Signing and delineation design activities begin during the planning phase and continue through design and construction phases. Therefore, it is important to assess the project needs early in the timeline. As soon as a project is identified in the TIP the managing office will identify a preliminary time line for the project. At this time, a preliminary scoping meeting will be conducted by the managing office to determine the scope of the overall project.
It is important to assess the signing and marking needs of a project early in a project timeline to ensure all-offsite signing and marking work is analyzed with respect to right of way, utilities, noise walls, traffic control and project limit extents.
During project planning, signing and delineation requirements should be evaluated according to the following (as required by project type):
- Routing concept: For projects that include Interstate or US route changes
- Interchange Access Request (IAR) Signing Concept: For projects requiring an IAR, a conceptual signing and lane continuity figure showing the interchanges analyzed in the IAR shall be developed.
- Proof of Concept: For project types defined below, a preliminary signing concept should be developed during the NEPA phase:
- Interstates
- Urban Loops
- Toll Roads and Bridges
- Express Lane Projects
For projects that do not have signing and delineation tasks during planning, the agency managing office shall identify a designer or select a PEF to carry out the final design plans for signing and pavement markings upon acceptance of the 25% preliminary roadway design plans. The PEF shall be under contract through construction to incorporate all field verifications.
This following link provides timelines and process maps for planning and design activities of several different types of typical projects. (Link)
Additional Resource
NCDOT Project Flow Chart Generator (Link)
