La. Admin. Code tit. 70 § II-515

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 11, November 20, 2024

Section II-515 - Standards for the Installation of Utilities on Highways

A. General

1. All materials and workmanship shall conform to the requirements of the applicable federal, state, and industry code and the DOTD's specifications.

2. All safety precautions for the protection of the traveling public must be observed. Undue delay to traffic will not be tolerated.

3. All excavations within the limits of the right-of-way shall be backfilled and tamped in layers to the density of the adjacent undisturbed soil. Where sod is removed or destroyed, it shall be replaced. Where it is necessary to make excavations in the shoulder, the top 6 inches of backfill shall be with like shoulder material. Existing soil materials declared unsuitable for backfill by the DOTD shall be disposed of by approved methods and replaced with select material as needed.

4. All above ground installations such as hydrants, pedestals, pipeline vents, markers, etc., must be installed at or beyond the highway right-of-way line. This does not include pole lines and other facilities specifically covered by other standards and regulations in the permit form or agreement.

5. Any nonmetallic or nonconductive (electric current) underground facility must be installed with a noncorrosive metallic wire or tape placed directly over and on the center of the facility for its entire length within highway right-of-way. This applies to both parallel installations and crossings. Wire or tape must be connected to all fixtures and appurtenances. Qualified Products List No. 21 from the Materials Labor gives the names of acceptable materials which can be used for this purpose.

6. When conditions warrant, a guarantee deposit to ensure the satisfactory completion of the work may be required by the DOTD. The amount of the guarantee deposit shall be determined by the DOTD on a case-by-case basis. The guarantee deposit will be refunded promptly upon receipt of notice from the district utility and permit specialist that the work has been satisfactorily completed.

7. A fee may be charged for a permit required for particular work. The amount of the fee shall be as specified by the DOTD and listed on fee schedules found herein.

B. Pipeline Standards. All applicable general considerations, specific policies and conditions, and general standards shall apply.

1. Location and Alignment

a. New crossings should be located as near normal (90°) to the highway alignment as practical.

b. On parallel installations, underground utilities shall be placed as close to the right-of-way line as possible, and should be a suitable distance beyond the slope, ditch, or curb line to ensure that the structural quality of the roadway is not impaired.

c. Vertical and horizontal clearances between a pipeline and a structure or other highway or utility facility should be sufficient to permit maintenance of the pipeline or other facilities. A minimum horizontal clearance of 10 feet from the edge of a bridge or culvert footing to a pipeline is desired. For an underground utility crossing, the bed of a stream or river, a minimum clearance of 25 feet to any footing is desired.

2. Bury. The critical controls for bury on a pipeline crossing are the low points in the highway cross-section. Usually these are the bottoms of the longitudinal ditches or drain lines. In establishing the depth of bury below an unpaved ditch, consideration should be given to potential increases in ditch depth resulting from scour, ditch maintenance operations, or the need to increase the capacity of the ditch. On parallel installations, the critical controls for bury are the depths of lateral drainage facilities, landscaping, buried utility lines, bridge bury of pipe lines.

a. The minimum bury for parallel installations shall be 24 inches.

b. The minimum bury under pavement or surfacing shall be 4 feet for cased crossings and 5 feet for uncased crossings.

c. The minimum bury under ditches and drainage structures shall be 24 inches for cased facilities and 36 inches for uncased facilities.

d. Protection, in the form of a concrete slab or other acceptable method, must be provided invulnerable locations, such as below ditches, if the minimum bury cannot be practically obtained.

3. Cased Crossings

a. When used, casing shall be designed to support the load of the highway and superimposed loads there on, and, as a minimum:

i. the casing shall be sealed at each end with suitable flexible casing seals;

ii. the cased installation shall include the necessary events and markers at the right-of-way line. Markers must be installed over the pipe which clearly define its location, product carried, operator and telephone number;

iii. casing should extend from right-of-way to right-of-way.

4. Uncased Crossings

a. Uncased crossings of welded steel pipelines may be permitted provided additional protective measures are taken in lieu of encasement, including the extra depth and concrete pad, when applicable, described previously in this Section.

b. The Louisiana DOTD will require that the wall thickness for natural gas and other hazardous material pipelines be at least two increments greater than that required by Federal DOT Title 49. (As per EDSM IV.2.1.9)

c. Existing uncased pipelines under proposed highway construction may be allowed to remain in place if they are in compliance with Federal DOT regulations for uncased crossings, and are not in conflict with highway construction or maintenance; provided both highway and utility officials are satisfied that the lines are, and will remain, structurally and operationally safe. These will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

d. Cutting the surface or tunneling under hard-surfaced roads is specifically prohibited. Open trench installations are restricted to unsurfaced highways with low traffic volumes, except where unusual circumstances justify approval by the DOTD to open cut hardsurfaced highways.

