Minnesota Department of Transportation

511 Travel Info

Bridges and Structures

Design, construction and maintenance resources

Do It Right! Lessons from the field not to be repeated

Approach panels

Approach panels
  • Once the deck and approach panel have been poured, some provisions usually have to be made to direct rainwater until the stormwater system has been installed.
Approach panels
  • Hopefully, a Contractor only has to learn this lesson once.
  • The granular material, sill and approach panel all had to be replaced . . . and it cost a week to do it.
Approach panels
  • At first glace, an approach panel
    washout can look relatively minor, but upon further review...
Approach panels
  • Most often, a small-looking
    washout can extend many feet
    under the approach panel, and in
    some cases, the entire approach
    panel has to be replaced.
Approach panels
  • In some cases, you wonder how so much sand can be moved overnight!
Approach panels
  • Remember, one foot maximum per lift.
  • One reason our approach panels settle is because the select granular material is hogged in like this: one-foot lifts, compacted with a roller, with optimum moisture.
  • Here, plate tampers and a hose are used.
Approach panels
  • Don’t let the pavers sell you more bit than you want!
  • In this case, the deck needs to be texture-planed, yet the last 10 feet of the approach panel won’t get touched. Plus, we end up with a pour ride.