200-1 DESCRIPTION
Clearing and Grubbing is the cutting and disposal of all vegetation within limits established by the Engineer in accordance with the method required by the Special Provisions and
Standard Drawings.
Material high in organic matter such as root mat and other vegetative matter shall be removed as a part of Clearing and Grubbing. This does not include grass and minor cover crops, which is part of unclassified excavation. Removing grass and annual growth in preparation for embankments which are less than
6' in height is not considered undercut, but is incidental to the work of embankment formation per
Article 235-3.The following items are considered part of clearing and grubbing operations:
- The removal of foundations, debris, etc. that are left as a result of the work required by
Section 210 and
215 of the Standard Specifications.
- Filling of depressions or removal of humps in the natural ground surface in areas where mowing will later be required or to eliminate water pockets.
- Preserving and storing any stream restoration features (root wads).
Compensation for the clearing and grubbing of borrow and material sources will
only be made when these sources are furnished by the Department.
The control of soil erosion is an essential consideration in the performance of the work of clearing and grubbing. The Specifications require the contractor to “perform all work under this section in a manner that will cause a minimum of soil erosion and will meet the requirements of
Article 107-13".
Article 200-3 of the Specifications also provides a limitation of
17 acres of exposed erodible surface area. The Engineer is given the authority to modify this limitation based upon consideration of conditions existing on the project. The Engineer should consider the following:
- Has siltation been effectively controlled on previously grubbed areas?
- Is the terrain, in the area under consideration, highly or moderately erodible?
- Has the Contractor shown interest in the control of erosion and been cooperative in the installation of erosion control measures when instructed to do so?
- Is the increase in area for the convenience of the Contractor or for the convenience of the Department? If for the Contractor’s convenience, the Contractor should be willing to perform temporary seeding and mulching, at his own expense. If for the convenience of the Department, is the availability of the area in question critical and is any increase in the cost of the required erosion control measures accordingly justifiable? An example of clearing and grubbing for the convenience of the Contractor would be to avoid move-ins of the clearing and grubbing personnel and equipment.
- Does the area have high-quality water?
- Can the Contractor meet the
21 day seeding requirement if additional area is grubbed?
- Does the contract prohibit increasing the
17 acre limitation?
The Engineer should consult with the Division Engineer, the Area Construction Engineer, and the
Roadside Environmental Field Operations Engineer for opinions and advice prior to exceeding the
17-acre limitation given in the Specifications. All considerations in making the decision to exceed these limitations must be recorded in the project diary.
Personnel assigned to this work should be informed and instructed as to the seriousness of erosion and sediment control. It is also essential that inspection personnel anticipate conditions, during the clearing and grubbing phase, that will result in soil erosion.
Sanctions may be invoked should the Contractor fail to perform erosion control work as required. This is a very serious matter, and the Engineer shall always consult with his Division Engineer and Area Construction Engineer prior to invoking these sanctions.
When roads are constructed for the clearing operation, erosion control measures should be installed concurrently.
Consult the permits for artifacts of archeological or historical significance prior to commencing clearing operations.
200-4 CLEARING
Under the provisions of this section, it is necessary that the clearing limits are marked in accordance with the
Manual for Construction Layout and the
Standard Drawings. In order to do this, both survey party personnel and inspection personnel must be familiar with both Specifications and plan requirements. Prior to staking clearing limits, the plans, including the utility construction, sign and signal plans and permit drawings should be compared to ensure that environmentally sensitive areas are delineated. The permit drawings should govern over the plans for staking purposes. Stakeout should, insofar as possible, include the full width that is to be cleared, including all utility, sign and signal construction in order to eliminate the necessity for recalling the Contractor to enlarge an area on which clearing has been completed and which will result in additional costs.
The Contractor should be advised at the preconstruction conference of the method that will be used to mark clearing limits and this should be documented in the minutes. This is necessary to avoid dispute over what constitutes “initially staked”, Supplemental Clearing and Grubbing, as outlined in the Specifications.
If not required for construction purposes or detailed otherwise in a special provision, clearing of quadrants is considered extra work even though the area may be initially staked. The unit price for “Supplemental Clearing” is usually not appropriate payment (too expensive) for clearing quadrants unless the clearing contractor has to remobilize in order to complete the work. In Divisions where quadrant clearing is routine, this work should be added to the plans and special provisions at the field plan inspections.
The vertical clearing limit is left to the discretion of the Engineer. Vertical shearing of overhanging trees should not be required unless necessary for construction or for the safety of the traveling public. Clearing vegetation in front of signs where necessary to achieve proper sight distance to the sign is considered Supplemental Clearing and Grubbing if such signs are beyond the original project limits. The Engineer should identify the need for these clearing limits.
The Engineer should discuss the preservation of select growth within normal clearing limits, such as shrubs and trees, with the
Roadside Environmental Engineer prior to project stakeout.
It is the intent of this provision of the Specifications that if embankment
height under the roadbed (subgrade) is less than
6 feet,
then the area from toe of fill to toe of fill shall be grubbed. In any embankment areas that the Engineer deems it unwarranted to grub, in accordance with these guidelines, trees must be cut no higher than
6 inches from natural ground.
At bridge sites, clear the entire right of way for the length of the structure plus
3’ on each end. Ensure the permit allows this clearing.
200-5 GRUBBING
This article lists circumstances under which grubbing is not required, and it provides for the smoothing of irregular terrain between construction limits and the limits of clearing and grubbing.
Normally, it is best not to grub any portion of the project that the Contractor will not be actively grading upon (reference
Article 200-1 of the Standard Specifications) since grubbing exposes an erodible surface that requires effective siltation control.
In Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ESA), grubbing should be performed no more than
7 days prior to grading operations or as dictated within the permit requirements. When positive drainage is required through an ESA prior to beginning roadway construction, the positive drainage should be established and the area stabilized immediately. When these environmentally sensitive areas are cleared, payment will be provided as Supplemental Clearing and Grubbing due to the increase in mobilizations.
200-6 DISPOSITION OF TIMBER, STUMPS, AND DEBRIS
All timber removed from the project limits will become the property of the Contractor unless otherwise specified by the Project Special Provisions. In addition to verifying the intended disposition of timber in the provisions, the Engineer should also review the right of way agreements to determine if any special handling of timber has been made a part of any agreement. The Engineer should also review the permit conditions to determine if there are requirements to maintain specified trees or plantings. Occasionally, unauthorized removal of timber from the right of way between the date of advertisement and the date of availability has occurred. The Contractor may have based his bidding on selling the timber. Timber should not be removed from within the project limits unless the cutting has been authorized or provided for in the provisions.
Vegetative material including brush, roots, stumps, tree laps, and timber (where the property owner has not been given a right to the timber) shall be disposed of by the Contractor. The Contractor may have the option of either disposing of this material by burning or placing the material in an approved disposal area. Many projects and counties do not allow burning. The Engineer should be familiar with the relevant special provisions and county ordinances. If burning is allowed, the contractor shall be required to secure a permit from the town or local forest ranger. More information is available at
https://deq.nc.gov/about/divisions/air-quality/air-quality-compliance/open-burning.
The Contractor is required to develop and implement a waste area use and reclamation plan for projects involving the disposal of waste, timber, stumps, and debris. Refer to the
earthwork section of this manual for details and procedures.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
