment. The Engineer will classify the excavation as
muck excavation, when the material cannot be excavated with conventional scrapers
and dozers. Muck excavation requires the use of equipment that operates outside the
area being excavated.
E. Borrow Excavation.
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Borrow Excavation consists of excavation, haul, placement, and compaction of
embankment material obtained from locations outside the right of way.
F. Embankment.
 Preparation of areas upon which embankments are to be placed
 Construction of dikes
 Placement and compaction of material in areas where unsuitable material has
been removed
 Placement and compaction of embankment material in holes, pits, and other
depressions within the roadway area
203.02 EQUIPMENT.
203.03 MATERIALS.
203.04 CONSTRUCTION REQUIREMENTS.
A. General.
Finish the excavation and embankments to smooth and uniform surfaces. Obtain the
Engineers approval before disposing of excess material. Conduct excavation without
disturbing material outside the construction limits.
Ensure all common excavation within a balance is placed before using borrow.
Dispose of waste common excavation at approved locations. Use all suitable surplus
material to uniformly widen embankments and flatten slopes within the right of way.
Dispose of unsuitable material as specified in Section 107.10. When disposing of rocks
and boulders bury them under a minimum of one foot of soil.
1. Rock Subcut.
Excavate rock to a minimum depth of 6 inches and a maximum depth of 12 inches
below subgrade within the limits of the roadbed.
2. Roadway Obliteration.
Obliterate the roadway by removing the roadway surface material, structures, and
appurtenances, filling in the ditches, rough grading, placing of topsoil, and seeding.
Restore to the original ground contour.
3. Coal.
Remove coal to a depth:
 6 feet below the subgrade profile between the graded shoulders
 1 foot below the final surface elevation between the graded shoulders and
the top of the backslopes
Dispose of coal as specified in Section 107.10.
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B. Topsoil.
Remove topsoil to its full depth or a depth up to 6 inches, whichever is less from all
excavation and embankment areas. Do not remove the subsoil or other deleterious
material with topsoil. Stockpile the removed topsoil.
Construct topsoil stockpiles:
 On the right of way at acceptable locations outside the grading limits
 If necessary, outside the right of way at no expense to the Department
Do not stockpile topsoil in the median. Evenly spread all stockpiled topsoil over the
disturbed areas within the right of way.
1. Topsoil – Wetland.
Remove topsoil to a depth specified on the plans. Stockpile the topsoil separately
from other topsoil. Spread the topsoil to a minimum depth of 6 inches at each
mitigation site.
2. Topsoil – Imported.
Provide the topsoil from a site outside the right of way. Spread the topsoil to a
minimum depth of 3 inches. Use all existing topsoil before importing topsoil.
C. Subcut.
Use a backhoe with a smooth cutting edge to minimize disturbance of underlying soils.
Do not scarify the bottom of the subcut. Construct a 20:1 transition prior to entering and
exiting subcut excavations. Do not operate construction equipment on the soft subgrade.
Place R1 reinforcement fabric as specified in Section 709. Backfill subcut section with
material as specified in Section 302.
D. Borrow.
1. General.
Ensure borrow site is staked and cross-sectioned before excavating.
Schedule work in borrow areas to allow any utility company to relocate, adjust, or
remove their facilities.
Provide a minimum of two working days notice to complete the preliminary cross
sectioning before removing topsoil. Remove and stockpile topsoil, as specified in
Section 203.04 B, before excavation. Provide an additional one working day notice to
complete the topsoil measurement before excavating borrow.
Shape the borrow area to drain after excavation is complete. Ensure slopes are
flatter than 8:1 except when blending into existing steeper slopes.
Obliterate and reshape cartways.
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Seed all disturbed areas to match adjacent vegetation.
Replace fence to its original condition to the satisfaction of the landowner. Ensure
livestock is confined when fencing is removed or altered.
Obtain a suitable borrow source if no Department optioned borrow is provided. The
Engineer will allow Contractor furnished borrow unless the Department optioned
borrow area is mandatory.
Place borrow as specified in Section 203.04 F.
2. Department Optioned Borrow.
Notify the landowner in writing if exercising the Department’s option, including the
removal plan and use of the cartways. Provide a copy of the written notification and
any other agreements negotiated with the landowner 10 days before starting
operations in borrow area.
Furnish written verification of the names of the legal owners of the borrow area
during the time the borrow material was removed. Obtain the verification from County
records. Include the names of any other parties having a legal interest in the
property.
The Department will be responsible for utilities relocations and costs of relocations in
Department-optioned borrow areas.
Remove, stockpile, and spread topsoil as specified in Section 203.02 B. Seed as
specified in Section 708.02.
Provide a copy of the landowner's release and receipt of payment, after the borrow
area has been restored to a satisfactory condition.
