Thew Associates staff recently assisted a national utility contractor tasked with installing over 110 miles of optical ground wire (OPGW) along an existing electric transmission line in New York State. The existing electric transmission line crossed State Highways 27 times along the 110 mile section where the OPGW installation was proposed.
The New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) requires the submittal of a PERM 75 application, among other NYSDOT applications, to obtain a permit to install fiber optic facilities and supporting infrastructure within the bounds of any State Highway over which NYSDOT has jurisdiction. The PERM 75 application is a relatively new process instituted by the NYSDOT in July 2020, and as such this project was among the first to navigate the permit application. This blog is intended to serve as a guide to better understand the surveying and mapping requirements within PERM 75.
The following components are required for the PERM 75 submittal package:
• Permit plans with aerial imagery, and plant design
• Underground permit plans certified by a professional engineer registered in New York State
• Work Zone Traffic Control (WZTC) plans
• Highway bounds mapping certified by a professional land surveyor licensed in New York State
• Completed and executed Perm 75 application
Our role as the surveying consultant was to prepare the base mapping, which served as the basis for the permit plans, underground permit plans, WZTC plans, and highway bounds.
The specific survey and mapping scope is as follows:
- Boundary
• Perform boundary retracement surveying to re-establish the bounds (both sides) of any NYSDOT controlled highway along the route, or at the crossing, of the proposed utility
• locate planimetric features (e.g. edge of asphalt, edge of shoulder, striping, signs, surficial evidence of above grade and subsurface utilities)
• Prepare plan view right-of-way and planimetric mapping. - ASCE Quality Level B (QL-B) subsurface utility investigation
• Identify, trace, mark (collectively defined as “designation”), and survey the subsurface utilities within the bounds of the state highways.
• Include the subsurface utility information on the plan view right-of-way mapping. - Work Zone Traffic Control Plan
• Prepare the work zone traffic control plans showing the location of the work zones, type of required barriers, signage, and flag persons.
Thew Associates utilized UAV LiDAR and aerial photogrammetry to capture planimetric information within bounds of Interstate highways and congested two lane highways to ensure a safe working environment and capture the required spatial information.
