March 2012 - Nebraska Department of Roads

Local
Projects
Division
The Local Ledger
A Nebraska Department of Roads
Publication for Local Public Agencies
Local Projects Division
Jim Wilkinson
Division Engineer
Phone: (402) 479-4607
jim.wilkinson@nebraska.gov
Tony Dirks
Urban Engineer
Phone: (402) 479-4442
anthony.dirks@nebraska.gov
Larry Legg
Secondary Roads Engineer
Special Programs
Phone: (402) 479-3943
larry.legg@nebraska.gov
Mitch Doht
Quality Management Engineer
Phone: (402) 479-4432
mitch.doht@nebraska.gov
Local Projects Division
Website
Inside this issue:
Soft Match Bridge Credits 1
LPD Website Redesign 2
Locally Funded Procurement 3
MUTCD Compliance 3
T&E Project Reviews 3
LPD York Site Visit 4
NDOR Invoice Workflow 5
One Way Tips for LPAs 5
Design Relaxation Requests 5
Title VI & ADA Compliance 6
Upcoming Events 6
Issue 6
Soft Match Bridge Credits
On September 2, 2011, FHWA suspended
the use and accrual of bridge
soft match credits in Nebraska. The
suspension is due to deficiencies identified
during the financial integrity review
and evaluation (FIRE) of the FY 2010
program.
NDOR responded to FHWA in a letter
dated November 15, 2011. The
FHWA process review report and
NDOR’s response are located on
LPD’s Current Updates and Information
webpage:
http://www.roads.ne.gov/gov-aff/current
-updates.html
Until further notice, NDOR will not
accept new applications for approval of
soft match bridge projects. Projects
that have already been accepted into
the program but are not yet completed
will still be processed. However, a
March 2012
detailed review of project documentation
is required for NDOR to approve
soft match credit for these pending
projects.
NDOR is also required to complete a
detailed review of project documentation
prior to counties applying their
soft match credit to a Federal-aid
bridge project. NDOR must review
and approve enough of the county’s
existing credit to ensure that they have
enough audited soft match credit to
cover their match for the Federal-aid
project. Note that credit issued prior
to 2004 will not be reviewed at this
time.
If your county has a soft match project
that has already been approved for the
program but has not yet been issued
Continued on Page 2
LPD Employee Recognition &
Milestones
7
NDOR Staff and Contact Info 8

Local Ledger
Page 2
Soft Match Bridge Credits (Continued from page 1)
credit, or if you plan to use soft match credit for a
Federal-aid project in the next year, organize and
retain all related project documentation until our
reviews are complete.
FHWA has determined that soft match project
documentation must be retained for three (3)
years after the closeout and final payment for the
Federal-aid project for which credit was used. Detailed
expense, consultant and resource agency
coordination documents will be required for full
soft match credit to be granted by NDOR.
If this situation applies to your county, we will soon
be contacting you to schedule soft match project
documentation reviews. The important message at
this time is to retain ALL documentation for your
soft match projects. The 2004 policy will need to be
revised and approved by FHWA before NDOR can
accept new project applications. No timeline is
available for completing the revision.
More information about the FHWA Bridge Soft
Match Review Report and NDOR’s response, follow
the link below to LPD’s Current Updates & Info
page:
http://www.transportation.nebraska.gov/gov-aff/
current-updates.html
Local Projects Division Website Redesign
In response to feedback about the difficulty navigating
the LPD website, a complete redesign of the
site was recently completed.
Follow the link below to visit our new site:
http://www.roads.ne.gov/gov-aff/index.html
Navigate the new site using the drop down menu
on the top right side of the title bar on each page.
Information on the new site is organized by categories
including Preliminary Engineering, Project
Initiation, Emergency Relief, and Consultant Procurement.
There is also a new page with an alphabetized master
list of all documents, forms, samples, and templates.
Click this link to go directly to that page:
http://www.roads.ne.gov/gov-aff/master-list.html
Subscribers to any pages on the old site have
been moved to the new Current Updates & Information
page. You will not need to re-subscribe
to receive emails when information is updated/
changed.
If you have any questions or comments about the
new LPD web site, please contact Kari Ruse, LPD
Quality Management Coordinator, 402-479-3859
or email kari.ruse@nebraska.gov.
Local
Projects
Division
Another new feature of the site is a Search button
that searches only LPD web pages as opposed to
the entire NDOR site. The Search button is located
on the upper left corner of each page.