If the work is performed in more than one calendar year, pay the landowner for the
material removed the first calendar year by December 31 of that year.
If a payment arrangement different from the proposal is negotiated with the
landowner, file a copy of the agreement with the Department.
If a material shortage or other problems occur in the Department optioned area and
the Engineer directs that borrow be furnished from an alternate site, the Department
will pay for:
 Topsoil and seeding on the basis shown for the Department optioned area, and
 Costs in excess of what would be incurred in the Department optioned area
 Haul will be measured as specified in Section 206.
3. Contractor Furnished Borrow.
The Engineer will determine if the material is suitable for the specified use.
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Furnish the names of the legal owners and the names of other parties having a legal
interest in the borrow areas.
After the borrow area has been restored to satisfactory condition, obtain a release
and receipt of payment from the legal owners and furnish copies to the Engineer.
Take responsibility for utility adjustment work in Contractor furnished borrow areas.
E. Embankment Construction.
Do not place rocks, broken concrete, or other solid materials in embankment areas
where piling is to be driven. Do not place any rocks larger than 4 inches in its longest
dimension in the top one foot of the finished grade.
Bench existing embankment if placing new material against slopes 4:1 or steeper. Do
not bench with steps less than 24 inches in width. Begin each horizontal cut at the
intersection of the original ground and the vertical sides of the previous cuts. Recompact
excavated material along with new embankment material.
If the finished subgrade lies within 3 feet of existing surfacing:



Remove bituminous material.
Scarify the subgrade to a depth of at least 12 inches
Compact to the density as specified in Section 203.04 E.1 for embankment and
Section 714.03 A for aggregates
Place and compact embankment equally on both sides of a structure. Compact without
placing excessive pressure against the structure when placing embankment is required
only on one side of a structure,
Ensure the fill adjacent to the bridge abutment is no higher than the berm elevation in
front of the abutment until the superstructure is in place.
Do not use frozen material in embankment construction. Suspend grading operations if
frozen excavation is encountered. The Engineer may suspend grading operations due to
snow cover.
Place embankment in lifts not to exceed 12 inches of loose material, except for rock fills
or the first layer of fill over swampy ground. Spread material to a uniform thickness
before compacting. Continuously level, and manipulate the material to ensure uniform
distribution, moisture, and density. Operate construction equipment uniformly over the
entire surface of each lift. Compact each lift to specified density and moisture content
before placing the next lift.
If the excavated material consists predominantly of rock too large to be placed in 12 inch
lifts, place the material uniformly in thicknesses up to the average rock size, but no
thicker than 2 feet. Do not use rock fill in the top 2 feet of the finished subgrade.
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If placing rock fill over a structure, cover the structure with a minimum of 2 feet of
compacted earth or other approved material before placing rock fill.
1. Compaction Control, Type A.
Construct all fills and cut areas with moisture and density controls, excluding rock fill
and fills 18 inches or less.
All fills 18 inches or less, excluding rock fills and cut areas, shall be constructed with
moisture and density controls.
All cut areas and fills 18 inches or less, excluding rock fills, shall be constructed with
moisture and density controls.
All fills (excluding rock fills, fills 18 inches or less, and cut areas) shall be constructed
with moisture and density controls.
Compact the soil as specified in AASHTO T 180 with no less than the optimum
moisture and no more than 5 percentage points above the optimum moisture.
Compact the embankment and designated cut areas to 90 percent of the maximum
dry density.
If the Department specifies AASHTO T 99 for density testing, compact the soil with
no less than 4 percentage points below the optimum moisture, and no more than 5
percentage points above the optimum moisture. Compact the embankment and
designated cut areas to 95 percent of the maximum dry density.
Dry the unstable subgrade by working the soil until the specified density and uniform
moisture content is achieved.
2. Compaction Control, Type B.
Construct embankment in lifts not to exceed 12 inches of loose material, except for
rock fills and the first layer of fills over swampy ground.
Uniformly compact each lift by operating grading equipment and tamping rollers over
the entire area. Operate tamping rollers over each layer until the Engineer is satisfied
with the depth of penetration of the tamping feet. Provide tamping rollers with feet
that exert a ground pressure of at least 250 psi.
Level, and manipulate the material to ensure uniform moisture content.
Keep dumping and rolling areas separate.
3. Compaction Control, Type C.
Construct embankment in lifts not to exceed 8 inches of loose material over the full
width of the proposed embankment section, except for rock fills and the first layer of
fills over swampy ground.
Level, and manipulate the material to ensure uniform moisture content.
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Compaction to be completed by uniform passage of construction equipment over
embankment area.
Compact private drives, minor road approaches, and other parts of the embankment
outside the roadbed as directed by the Engineer.
4. Compaction Control, Surcharge.
Compact the bottom 2 feet of a surcharge to the same density as the embankment
upon which the surcharge will be placed. Compact the remainder of the surcharge as
specified in Section 203.04 F.3.
