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Chapter 5: Shoulders PUB 23 - MAINTENANCE MANUAL

CHAPTER 5
SHOULDERS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

5.1 General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

5.2 Shoulder Maintenance Schedule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

5.3 Shoulder Categories and Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

5.4 Earth Shoulders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2

5.5 Stabilized Shoulders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3

5.6 Paved Shoulders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

5.7 Combination Shoulders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5

5.8 Entrances to Driveways and Side Roads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

5.9 Mailbox Approaches and Roadside Rest Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

5.10 Environmental Concerns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6

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Ch. Updated 4/12 5-ii


Update #1
Chapter 5: Shoulders PUB 23 - MAINTENANCE MANUAL

5.1 GENERAL 2. Conduct inventory of concrete shoulder


patching and joints that will need to be sealed
The term "shoulder" refers to the graded area or
in the fall.
surface adjacent and parallel to the traveled way,
whose purpose is to give lateral support to the 3. Patching of bituminous paved shoulders.
road surface and to be used by traffic in
emergency situations. Shoulders should be stable 4. Grading, rolling and the application of dust
enough to support normal traffic loading, and palliatives to earth or stabilized shoulders to
their surfaces should be adequately sloped to attain proper grade and slope, and to remove
provide for the quick removal of surface water false, or secondary, ditches or gutters.
from the roadway into the drainage system.
5. Cutting high shoulders and refilling scoured
Shoulder drop-offs can present a hazard to the areas to ensure proper drainage, and to provide
motoring public. Drop-offs greater than two for the safety of the motoring public, with
inches, whether created by maintenance priority given to routes on scheduled surface
operations or routine edge deterioration, should be treatment programs.
scheduled and addressed as resources permit.
6. Posting of low and/or soft shoulder areas on
Signing and or delineation may be required in the
medium and heavily traveled roads, in the
event repairs can not be completed in the short
interest of traffic safety.
term. See Publication 408 section 901.3 (j) for
SUMMER:
guidance in this area.

Shoulder maintenance can be performed 1. Continue cutting high earth shoulders.


throughout the year but the most desirable times
are when sufficient moisture is present to provide
maximum compaction and densities. This phase of 2. Continue routine grading and rolling of sod,
highway maintenance is of major importance, be- earth or aggregate shoulders and replacing of
cause the failure of a pavement often starts at the lost shoulder material where needed.
joint between the roadway and shoulder. Shoulder
maintenance also includes the areas just outside 3. Rebuilding and stabilizing shoulders with
the normal shoulder, but not beyond the legal aggregate where possible.
right-of-way limits such as approaches to the road- 4. Surface treatment when needed on stabilized,
way at side roads on the state system, turnouts for
paved and combination shoulders.
school bus stops, and graded surfaces adjacent to
rural mailboxes. At entrances to private drives and 5. Removing all false ditches along shoulders.
places of business, the Department will not be
responsible for the maintenance of theses areas 6. Mowing of sod shoulders.
within the normal shoulder width. Maintenance in
these cases shall be by the owner (Ref. 5.8). 7. Raising low spots on paved shoulders.

8. Making permanent repairs to the surface


5.2 SHOULDER MAINTENANCE and/or base on paved shoulders.
SCHEDULE 9. Resurfacing paved shoulders.
The Department Maintenance Manager should
plan the routine maintenance of shoulders in 10. Continue applying dust palliatives.
accordance with a detailed seasonal schedule. The 11. Continue routine inspection of all shoulders.
following is a list of items which may require
completion during each season of the year. It is 12. Patch concrete shoulders.
meant as a guide in the development of the county
seasonal work plans. 13. Upgrade shoulders where necessary.

SPRING: FALL:
1. Field inspection of shoulders by county 1. Continue cutting high earth shoulders.
maintenance personnel to determine the
2. Continue routine grading and rolling of all
amount and type of maintenance work
earth shoulders.
required and the priority of that work.