Local Ledger
Page 3
Locally Funded Procurement Procedure
To initiate the locally funded procurement process,
the LPA should indicate their intention to use
local funds on the DR-530 (if known at that time).
In addition, the RC must submit written notification
to the NDOR LPD Project Coordinator (PC)
stating the intent to use local funds and in which
specific phase of the project.
The PC will issue a Notice-to-Proceed for every
locally funded project phase. The LPA must select
a firm that has been approved by NDOR to perform
the scope of services required. The selection
must be qualifications based.
After the procurement process is completed, the
LPA will submit the following documentation to
the PC for review:
1. Public Notice and solicitation
documentation
2. Selection memo, justifying the ranking of
firms based on qualifications (If fewer than
three (3) firms responded, forward documentation
efforts made and steps taken to
seek additional firms)
3. Justification memo for any instances when
negotiations were terminated
4. Agreement, including scope of services
and final consultant fee proposal
5. LPA Certification statement that all local
laws and ordinances were followed
6. Conflict of Interest Forms from both the
LPA and Consultant.
The LPA is required to use NDOR’s template for
LPA/Consultant Locally Funded Professional Services
Agreement. The PC will forward the template
to the LPA following a review of the solicitation
documentation.
For more information about the locally funded
process contact your PC or refer to Chapter 4 of
the LPA Guidelines Manual.
Status of MUTCD Compliance
On August 31, 2011, FHWA published a
Notice of Proposed Amendment that proposed
to eliminate, revise, or extend existing
compliance dates for traffic control
devices in the Manual on Uniform Traffic
Control Devices (MUTCD). FHWA is
currently analyzing the comments and expects
to publish the final rule in the Summer
of 2012.
Until then, State and local agencies are
advised to focus efforts on long-range
planning for the maintenance and upgrade
of existing traffic control devices. Agencies
should not focus on compliance dates
that may be extended or eliminated.
Threatened & Endangered Species Project Reviews
The Threatened & Endangered (T&E) Matrix Programmatic
Agreement between NDOR/FHWA/
USFWS/NGPC has been finalized.
As a result, NDOR will not be required to forward
all T&E project reviews to the Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA). If the project review
is not forwarded to FHWA, the Overview of
Effects sheets will not be signed by a representative
from their office.
The new agreement will shorten the review and
approval process during the environmental phase
of project development.

Local Ledger
Page 4
Local Projects Division Site Visit
In October, the Local Projects Division traveled to York to visit the Nebraska Avenue
project. LPD staff were joined by RCs Mark Christensen, Tara Vasicek, and
Ila Chapman to tour the project.
Construction is well underway on York’s
Nebraska Avenue project (photos right). The
scope of the project includes new paving, a water
main, additional sanitary sewer, and new ADA
compliant sidewalks and curb ramps.
As LPD staff inspect a new concrete box culvert (photos below), Mark Christiansen, City of York RC,
describes some of the challenges encountered during project initiation and construction.