5. Appurtenances. Vents, drains, markers, manholes, and shut-offs are appurtenances to pipeline installations. Controls for such appurtenances follow.

a. Vent standpipes shall be located and constructed so as not to interfere with maintenance of the highway nor to be concealed by vegetation.

b. Drains shall not be used as a waste-way for purging the carrier unless specifically authorized.

c. Markers. The utility will place readily identifiable and suitable markers along or within 1 foot of the outer limits of the right-of-way line indicating the location of the underground utility crossing and/or showing an accurate offset to a parallel utility installation within such highway right-of-way. Such markers shall be placed at agreed-upon spacing, depending upon the type of installation and its hazard to the highway user, the highway structure, the highway right-of-way or maintenance personnel maintaining the highway right-of-way, or the facility itself. Such spacing shall be agreed upon between the utility company and the engineer. Where curb and gutter type of highways are involved, suitable markers may be in the form of a metal plate or disc affixed to the curb. Vent pipes may serve as a marker for crossings.

d. Manholes shall be designed and located in such a manner that will cause the least interference to other utilities and future highway expansion. The utility is responsible for adjusting manhole or valve box covers in conjunction with resurfacing operation by the state, when allowed to remain inside paved areas, and shall utilize such manholes for maintaining its facilities only during low traffic volume periods. Manholes shall normally be placed only in unpaved areas; however, when allowed to remain inside paved areas, all manholes shall be placed in the outside or slow lane of traffic of a multilane facility.

e. Shut-off valves shall be installed in lines at or near ends of structures and near unusual hazards, unless hazardous segments can be isolated by other readily available sectionalizing devices within a reasonable distance. Automatic shut-off valves are preferred unless it can be shown by the utility that such installations could be hazardous and have adverse affects on the utility's system.

6. Restriction against Varied Use. Subject to safety regulations adopted by the state of Louisiana or the federal government, the following precautionary measures are to apply to pipeline installations.

a. Pipeline installation or relocation permits should specify all information required for completing the pipe data sheet; including the class and average temperature of transmittant, the maximum working, test, or design pressures, and the design standards for the carrier.

b. When it is anticipated that there will be a change in the class of transmittant, or an increase in the maximum design pressure specified in the permit, the utility is required to give the highway agency advance notice and obtain approval for such changes. The notice should specify the applicable codes to be used.

7. Installation

a. Trenched Construction and Backfill

i. All trenched construction must be approved by the engineer. Trenches shall be cut to have vertical faces, where soil and depth conditions permit, with a maximum width of outside diameter of pipe plus 2 feet. They shall be shored where necessary.

ii. Backfill placed under the roadway prism shall equal or exceed the quality of the existing material and be compacted to a density equal to or in excess of the density of the existing undisturbed roadway embankment.

iii. Backfill inside the highway right-of-way, but not under the roadway prism shall be compacted to a density at least equal to the density of the surrounding undisturbed soil. This shall be accomplished by the use of tools, methods and materials approved by the engineer.

iv. The required compaction of the backfill throughout the utility's installation within the limits of highway right-of-way shall be satisfactory to the engineer who may make or cause to be made such density tests that he may consider appropriate for the circumstance.

v. In some instances, the DOTD may require that backfill and/or paving be performed by its own forces or under its direction at the expense of the utility when considered necessary by the engineer for the protection of the traveling public and/or the highway itself.

vi. The pavement structure shall be restored in appropriate layers utilizing materials at least equal in quality and layer depths to the original construction. There will be additional removal of base and surfacing to minimize later development of sag in the grade of pavement over the ditch.

vii. Blasting. Any blasting within the highway right-of-way will require written approval of the chief engineer. No blasting will be allowed near highway structure footings.

viii. Unimproved or Low Grade Roads. When a utility facility is installed across or under the roadway prism, the backfill and riding surface shall be restored as specified by the DOTD.