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Chapter 5: Shoulders PUB 23 - MAINTENANCE MANUAL

3. Replace shoulder material to assure proper slope of 3/4 inch per foot and maximum slope of 1
cross-section of shoulder. 1/2 inches per foot of width. It is required that a
belt truck (or equivalent) be used in front of the
4. Stabilize spots that show signs of erosion and grader to place suitable material into drop off
instability. areas and compacted prior to the completion of the
5. Completion of improvements and major grading/cutting of the shoulder.
repairs. Earth shoulders are not practical on heavily
6. Sealing all cracks and the joint adjacent to rigid traveled roads. However, on local service roads
pavement. Care shall be taken as to not cover and rural roads, an earth shoulder provides a
edge of pave/fog line with sealant. relatively stable surface and will resist erosion.
Where earth shoulders are used on a road, certain
7. Continue routine inspection of all shoulders. portions should be upgraded by the addition of
aggregate. Some of these locations are at roadside
8. Seal joints on concrete shoulders. turnouts, mailboxes, entrances to driveways, the
insides of some curves, and intersections. When an
WINTER: improperly constructed drive entrance or
1. Grading and adding of material to all shoulders approach causes a drainage or any other
that have become excessively rutted, when undesirable condition, the owner should be
weather and soil conditions permit. contacted and advised of his/her responsibility to
correct the condition.
2. Patching potholes in paved shoulders.
An earth shoulder should be maintained with a
3. Continue routine inspection of all shoulders, minimum cross slope of 3/4 inch per foot. A
paying particular attention to ice conditions flatter slope will not assure rapid runoff of surface
caused by improper shoulder grade and/or water.
encroachments onto PennDOT right-of-way.
Maintenance of earth shoulders consists of the
5.3 SHOULDER CATEGORIES following operations:
AND MAINTENANCE 1. Mowing.
The several types of shoulder surfaces may be
2. Repair of ruts, holes, and low spots to the
broadly grouped into the following four general
graded contour.
classifications:
3. Cutting or grading high areas to return to
1. Earth shoulders.
proper cross slope.
2. Stabilized shoulders.
4. Providing stabilized areas at roadside rest
3. Paved shoulders. locations, mailbox turnouts, and at all other
critical locations.
4. Combination shoulders.
Earth shoulders should be mowed as required,
The proper maintenance procedures are but a minimum of twice a year—late spring and
different for the various types of shoulder surface. mid-fall—to keep vegetation sufficiently low for
These procedures will be explained in the safety. The Foreman responsible for the mowing of
following sections. A brief description of each type earth shoulders should coordinate the operation of
will be given first. picking up litter along the roadside before the
mowing operation. This will reduce the chance of
5.4 EARTH SHOULDERS the mower hitting an object, causing damage to
employees and/or equipment and private
Most earth shoulders are capable of supporting
property.
vegetation; this covering normally will be
established by natural growth without artificial Damage to an earth shoulder in the form of ruts
seeding. Granular material may be added to the caused by traffic or erosion should be repaired by
native soil to give increased stability to the surface. scarifying, adding select material if needed and
The amount of granular material added must not compacting to conform to proper shoulder cross
be enough to interfere with the natural drainage slope. Holes and other low spots in a shoulder
runoff. An earth shoulder should have a minimum should be repaired in a similar manner.

