The Road Capital Projects Section plans, designs and manages roadway and bridge improvement projects. We do this through the careful analysis and planning of capital improvement projects, preparing project plans, specifications and estimates (PS&E) to improve these projects, and overseeing the construction of roadway and bridge improvement projects. Our mandate, however, requires considerably more than simply engineering design, and is met through the planning, design, construction and subsequent post-construction maintenance phases of our projects.

Planning Phase

This phase of the project includes initiation of the project, which may occur via request from the County’s Board, in response to a citizen’s concern, identification via County field staff, or as a component of the County’s 7-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Projects may be equally initiated in the Capital Projects, Road Programs, or Traffic Engineering Sections of the OC Road. This early project work includes general project scoping, an estimate of timing, rough order of magnitude of costs, and identification of potential funding sources. Frequently, a project scoping or design seminar is hosted, with project proponents, to confirm general project criteria, and for approvals to move the project forward into design phase activities.

Design Phase

County Road projects are designed via in-house staff or by an architect-engineering firm (A-E) contracted by the County. Depending on project specifics, collaboration may also be required with federal, state, and local agencies.

Upon project initiation, the project engineer prepares a project schedule that contemplates and summarizes all the tasks that must be accomplished to complete the project. The schedule is constantly updated as the project moves forward, from planning to design to construction. The project engineer confirms the elements of the project scope of work and estimated cost, ensuring schedule and other project constraints are met.

Environmental analysis, topographical surveys, geotechnical data, pavement structural section recommendations, traffic volumes, utility plans, and right-of-way information are needed to design a project. These services and deliverables are initiated early within project design, and must be secured before detailed design work may commence. Additionally, the project engineer provides assistance in meeting environmental documentation and acquiring regulatory permits to comply with the latest environmental and water quality regulations promulgated by local, state and federal regulating authorities.

This component of the design process includes preparing construction drawings, special provisions and engineers estimate to do the work. During preparation, the project PS&E is distributed for peer review by service providers and project proponents at various stages of completion, typically 65%, 95% and 100% complete. After each distribution, peer review comments are addressed and the PS&E updated for the next distribution. Once the final comments are incorporated, the PS&E is ready for final approvals.

Following completion of the PS&E, the project engineer is responsible for obtaining approvals from the Road Manager, Director of Public Works, officials from collaborating agencies and Orange County’s Board of Supervisors.

Construction Phase

The approved project is subsequently advertised for bids for approximately 5 weeks before a public opening of bids. The lowest responsive and responsible bidder, after all required documentation has been reviewed and approved, is awarded the construction contract. Following a pre-construction meeting attended by all project participants, issuance of a Notice to Proceed, and mobilization activities by the contractor, construction begins. The project engineer assists this phase of the project by overseeing project advertisement, and providing construction support during the construction phase.

Ownership and Maintenance Phase

When construction has been completed and the Notice of Completion approved by the County’s Board, responsibility for ownership and maintenance of the project transfers to 1) the County’s Operations and Maintenance, for projects within unincorporated Orange County; or 2) a city, for components constructed within that city’s jurisdictional boundaries. For more information on the County’s Operations and Maintenance, please access the following link to Operations and Maintenance.

Road and Bridge Design Projects

The Capital Projects Section is divided into two specializations, Road Design and Bridge Design.

Orange County roadway improvement projects are based upon roadway geometrics identified within the County’s Master Plan of Arterial Highways (MPAH). Additionally, our engineers design projects according to the requirements and guidelines within the Orange County Highway Design Manual (HDM) and OC Public Works Standard Plans. The design process for roads and for bridges varies little other than generally, the size of a project (roads can be several miles in length) and height of a project (our bridges can be 100’ or more in height).

Our Bridge Design Section projects includes the design of new bridges, bridge widening, bridge retrofits and repairs, as well as retaining walls, culverts and roadway approaches to bridges. Our bridge and structure projects are designed according to the requirements and guidelines within the Caltrans Bridge Design Specifications.

Please visit our Design Projects page for more information and photos of some of our active and recently completed projects.