b. Untrenched Construction and Grouting

i. Subsurface installations under hard-surfaced highways are to be made by jacking or boring under the highway in accordance with standard practice. Jacking and boring operations shall be in accordance with the Louisiana Standard Specifications for Roads and Bridges (Section 728) and additional requirements given in this Chapter. In conflicts between the Louisiana Standard Specifications for Roads and Bridges and this Chapter, this Chapter shall govern.

ii. Wet-boring shall be confined to the drilling mud bore method. The casing may be installed by drilling a hole with an open type bit that leaves the cuttings in place. A gel-forming colloidal drilling fluid consisting of approximately 2.5 percent (by weight) high grade carefully processed bentonite may be used to consolidate cuttings of the cutting bit, seal the walls of the hole, and furnish lubrication for subsequent removal of cuttings and installation of the casing immediately there after. Field adjustment of the percentage of bentonite may be required to accommodate varying soil conditions. In this method, when drilling through dense formation, cuttings may be partially removed from the hole in 3-inch plugs by use of compressed air as drilling progresses. However, in low density soils of a sandy or silty nature, a plug shall be installed in the mouth of the bore (hole) to prevent the movement of any cuttings from the hole until immediately before installation of the casing. No bit larger than 3 inches in diameter shall have holes therein larger than 5/16 inch in diameter through which drilling fluid is forced during boring. The casing will be installed immediately after the casing hole is completed. In no case will water be used to flush cuttings from the drill hole. The cuttings shall remain in the bore hole except as previously provided for as drilling progresses so as to consolidate them to support the bore wall. The filter cake which is formed by cuttings and drilling fluid prevents cave-in or sluffing of the drill hole.

iii. Untrenched construction under all surfaced, noncontrolled-access highways shall be at least from ditch line to ditch line.

iv. The utility will restrict the oversize of the boring excavation to a minimum. Grout backfill shall be required for overbreaks and voids, unused holes, abandoned pipelines and/or casings 6 inches or larger in diameter, overcutting in excess of 1 inch shall be remedied by pressure grouting the entire length of the installation.

c. Utility Bridges. If and when such installations can be justified and are approved by the engineer, they shall conform to the bridge standards of the DOTD. Since the need for such installations is very rare, each such request will be handled on an individual basis as a special case.

8. Removal and Abandonment of Utility Facilities. All facilities installed within state highway right-of-way shall be removed and disposed of by their owner as soon as they stop serving a useful purpose. Facilities may be abandoned under the following circumstances.

a. Pipelines and casings crossing highways or other hard surfaces may be abandoned in place, with the recommendation of the district utility and permit specialist and the project engineer, and with the approval of the headquarters utility and permit engineer.

b. Pipe lines and casings installed along highways, may be abandoned in place, with the recommendation of the district utility and permit specialist and the project engineer, and with the approval of the headquarters utility and permit engineer, provided that they are less than 6 inches in diameter, or that they are buried with more than 8 feet of cover.

c. Electrical and communication facilities installed within a casing, and crossing under highways or other hard surfaces may be abandoned in place with the recommendation of the district utility and permit specialist and the project engineer, and with the approval of the headquarters utility and permit engineer, provided that the cable is removed from the casing.

d. Uncased cables crossing under highways or other hard surfaces may be abandoned in place provided that they are removed to a point as near to the edge of the highway as feasible.

e. Electrical and communication cables installed along highways may be abandoned in place, with the recommendation of the district utility and permit specialist and the project engineer, and with the approval of the headquarters utility and permit engineer, provided that they are less than 4 inches in diameter, or that they are buried with more than 8 feet of cover.

f. All above ground facilities installed along state highways shall be removed and disposed of by their owner as soon as they stop serving a useful purpose.

g. Facilities that are located so that their removal would be likely to result in damage to the highway, or to other facilities, may be abandoned in place, with the recommendation of the district utility and permit specialist and the project engineer, and with the approval of the headquarters utility and permit engineer. The procedure for abandoning these facilities will be specified on a case-by-case basis; however, in general, sections shall be removed where possible, and all remaining lines shall be filled with grout.

9. Where it is not possible nor feasible to remove pipelines and/or casings under existing highways, such pipelines and/or casings may be abandoned in place provided removals shall be accomplished by the owner, as near to the highway on each side as possible and in all cases, beyond existing ditches to right-of-way lines, and further provided that all pipelines and/or casings abandoned under the highway shall be abandoned in accordance with D.O.T. Title 49 (i.e., pipelines are purged, capped, and filled with grout; note that when highway construction will remove the line in the near future, the DOTD's project engineer may approve the use of water in place of grout).