Ch. Updated 4/15 5-2


Update #2
Chapter 5: Shoulders PUB 23 - MAINTENANCE MANUAL

If ruts continue to occur on the inside portion compaction and sealing are required by the
of an earth shoulder, the original soil adjacent to general permit.
the roadway should be removed to a average
depth of 6 to 8 inches, the full width of the rut, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) is the
usually 2 to 3 feet. The trench should then be product of hot or warm mixed asphalt pavement
backfilled with a mixture of granular material and that may include surface treatments which are
soil. For extreme or persistent rutting, the addition milled. Clean RAP is such material that is free of
of bituminous material to the affected area should subbase, dirt, soil, or other contaminates. Milling
be considered. Upon completion of the compaction travel lanes for overlays should always yield clean
of the added material, the new portion of the RAP. Contaminated RAP is milled asphalt
shoulder should be flush with both the adjacent pavement mixed with materials such as subbase or
roadway and the remaining portion of the soil. Milled shoulder material, widening or base
shoulder. repairs may include contaminated RAP if the
milling extends beyond the depth or width of the
The surface of an earth shoulder has a tendency asphalt pavement. Do not co-mingle clean RAP
to become too high as a result of the growth of and contaminated milled bituminous material.
vegetation, the collection of anti-skid and foreign
material and the action of frost. It is sometimes Clean or uncontaminated RAP is to be used
possible to remove the effects of frost heave by exclusively for paving roadways or shoulders.
compacting with a three (3) wheeled roller when This work includes widening, shoulder upgrades,
weather conditions permit. cold recycling and full depth reclamation. The use
of clean RAP for shoulder back up and fill
When rolling will not depress a high shoulder activities is specifically prohibited.
sufficiently, it is necessary to regrade or "cut" the
shoulder. Shoulders should not be unnecessarily Only contaminated RAP is to be used for
cut. If proper precautions are taken, this work can shoulder back up, and/or stabilization where the
be done by graders without serious or permanent Department gains benefit from the asphalt
damage to the root structure of the sod present. properties in the material.
The remaining root system will soon cause the sod In some cases, stabilization may be obtained
to regrow. Grading should be followed up by simply by the progressive addition of granular
rolling, except in extremely wet or muddy areas. material. In other cases it may be necessary to add
Graded aggregate or similar stabilizing material some graded aggregate and binder and use
may be added at certain times of the year where mechanical mixing equipment.
necessary to prevent rutting of turnouts for The degree of stability of the shoulder depends
roadside rest areas, scenic overlooks, and on the soil/aggregate mixture used. The addition
mailboxes, taking care not to raise the shoulder or of a well-graded granular surfacing material to a
flatten the shoulder slope. During the winter and natural earth shoulder will provide stability and
extended periods of bad weather, these locations produce a good all-weather shoulder. After the
may require special attention. first application of aggregate, it may be necessary
to make spot replacements of this material from
5.5 STABILIZED SHOULDERS time to time.
A stabilized shoulder usually consists of coarse, Stabilized shoulders should be constructed and
graded aggregate spread on or incorporated into maintained with minimum slope of 3/4 inch per
the existing natural soil. If the aggregate is spread foot of width and a maximum slope of 1 1/2
in a separate layer, it is usually laid on a prepared inches per foot of width. Care should be taken to
subgrade. Typical aggregates that are suitable for see that this slope is maintained because shoulders
stabilizing are limestone, slag, gravel, or reclaimed with too little slope will tend to retain water. This
asphalt (RAP). When RAP material is used the water/moisture will soak through the shoulder
requirements of the General Permit material and tend to create soft spots. If it is noted
WMGR090R018 apply. (Material will be obtained during an inspection after a rain that a section of
from a permitted stockpile and documentation shoulder is holding water, that section should be
kept of the quantity shipped). Chemical and marked and corrective action taken as soon as is
bituminous materials may be used to stabilize practical. During a heavy rainfall, surface water
granular materials. When RAP materials are used,

