FDOT Utility Accommodation and Coordination 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: FDOT may reimburse a utility owner for relocation costs when the utility was installed:
- After the right-of-way was acquired but with a valid permit
- Under a franchise agreement with a municipality only
- With legal authority prior to highway construction, establishing prior rights (Correct answer)
- Within the last five years before project construction
Correct answer: With legal authority prior to highway construction, establishing prior rights
Reimbursement is tied to prior rights — if the utility owner had legal authority (easement, prescriptive right, etc.) to occupy the location before the state acquired the right-of-way, FDOT is responsible for relocation costs.
Question 2: Which type of utility crossing method is preferred by FDOT to minimize disruption to traffic and existing pavement?
- Open-cut trenching across lanes
- Horizontal directional drilling or bore-and-jack (Correct answer)
- Aerial crossing on breakaway poles
- Hand excavation with flaggers
Correct answer: Horizontal directional drilling or bore-and-jack
Horizontal directional drilling (HDD) and bore-and-jack methods install utilities beneath the roadway without cutting or disturbing the pavement surface, preserving road integrity and minimizing traffic disruption.
Question 3: A 'conflict matrix' in utility coordination is a tool used to:
- Calculate reimbursement amounts for utility relocations
- Identify and track locations where utilities conflict with proposed construction (Correct answer)
- Establish priority order for multiple utility work schedules
- Document utility permit application approval status
Correct answer: Identify and track locations where utilities conflict with proposed construction
A conflict matrix is a systematic tracking tool that identifies where underground or aerial utilities conflict with proposed construction elements, helping coordinators manage resolutions and relocation schedules.
Question 4: Under FDOT policy, a utility owner who does NOT have prior rights and must relocate its facilities for a highway project is generally responsible for:
- 50% of the relocation costs shared with FDOT
- All of the relocation costs (Correct answer)
- None of the relocation costs
- Only material costs, with FDOT covering labor
Correct answer: All of the relocation costs
Without prior rights, a utility owner is a permittee whose use of the right-of-way is conditioned on the needs of highway construction; therefore, the utility owner bears the full cost of relocation.
Question 5: What is the primary purpose of Subsurface Utility Engineering (SUE) during FDOT project development?
- To design new utility systems along the project corridor
- To reduce risks and costs associated with unknown underground utility locations (Correct answer)
- To establish legal ownership of buried utility facilities
- To calculate permit fees for subsurface utility installation
Correct answer: To reduce risks and costs associated with unknown underground utility locations
SUE is an engineering practice used during design to accurately locate and characterize existing underground utilities, reducing costly conflicts, delays, and safety risks during construction.
Question 6: According to FDOT's Utility Accommodation Manual, unprotected utility poles located within the roadside clear zone present what type of concern?
- Environmental contamination risk
- Roadside safety hazard to errant vehicles (Correct answer)
- Interference with FDOT survey control
- Violation of Federal Communications Commission regulations
Correct answer: Roadside safety hazard to errant vehicles
Rigid utility poles in the clear zone are fixed roadside objects that can be struck by errant vehicles, increasing the risk of serious injury or fatality; FDOT requires poles to be placed or guarded to minimize this hazard.
Question 7: A utility owner fails to complete relocation by the agreed date in the Utility Work Schedule, causing construction delays. What action may FDOT take?
- Immediately revoke the utility owner's franchise agreement statewide
- Withhold future permits from the utility owner indefinitely
- Arrange for relocation by the contractor and back-charge costs to the utility owner (Correct answer)
- File a criminal complaint with the state attorney general
Correct answer: Arrange for relocation by the contractor and back-charge costs to the utility owner
When a utility owner causes project delays by missing UWS milestones, FDOT may have the work performed by the prime contractor and seek recovery of those costs from the utility owner.
FDOT Utility Accommodation and Coordination 2
FDOT may reimburse a utility owner for relocation costs when the utility was installed: