This manual provides highway construction personnel with relevant, practical information in order to perform accurate inspections and provide relevant construction procedural information for the various roadway and structures items of work. It is the responsibility and duty of all Department personnel involved in highway construction to become familiar with the content and intent of this manual.
This manual includes background information for select items of work. This information is intended to assist construction personnel with understanding and solving various field problems and issues. The examples and graphics contained in this document are intended to provide guidance for a practical approach to inspection and construction processes and procedures. This manual is not intended to be a complete, all inclusive text detailing every aspect of highway construction, but rather an operational guidebook for highway construction and inspection techniques.
In order to take complete advantage of the information in the manual, project personnel should have a comprehensive understanding of the Construction and Materials Specifications, Supplemental Specifications, Standard Drawings, and other pertinent contract documents. Unless specifically incorporated by reference into the contract documents, this manual is not contractually binding on either contracting party. The information contained in the manual does not replace, supersede or otherwise modify any specification, plan or proposal provision, or other contract document or condition except as noted.
As the on-site representatives of the Department, ODOT Inspectors and Engineers are authorized to observe all work being performed to ensure compliance with the contract. As the required inspection activity occurs, the Department also has an obligation to inform the Contractor on a regular basis regarding the quality and compliance of the work performed. Conversely, the Contractor also shares in the responsibility to provide information regarding construction problems or issues to the Department for timely resolution consistent with joint issue mitigation responsibilities.
The primary goal of this manual is to present functional highway construction information in order to provide practical guidance to personnel involved in this effort. The Department is responsible for monitoring and documenting construction activity in the project diary to ensure the intent of the contract is reflected in the final product delivered to the Department. Secondly, timely and proper inspections are critical to ensuring an acceptable level of project quality. For these reasons, this entire manual has been developed to assist in ensuring that correct, accurate and thorough inspections of the work are performed consistently statewide.