TxDOT Utility Installation Review (UIR) System Welcome to a presentation on the TxDOT UIR system. This exciting new program brings the management of utility assets on the TxDOT ROW into the 21 st century and gives TXDOT the ability to meet the expectations of our clients both the public and the utility industry. A new advancement in the TxDOT utility program

Utility Installation Review System (UIR) Internet-based utility permit application for receiving, reviewing, and approving utility permits. Part of statewide GIS utility inventory. Product of research project 5-2110. The UIR system is an Internet-based utility permit application for receiving, reviewing, and approving utility permits which will be included in the Statewide GIS Utility Inventory. The UIR system is a product of the research project 5-2110 by the Texas Transportation Institute.

Utility Installation Review (UIR) Benefits Internet-based Faster, more thorough reviews Reporting and accountability Tracking of 14,000 permits/year Document retention compliance Increased quality utility plans GIS based inventory of utilities Information for all users (maintenance, design, right of way) The added benefits the UIR system gives TxDOT are It is Internet-based and gives utilities the ability to submit and monitor the progress of the utility request allowing TxDOT to be transparent. The electronic transfer of documents allow faster, more thorough reviews, normally within a week. The reporting functions allows TxDOT to quantify transactions and durations for documentation and accountability. The tracking of the 14,000 permits/year within will be accomplished in a single database and will allow TxDOT to meet document retention compliance requirements. In districts presently utilizing the system, an increased in the quality utility plans has been reported. The GIS based inventory of utilities allows users to identify utilities located by geographic location, highway control / section, roadway, county, or district. This information can be accessed by all users (maintenance, design, right of way) for purposes of project impacts, cost estimates, inventory and right of way asset management.

The UIR system is currently active in eight districts including ftw, wac, aus, sat, phr, bry, hou, and dal. This next week training will begin in the LBB district. There have been 500 users trained on the UIR system since the SAT district was piloted in 2005. 125 users were trained in 2009 by TxDOT personnel in the AUS, WAC, and DAL districts. Per a 2007 survey TxDOT approves over 14,000 utility permits in the typical year. Present 599 permits/ mo are submitted online. Full utilization in DAL (brought up in Dec) should bring the online submittals to approximately 825 permits/ mon or 70% of the state’s permit volume.

Steps to Implementation Initial meeting with District Region IRA / security officer session Workshop (TxDOT users) Workshop (utility companies) Post-workshop activity Activation on production server At this time I would like to described the steps taken to train and bring the UIR system to a district. First, an initial meeting is held with District including the District Maintenance Engineer, Permit Coordinator, Security/ Information Tech. Administrator, Right of Way, and any other interested parties. This meeting is coordinate the process and collect district information. A teleconference training session is held with the District IRA / security officer session on the security issues and procedures for which they will be responsible. Normally is accomplished in about 30 minutes to an hour. A training workshop for (TxDOT users) including power points, demonstrations, and hands on training is held in a district training facility and normally last approximately four hours. The focus is the reviewing and processing of the permit. The results have been very positive in the sessions held. A separate training workshop for (utility companies) is held specifically to enable the utility companies to submit permits online. This session also last four hours. After the workshop a post-workshop activity has been developed to allow TxDOT users to have a “dry run” in their own office to gain confidence and minimize mistakes in the production environment. Finally the activation on production server completes the process and the district is able to receive, review, and approve utility permits.

Information for Implementation (District) District workflow/process Offices, users, and authority levels List of utility companies and users District checklist and special provisions Confirmation of Maintenance Division record of offices and boundaries In the initial meeting with your district the following information will be solicited. The current District workflow/process for your permitting operation. Presently various individuals or offices have approval authority and the flow through the districts are unique. This may be a convenient time to review your current permitting process prior to implementation. A list of offices, users, and authority levels for TxDOT users. A list of utility companies and users. Any district checklists or special provisions presently required by the district. These tools have resulted in more complete utility permits being submitted by utility companies. The district will need to confirm the boundaries covered by each of their maintenance sections as compared to Maintenance Division records. Past history has shown may district level agreements are not reflected in the divisions. This type of discrepancy may lead to the correct office not being able to process a permit.

Workshop Objectives Participants will be able to: Recognize importance of an accurate utility inventory Identify benefits of (UIR) system Login, navigate, and review utility permits Describe and understand steps involved in online permitting A Participant in the workshop will be able to: First to recognize importance of an accurate utility inventory Identify benefits of (UIR) system Login, navigate, and review utility permits Describe and understand steps involved in online permitting

The workshop is limited to the number of available training stations to allow hands on training and gain a familiarity with the program. Normally there are two instructors with the offsite assistance of IT support and the “utility company” who wishes to submit the permit. Please notice the map on the computer shown as the GIS capabilities of the program are used.

The following map shows the proposed implementation in remaining districts utilizing the regional offices as the primary training locations. As stated before training will be initiated in the LBB district. The details of the implementation in the initial meeting with the district.

Questions ?

Jesse R. Cooper, RPLS Director Map, Survey and Utility Section Right of Way Division Texas Department of Transportation 118 E. Riverside Drive Austin, TX 78763-5075 Phone: 512-416-2874 FAX : 512-416-2909 email: jcoope2@dot.state.tx.us