Local Ledger
Page 5
NDOR Invoice Workflow Application
On February 1, 2012, the OnBase Invoice Workflow
Application went live and, since that date,
dozens of invoices have been imported and processed
through the application. Effective that date,
all new invoice submittals by consultants and RC/
LPA cost reimbursements must be made through
the application.
The automated processing of invoices provides for
electronic recording of who and when an invoice
was approved, tracking of who sent documents to
whom and when, reduced postage and printing
expense, electronic retention of documents and
faster turnaround time from submittal to payment.
Training videos and a User Guide are available
for individuals that approve invoices at this
link: http://vimeo.com/album/1798952.
The videos are
short and designed
to address specific
functions such as
importing a document,
returning a
document, approving
a document, or
searching for a document.
Design Relaxation Requests
A design relaxation request must be submitted to
NDOR if your project does not meet Nebraska
Minimum Design Standards and/or the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA). The initial request
must be submitted to the NDOR Local Projects
Division Engineer by the city Street Superintendent
or the County Highway Superintendent.
Submit the request to LPD as soon as possible to
allow adequate time for review. The request must
indicate the justification for not meeting the standards
and include a preliminary estimate of the additional
construction cost to conform to the applicable
standard.
After approval by the NDOR Deputy Director of
Engineering and FHWA (for full Federal oversight
projects only), the request is submitted to the
Board of Public Roads Classifications and Standards.
The request must be received by the Board
at least ten (10) days prior to the Board meeting
at which it will be presented and discussed.
Contact your NDOR LPD Project Coordinator
for assistance with the request for relaxation.
More detailed information about design relaxation
is located in Chapter 6 of the LPA Guidelines
Manual.
One Way Tips for LPAs
If your Federal-aid project requires the acquisition of more than
1.5 acres, a Programmatic Categorical Exclusion (PCE) is not allowable. The project
will require a Categorical Exclusion (CE).
LPA Responsible Charge School is scheduled March 19-23, 2012 in Lincoln.
Get your back-up RC trained! You can register through Nebraska LTAP at
https://services.ne-ltap.org/workshops/SectionDetails.aspxSectionID=196.

Local Ledger
Page 6
Title VI and ADA Compliance
Any entity receiving Federal funds is required to
comply with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, the
ADA (American’s With Disabilities Act), and Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
As the grantee for transportation funds provided
by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA),
the Nebraska Department of Roads (NDOR) is
required to review and approve compliance documentation
provided by local public agencies receiving
this funding.
For your convenience, Title VI and ADA sample
plans, templates, and guidelines for plan development
are located on NDOR’s Civil Rights home
page: http://www.dor.state.ne.us/humanres/
title6.html
For questions about preparing and submitting the
information, please contact Carrie Williams,
NDOR Civil Rights Coordinator at 402-479-4870
or email carrie.williams@nebraska.gov.
Upcoming LPD/LPA Events
You are invited to attended two upcoming NDOR special events in April.
Click on the links below for registration information for the Nebraska
Research Conference and Highway Safety Summit. The LPD Workforce
Development project will reimburse your local public agency for all allowable
expenses to attend. Consider a package deal! Travel to Lincoln for the
Research Conference and stay for the Highway Safety Summit.
Contact Kari Ruse, 402-479-3859, for overnight accommodations at the
Lincoln Cornhusker Hotel.
DATE EVENT LOCATION
March 19-23, 2012 LPA Responsible Charge School Holiday Inn SW, Lincoln
March 22, 2012 Erosion & Sediment Control Basics for Inspector-Recertification NDOR Dist 5-Gering
March 27, 2012 Traffic Control Technician Holiday Inn Express, Kearney
March 28, 2012 Traffic Control Technician NE Comm. College, Norfolk
March 29-30, 2012 Traffic Control Supervisor NE Comm. College, Norfolk
April 4, 2012 Nebraska Research Conference Cornhusker Hotel, Lincoln
April 5, 2012 Nebraska Highway Safety Summit Cornhusker Hotel, Lincoln
April 9-13 and
April 23-27, 2012
Safety Inspection of In Service Bridges, FHWA-NHI-130055
Nebraska LTAP, Lincoln
You can register for training on Nebraska LTAP’s website:
https://services.ne-ltap.org/workshops/Calendar.aspx
For more information about upcoming events, contact Kari Ruse at 402-479-3859 or email kari.ruse@nebraska.gov

