Street Cuts

Plumbing and Excavation Permitting

 PDF Brochure Street Cuts Brochure (PDF, 3MB)

A street cut is any cut, break, tear or excavation in a street surface or the removal of any part of a street surface. Below are City of Lincoln guidelines and requirements to assist with plumbing and excavation permitting when conducting street cuts. These guidelines help ensure preservation of City infrastructure and a safe public right-of-way.

Summary of Requirements

Download Brochure with Checklist (PDF, 3MB)

*Please be ready to provide project location, timeline, contact information, traffic control subcontractor, and permit number(s) related to the project.

Traffic Control

Proper implementation of traffic control helps maintain a safe public right-of-way. Traffic control is required in order to occupy or expose excavations in the right-of-way.

All protective barriers must be maintained by the contractor until all work is completed or the hazard is eliminated.

Contractors must be on site at least one hour prior to lane closure setup, unless given prior approval by Lincoln Transportation and Utilities (LTU) Right-of-Way Services.

  • Contractor must inspect work zone devices
  • Initial closure setup is not allowed during peak hours of 7 – 8 a.m. and 3:30 – 6 p.m.
  • Sidewalks on both sides of a street cannot be closed or restricted at the same time

For a full list of requirements, see the Lincoln Traffic Control Guidelines

Removal and Restoration

Removal and restoration guidelines help protect and preserve the surface to prevent early replacement, which can result in significant time and money savings. Guidelines include:

  • Existing brick in a street or alleyway must be removed uncut and installed in whole
  • The surface must be restored using the same the color, texture and pattern that previously existed.
  • Concrete pavement reinforcement must use 18” tie bars drilled into longitudinal joints and smooth bars into transverse joints along the same horizontal plane (see Reinforcement Detail graphic below)

City Standards

Documentation

Documentation of testing procedures and materials used must be provided by the contractor upon request during the two years following construction. This includes:

  • Supplier receipts
    • Concrete
    • Asphalt
    • Reinforcement
  • Backfill per City standards
  • Photos taken before, during and after the project

Backfill

Backfill must consist of suitable material and be compacted to City specification standards.

  • Unsuitable excavated material must be removed from the site that same day
  • Backfill material must be covered and protected
  • Approved compaction methods are vibratory plates, mechanical rollers, and/or hand air compactors

City of Lincoln Standards

Street Cut Detail

Street cut detail drawing: replacement must extend beyond the trench 1 foot in all directions; saw cut the roadway before removing pavement; backfill placed in loose lifts up to 12 inches(PNG, 94KB)

Reminders

  • Mechanical hand-operated tampers and rammers should be used within 3 feet of all utilities/structures during backfill.
  • All arterial roadways require high early concrete mix.

Reinforcement Detail

Reinforcement detail drawing: removal must be to existing joints or must be neat and square to the existing joints(PNG, 48KB)

Contacts

You may consult with LTU inspectors regarding preconstruction review, construction questions and inspections.

Lincoln Transportation and Utilities:
402-441-7711
Inspectors:
North of “A” Street – Greg Topil: 402-416-5150
South of “A” Street – Greg Stohs: 402-416-5147
Right-Of-Way Superintendent:
Shane Dostal 402-525-7852

Verbal/non-written discussion shall not relieve the permittee of any legal obligations under City ordinance/policy. Permittee must provide the City with an accepted plan for correction of failures within 24 hours of notice.

Related Lincoln Municipal Code (LMC) Chapters:
Bonds/Insurance - Chapter 14.29
Contractor Expectations - Chapter 14.70
Site Conditions - Chapter 14.92
Violations/Penalties - Chapter 14.110
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