10. Pipelines and cables shall be removed from abandoned casings where possible.

11. In all cases the highway right-of-way shall be repaired, at the permittee's expense, to match DOTD standards. An approved backfill material shall be used to fill in any trenches or low areas, and shall be compacted to the same density as the surrounding soil. Any desirable trees or shrubs that are damaged shall be replaced, and any other damages (i.e., to subsurface drainage, traffic signs, etc.) shall be repaired.

12. Companies who fail to comply with this by leaving their facilities within highway right-of-way after they are no longer used, or by not repairing the right-of-way after removing their facilities, shall not receive any permits until the situation is rectified.

13. In cases where the DOTD decides that it is necessary to remove a facility and/or to repair highway right-of-way damaged by a utility or the utility's facility, the company shall be invoiced for costs to the DOTD for removing abandoned facilities, or for repairing damaged right-of-way. Unpaid invoices shall be referred to DOTD's accounting section for further action.

14. Note that a recommendation for abandonment by the project engineer is required only on construction projects. The district construction engineer should be consulted by the district utility and permit specialist when an abandonment may cause a potential problem with future construction. The district maintenance engineer should be consulted by the district utility and permit specialist when an abandonment may cause a potential maintenance problem.

15. The owner of the abandoned facilities shall maintain full responsibility for any future problems caused by the facilities, and shall remove the facilities upon receiving a written request from the DOTD. The cost of removing these facilities shall be borne by the owner, and the DOTD shall assume no liability for this cost.

C. Overhead Power and Communication Lines Standards

1. Type of Construction

a. Any parallel installations of overhead lines on the highway right-of-way shall be limited to single pole type of construction.

b. Joint use single pole construction is encouraged.

c. Only one parallel pole line will be allowed within highway right-of-way on each side of the roadway.

2. Vertical Clearance

a. The minimum vertical clearance for overhead power and communication lines above the highway and the lateral and vertical clearances from bridges shall conform with the National Electrical Safety Code. However, in no instance should an aerial crossing have less vertical clearance over the roadway surface than 20 feet. A minimum vertical clearance of 16 feet shall be maintained between existing ground elevation and any aerial installation when such installation is within highway right-of-way, but does not cross the traveled surface of a highway.

3. Location

a. All pole lines shall occupy the last few feet of the right-of-way behind the ditch and shall be no further from the right-of-way line than one-half of the width of the cross arms plus 1 foot, except in cases of absolute necessity where a permit or agreement is issued for another location.

b. In keeping with the nature and extent of roadside development along conventional highways in urban places, such facilities shall be located at or as near as practical to the right-of-way line. Where there are curbed sections, the utilities shall be located as far as practical behind the outer curb face, and where feasible, behind the sidewalks.

c. Location of overhead utility installations on highways with narrow right-of-way or on urban streets with closely abutting improvements are special cases which must be resolved in a manner consistent with the prevailing limitations and conditions. Before locating the utility at other than the right-of-way line, consideration will be given to designs employing self-supporting, armless single pole construction, with vertical alignment of wires or cables, or other techniques permitted by governmental or industry code that are conducive to a safe traffic environment. Exceptions to these clearances may be made where poles and guys can be placed at locations behind guard rails, beyond deep drainage ditches, or the toe or top of steep slopes, retaining walls, or other similar protected location.

d. Guy wires to ground anchors and stub poles will not be placed between a pole and the traveled way where they encroach upon the clear roadside area. Guy wires to ground anchors located within the highway right-of-way or guy wires overhanging the right-of-way shall be protected with a shield to prevent their being cut during roadside grass cutting operation or prevent personal injury to maintenance personnel running into such guys. Guy wires to ground anchors outside the highway right-of-way shall be avoided wherever it is feasible to do so, except where the pole for which support is provided is located reasonably close to the right-of-way.

e. Where irregular shaped portions of the right-of-way extend beyond the normal right-of-way limits, variances in the location from the right-of-way line will be allowed as necessary to maintain a reasonably uniform alignment for parallel overhead and underground installations so long as they do not adversely affect the maintenance operations of the right-of-way.