5. Guardrail Embankment, Compaction Control
Provide embankment material compaction as specified in Section 203.04 E.3.
Perform topsoil work as specified in Section 203.04 B. Seed and mulch with Class II
and VI seed mixtures as specified in Sections 251 and 253. Maintain existing
drainage.
F. Slope Reconstruction.
Perform topsoil work for excavation and embankment areas as specified in Section
203.04 B. Provide embankment material as specified in Section 203.04 F.3. Seed and
mulch with Class II and VI seed mixtures as specified in Sections 251 and 253.
1. Approach Inslope Reconstruction.
Reconstruct approach slopes that are steeper than 6:1 to an 8:1 slope.
2. Ditch Block Slopes.
Flatten ditch block slopes that are steeper than 8:1 to a 10:1 slope.
G. Finishing.
Conduct operations so the distance does not exceed 3 miles between the point where
the old road surface is disturbed and to where the roadbed is finished to grade and
aggregate is placed.
Finish the backslopes and ditches as construction progresses.
203.05 METHOD OF MEASUREMENT.
The Engineer will measure as specified in Section 109.01 and as follows:
A. Excavation.
The Engineer will measure excavation in its original position.
Conduct operations to allow the Engineer to measure the rock, shale, and muck
excavation. If the Engineer was not allowed to measure the rock, shale, and muck
excavation, it will be measured as “Common Excavation”.
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The Engineer will measure excavation of rock, shale, and muck up to 12 inches below
grade as necessary to provide the designed thickness of backfill.
The measurements in rock excavation will include overbreakage from the backslopes to
an amount not to exceed 10 percent of the actual quantity.
The Engineer will deduct the quantity of wasted excavation from the volume measured in
the borrow area if more borrow is placed than is required.
The Engineer will measure coal as “Common Excavation”.
B. Borrow Excavation.
Borrow excavation will be measured by the Cubic Yard or Ton in its original location.
C. Water.
Water will be measured in Mgal unless specified as incidental to the project.
D. Topsoil.
The Engineer will not measure topsoil. Any changes to the topsoil removal areas shown
in the plans will be measured and the plan quantity adjusted accordingly.
E. Embankment.
The Engineer will measure embankment by taking original cross sections after the
topsoil is removed and will take final cross sections after placement of embankment but
before the topsoil is replaced.
F. Guardrail Embankment, Type C.
The Engineer will measure as a unit at each location, complete and in place.
G. Slope Reconstruction.
The Engineer will measure each side of approach inslopes and ditch block slopes as a
unit.
H. Additional Urban Project Requirements.
The Engineer will measure Common Excavation from the back of curb or outer edge of
sidewalk if the sidewalk is adjacent to the curb.
Dispose of excess excavation as specified in Section 107.10.
203.06 BASIS OF PAYMENT
Pay Item
Common Excavation-Type__
Common Excavation-Subcut
Common Excavation-Waste
Rock Excavation
Shale Excavation
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Pay Unit
Cubic Yard, Lump Sum
Cubic Yard
Cubic Yard, Ton
Cubic Yard
Cubic Yard
Pay Item
Muck Excavation
Borrow Excavation
Topsoil
Topsoil-Borrow Area
Remove & Salvage Topsoil
Roadway Obliteration
Embankment-Type__
Guardrail Embankment-Type__
Flatten Ditch Block Slopes
Approach Inslope Reconstruction
Water
Pay Unit
Cubic Yard
Cubic Yard, Ton
Cubic Yard
Cubic Yard
Mile, Acre, Cubic Yard, Square Yard
Linear Foot, (Cubic Yard –not included)
Cubic Yard, Each, Lump Sum
Each
Each
Each
M Gal
A. Excavation
Include disposal of excess excavation from the trenches of storm drains, water lines,
water mains, sanitary sewers, and related items in the price bid for the respective
pay item.
B. Topsoil
The Department will pay for topsoil at the plan quantity.
C. Borrow Excavation.
Include the costs for haul in the price bid for “Borrow Excavation”.
D. Department Optioned Borrow
Include the costs for obliterating, scarifying, reshaping, and reseeding of the
cartways in the price bid for “Borrow Excavation”.
E. Contractor Furnished Borrow
Include all costs for royalty payments, removal and replacement of topsoil, erosion
control, reshaping and scarifying, obliterating cartways, crop damage, haul, and
seeding in the price bid for “Borrow Excavation”.
F. Embankment
Include the costs for drying unstable subgrade in the price bid for “Common
Excavation” or “Borrow Excavation”.
Include the costs for benching and recompacting of embankment in the price bid for
other items.
Such payment is full compensation for furnishing all materials, equipment, labor, and incidentals
to complete the work as specified.
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