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

General

General

Don’t pick rebar like this!

It will damage the epoxy coating and is not safe.

  • Better to pick with a stiff spreader,
    with more tie points.
General
  • Looks like we’re going to get some
    extra special texture — for free!
  • Who knows why they put the chair in
    backwards...
General

A cleaner job site is a safer job site.

  • Tripping, slipping and snagging hazards abound on this project.
General
  • Look at the smoke coming from the world's first wood-fired deck grinder!
General

Now dirt ends up on the wing walls.

  • This is one negative possibility that
    might happen, now that the barriers have been put on the approach panels.
General
  • Don’t use ditches for storage areas. This doesn’t look good — and if an environmental reviewer saw this, we would likely be written up.
General

This scenario is not acceptable.

  • The driver of this truck could be ticketed and the company owner fined.
General
  • Use forms ties that are removable to a depth of at least 1 inch from the concrete face, without spalling or damaging the concrete.
General
  • Make sure that the form tie holes are filled before the footings are backfilled.
  • In this case, they weren’t and it led to project delays.
General
  • I’m not sure if we can hold the contractor to clean this kind of mess up . . . but we can certainly bring it to the attention of their safety officer.
General

Try to convince the contractor that a clean jobsite is a safer jobsite.

  • They’ve got garbage, equipment and materials all jumbled around — getting muddy and hard to find when needed.
  • Anyone who has to traverse this mess is subject to higher risk of trips and falls.
General
  • When removing a bridge with backhoe-mounted jackhammers, make sure the contractor has an adequate method for
    misting the concrete dust in the area.
  • This is to minimize dust blowing off the jobsite.
General
  • Convince the contractor to listen to the weather report — and to prepare for rain events.
  • Get all the rebar on substantial dunnage, and get everything out of the ditches!
General
  • A bridge doesn't always end at an abutment.
General
  • If the plans call for a surcharge, make sure things are performed in the correct order.
  • All excavations and removals taking place before building the surcharge should be completed as called for in the plans.
General
  • If you notice the contractor taking shortcuts that may damage property that isn’t intended to be removed, take a picture to document the action.
  • Try to convince the contractor to do this in such a way that it reduces the likelihood of unintended consequences.
General
  • Pile cut‐offs make great dunnage for holding rebar out of the mud!
General
  • At least this washed out approach panel / wingwall allowed us to see how the sill will bind on the wingwall, and how the conduit will fail due to lack of expansion/deflection fitting.
General
  • At least this washout allows us to see how they built this.
General

What's this?

  • One conduit feeding the light on the wingwall, and one feeding the lights on the barrier parapets.
General

Be prepared for rain!

  • After you’ve poured the deck and approach panel, and before the barriers have been poured and the drainage system is in, you’re especially vulnerable.
  • Rain falling on a large surface area can do some damage to unprotected infrastructure!