f. Parallel installations of poles, guys, or other related facilities will not be located in a highway median. On crossings of a highway, any such facility will not be located in a highway median except in unusual circumstances and approved by the DOTD. Poles and other appurtenances for highway lighting may be located in the median if other alternatives are determined to be impractical and where suitable protection is provided to the highway user. Traffic impact attenuators will normally be required in these situations.

g. Location of above-ground utility installations where sufficient right-of-way is available shall be as follows.

i. Where the highway is constructed with shoulders, above-ground utility appurtenances shall be at least 30 feet from the edge of the traveled way when the design speed is 50 miles per hour or more; or at least 20 feet from the edge of the traveled way when the design speed is below 50 miles per hour.

ii. Where curb and gutter sections are involved without a parking lane, above-ground utility appurtenances shall be a minimum of 6 feet back of the face of the curb.

iii. Where curb and gutter sections are involved and a parking lane is adjacent to the curb, above-ground utility appurtenances may be located a minimum of 2 feet back of the face of the curb.

h. Requirements for street lighting facilities on state highways are as follows.

i. Construction shall conform to all applicable codes, standards, and specifications.

ii. Illumination. Roadway should be lighted in continuous lengths without intervening unlit areas. Average initial level of illumination shall not be less than 0.8 FC on the roadway. The ratio of average initial illumination to minimum initial illumination at any point on the roadway shall not be greater than 4:1. Luminaire mounting heights shall be 30 feet minimum, preferably higher.

iii. Light Poles and Foundations. Light poles shall be manufactured from steel, aluminum, fiberglass or other corrosion resistant materials. Wood poles are not acceptable; however, lights may be installed on existing wood utility poles provided the system conforms to all illumination requirements of these standards. Poles and foundations shall be designed to withstand wind velocities for the area where the poles are installed. The design wind velocities shall be for the 25-year mean recurrence interval. Pole foundations shall be flush with the existing ground. On slopes, the longitudinal centerline shall be flush with the existing ground. A 6-foot diameter by 4-inch thick concrete mowing apron shall be placed around each light pole. The apron shall be constructed flush with the ground line. Light poles located within 40 feet of the roadway shall conform to AASHTO criteria for breakaway supports or shall be located such that they are protected from vehicular collision. The above may be excepted by the DOTD where a greater hazard would be created by falling poles.

iv. Light Pole Locations. Light poles shall not be located between the traveled roadway and guard rails or barriers. Light poles shall not be located within 15 feet from the edge of the traveled lane except when the posted speed limit is below 40 mph, poles may be located 10 feet minimum from the traveled road, where poles are located behind barrier curbing, they may be installed 6 feet minimum behind the curb, when poles are located on urban routes that routinely have on street parking, they may be placed 2 feet minimum behind the curb, and where the right-of-way is insufficient to allow compliance, minimum clearances may be reduced to that of the right-of-way.

v. Wiring. The electrical system shall conform to the National Electrical Safety Code. An equipment grounding conductor shall be installed with each new circuit and shall be connected to each new light pole and fixture. Where lights are connected phase to phase, the branch circuit overcurrent device shall disconnect both phases upon a single line to ground fault. All new light poles shall be served by underground wiring conforming to the following conditions: nonmetallic conduit, duct and direct buried cables shall be buried 3 feet minimum (preferably 4 feet) below the ground; rigid steel conduit shall be buried 3 feet when possible, and 2 feet minimum; electrical marker tape shall be installed above all new underground electrical facilities. The tape shall be installed 8-12 inches below the ground. The buried depths may be reduced 1 foot from that given provided the cable and/or raceway is encased in 3 inches minimum of red concrete. Under roadway, crossings shall be installed through jacked crossings located 4 feet minimum below the roadway. Excavation shall not take place closer than 4 feet from edge of shoulder and water shall not be used in the jacking process. The ends of the under roadway ducts or casings shall be marked with surface markers.

vi. Plans and Drawings. Permit request shall include fully dimensional and detailed plans and design calculations. After construction is completed, detailed drawings showing the exact locations of all newly installed underground cables shall be provided to the DOTD.

vii. Aerial power or communication lines shall not cross under bridges, and should not cross over bridges where it is possible to avoid such installations. This is necessary to allow the state sufficient room for equipment to maintain a bridge. Lateral clearance from a bridge shall be sufficient to allow construction and/or maintenance of the bridge structure itself or 25 feet minimum.