Local Ledger Page 7
Tony Dirks—2011 NDOR Manager of the Year
Tony Dirks, LPD Urban Engineer, was
selected as NDOR Manager of the Year for
2011. Tony was one of five managers who
were recognized by Governor Heineman
during an October 27th ceremony at the
Capitol Rotunda.
Congratulations to Tony on
this well-deserved honor!
LDP Employee Recognition & Milestones
In September 2011, LPD staff
helped Judy Borer, Transportation
Enhancement Project Coordinator,
celebrate 30 years of service
at NDOR.
Congratulations Judy!
Greg Wood (left), Former
Urban Engineer IV, is
presented with the Building
Better Bridges award by Tony
Dirks (right), Urban Engineer.
Cindy Bell (right), Project
Management & Technology
Coordinator, receives
the Building Better Bridges
award from Division
Head, Jim Wilkinson (left).
Jason Freidrichs (left), Urban
Project Coordinator, is
congratulated by Tony Dirks
(right) Urban Engineer, for
receiving the Extra Mile
Award.
Mike Kleffner (left), Transportation
Enhancement Engineer,
receives the Extra Mile Award
from Secondary Roads
Engineer, Larry Legg (right).

Local Ledger
Page 8
NDOR LPD Staff & Contact Info
Local Projects Division
1400 Highway 2
PO Box 94759
Lincoln, NE
68509-4759
Phone: (402) 479-4607
Fax: (402) 479-3636
www.transportation.nebraska.gov
http://www.ne-ltap.unl.edu/
Visit the LTAP website
for information on RC
and other transportation
related training.
Division Staff
Jim Wilkinson
Division Engineer
(402) 479-4607
jim.wilkinson@nebraska.gov
Cindy Bell
Project Management & Tech Coordinator
(402) 479-3666
cindy.bell@nebraska.gov
Valda Opp
Administrative Assistant
(402) 479-4607
valda.opp@nebraska.gov
Pamela Hinz
Accountant 1
(402) 479-4578
pamela.hinz@nebraska.gov
Urban Section
Tony Dirks
Urban Engineer
(402) 479-4442
anthony.dirks@nebraska.gov
Jennifer Thompson
Engineer IV
(402) 479-3559
jennifer.thompson@nebraska.gov
Raitis Tigeris
Project Coordinator
(402) 479-3843
raitis.tigeris@nebraska.gov
Glen Steffensmeier
Project Coordinator
(402) 479-3845
glen.steffensmeier@nebraska.gov
Barney Helton
Project Coordinator
(402) 479-3607
barney.helton@nebraska.gov
Jason Freidrichs
Project Coordinator
(402) 479-3650
jason.freidrichs@nebraska.gov
Secondary Roads Section
Larry Legg
Secondary Roads Engineer & Special Programs
(402) 479-3943
larry.legg@nebraska.gov
Paul Kieper
Project Coordinator
(402) 479-3944
paul.kieper@nebraska.gov
Brayden McLaughlin
Project Coordinator
(402) 479-3161
brayden.mclaughlin@nebraska.gov
Michael Kleffner
Transportation Enhancement Engineer
(402) 479-4881
michael.kleffner@nebraska.gov
Delfs Linder
Project Coordinator
(402) 479-4539
delfs.linder@nebraska.gov
Judy Borer
Project Coordinator
(402) 479-4435
judy.borer@nebraska.gov
Jane Brubaker
Highway Local Liaison Tech
(402) 479-4891
jane.brubaker@nebraska.gov
Heather Silver
Highway Local Liaison Tech
(402) 479-4879
heather.silver@nebraska.gov
Quality Management Section
Mitch Doht
Quality Management Engineer
(402) 479-4432 • mitch.doht@nebraska.gov
Kari Ruse
Quality Management Coordinator
(402) 479-3859 • kari.ruse@nebraska.gov
Josh Redwine
Highway Local Liaison Tech
(402) 479-4804 • josh.redwine@nebraska.gov