D. Underground Electric Power and Communication Lines Standards

1. Underground utility construction shall conform to all applicable codes, standards and specifications.

2. The minimum depths of bury are as follows.

a. Underground electric power lines shall have a minimum cover under ditches or within the limits of the right-of-way of 48 inches. Minimum cover under pavement shall be 48 inches. Installations within the highway prism shall be encased.

b. Underground communication lines shall have a minimum cover under ditches and within the right-of-way limits of 24 inches on all highways. Minimum cover under pavement shall be 48 inches. Such facilities may be encased within the limits of the highway structure provided the utility agrees not to open cut roadway or breach controls of access to maintain such facilities, except under extreme emergencies with DOTD's approval, and under controlled conditions.

c. Pedestals or other above-ground utility appurtenances installed as part of buried cable plant shall be located at or within 1 foot of the right-of-way line, outside controls of access or the highway maintenance operating area.

d. All proposed locations and utility designs will be reviewed by the DOTD to insure that the proposed construction will not cause avoidable interference with the existing or planned highway facilities or with highway operation or maintenance.

e. On both cased and uncased installations, particularly on crossings of the highway, consideration will be given for placing spare conduit or duct to accommodate known or planned expansion of underground lines.

f. The general controls previously outlined for pipelines as related to markers, installation, trenched or untrenched construction, and adjustment will be followed, as applicable, on underground installation of electric power and communication lines. Accurate markings of underground electric power lines are required.

g. Subject to the approval of the DOTD, a utility may be allowed to plow in a utility facility provided it is able to maintain reasonable controls to insure that the horizontal installation can be made within 1 foot of the approved location and that the stipulated minimum cover can be obtained and maintained in this type of installation. It is the utility company's responsibility to provide the state with a recommended procedure of restoring the highway right-of-way to its original state or an acceptable condition. Such procedure should include some method of compaction which will assure the state that a satisfactory condition is attained in the vicinity of the disturbed soil. Such installation will only be allowed between the roadway prism and the right-of-way limits. No plowing operations will be allowed within the roadway prism area.

3. Location and Alignment

a. On parallel installations, locations parallel to the pavement at or adjacent to the right-of-way line are preferable so as to minimize interference with highway drainage, the structural integrity of the traveled way, shoulders and embankment, and the safe operation of the highway. As a minimum, where practical, their lateral location will be offset a suitable distance beyond the slope, ditch or curb line, as the DOTD may stipulate.

b. Crossings will be located as near normal (90°) to the highway alignment as practical.

c. Conditions which are generally unsuitable or undesirable for underground crossings shall be avoided. These include such locations as:

i. in deep cuts;

ii. near the top of steep hills;

iii. near footings of bridges and retaining walls;

iv. across intersection at grade or ramp terminals;

v. at crossdrains where flow of water drift or streambed load maybe obstructed;

vi. within basins of an underpass drained by a pump; and

vii. in wet or rocky terrain where it will be difficult to maintain minimum bury.

4. Cased and Uncased Construction

a. Where it is acceptable to both the utility and the DOTD, underground communication line cables crossing the highway may be installed without protective conduit or duct provided the utility agrees not to open cut road or breach controls of access to maintain said facility except in extreme emergency with DOTD's approval and under controlled conditions. Normally, such installation will be limited to open trench construction or to small bores for wire or cable facilities, where soil conditions permit installation by boring a hole about the same diameter as the cable and pulling the cable through. Underground electric power lines shall not be allowed to cross the highway without casing.

b. Where crossings of underground lines are encased, the DOTD's standards applicable to the encasement of pipelines shall apply.

c. Consideration shall be given to the encasement or other suitable protection for any wire or cable facilities:

i. with less than minimum bury;

ii. near the footings of bridges or other highway structures; or

iii. near other locations where they may be a hazard.

d. The utility is required to furnish reasonable information as to the control and construction methods to be employed, before the proposed installations are considered by the DOTD for crossing of the highway. This is to insure the necessary protection of the utility facility and the integrity and operation of the highway facility.

e. Where less than minimum cover is allowed across ditch sections, a floating slab of concrete is recommended for protection of the facility and highway maintenance operation.

5. Abandonment and Removal of Electrical and Communication Lines. Where applicable, the removal and abandonment rules stated herein for pipelines shall also govern electrical and communication lines, and any other utility facilities.

La. Admin. Code tit. 70, § II-515

Promulgated by the Department of Transportation and Development, Utility and Permit Section, LR 20:317 (March 1994).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 48:381-382, 48:193.