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Update #2
Chapter 5: Shoulders PUB 23 - MAINTENANCE MANUAL

will run across an unpaved shoulder with a slope should be scarified with material added to it, and
that exceeds 1 1/2 inches per foot with enough finally the graded surface should be properly
speed to cause erosion. compacted.
Occasional grading and rolling of a stabilized If granular material is added to shoulders
shoulder is required to keep the inside edge of the during a period of dry weather the moisture
shoulder at the same level as the outside edge of content must still be at the proper level to achieve
the pavement and also to move and redistribute optimum compaction. Water or chlorides should
loose material to fill ruts. Stabilized shoulders are be added to the shoulder material before the final
kept smooth and at the approximate correct cross- grading and compacting. This treatment of
section by routine grading and periodic chlorides is also good for providing added
replacement of worn or lost material, the stabilization where the shoulder material tends to
shoulders should be reshaped periodically in lose fines quickly. Chlorides can be mixed into the
order to remove the buildup of anti-skid and aggregate before placing.
foreign material.
If ruts continually recur in an area on the inside
Maintenance of stabilized shoulders includes of a curve, it may be cost effective to pave the
the following: affected area. This is one of the most effective ways
of reducing maintenance of the shoulder and the
1. Cutting edge of pavement. Such pavement should be a
2. Grading minimum of five inches deep and one to two feet
wide consisting of a base course and wearing
3. Replacement of material surface.
4. Reshaping The tendency of surface water to erode shoulder
material is most severe on steep grades where
5. Rolling water flows along the shoulder rapidly and at the
6. Control of erosion low point on a long sag vertical curve where a
large amount of water must flow across the
7. Application of dust palliative shoulder. In order that there will not be excessive
erosion of a stabilized shoulder on a steep grade, a
The most important purpose of routine grading uniform cross slope of the proper amount must be
is to prevent the formation of ruts at the edge of maintained for the entire width of the shoulder.
the roadway pavement. When such ruts are The surface water will then be able to run off the
allowed to form and remain, the edge of the shoulder at a suitable velocity along the entire
pavement is easily damaged because of the loss of length of the shoulder. If a false ditch or gutter is
lateral support. Also, during periods of wet allowed to form along the outer edge of a shoulder
weather, ruts/holes will hold water, causing the or if a rut is allowed to develop between the
subgrade and base under the roadway to become pavement and the shoulder, a large amount of
saturated, thus producing surface failures. Also water will be concentrated on a small portion of
important is the prevention of low shoulders the width of the shoulder until it exerts enough
which reduce the amount of lateral support force to break through a weak spot. Such action
provided at the edge of the pavement and could has been known to wash away a long portion of a
also be a safety factor. shoulder during a single storm. This is especially
Frequent grading of stabilized shoulders will be true where a secondary ditch along guiderail
required where the shoulder material has poor sections prevents the even flow of water over the
binding quality, where traffic is relatively heavy, embankment. A special effort must be made to
and where a narrow roadway carries a large provide a uniform shoulder grade along all
volume of truck traffic. For routine procedure of guiderail sections performing side-dozing
the grading and cutting operations, see the operations to remove the ridge of anti-skid and
foreman's manual. foreign materials. Stabilized shoulders that
continue to erode after other normal maintenance
Another reason for building up a shoulder is the methods have been tried should be paved as a last
necessity of raising the shoulder when the resort.
roadway is resurfaced. To improve an existing
stabilized shoulder for this reason, the old surface

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Update #1
Chapter 5: Shoulders PUB 23 - MAINTENANCE MANUAL

5.6 PAVED SHOULDERS surface should be sealed or surface-treated with


As the term implies, a paved shoulder is one liquid bituminous material. The bituminous
having a special wearing course. This course may material will be covered with crushed stone, slag
be composed of portland cement concrete, or crushed gravel. This treatment can also be
bituminous concrete, penetration macadam, or employed to raise a paved shoulder that has had
bituminous surface treatment. The slope of a minor settlement. Where the settlement of the
shoulder of portland cement should be 1/2 inch shoulder is so great that all the material required
per foot of width. For bituminous concrete, to raise it cannot be applied by the method just
penetration macadam, or a bituminous surface described in a single surface treatment, a
treatment, the minimum slope should be 3/4 inch bituminous concrete mixture should be applied
per foot of width and the maximum slope should using appropriate methods and procedures.
be 1 1/2 inches per foot of width. The performance standards provide additional
Maintenance of a paved shoulder is similar in information in regard to the preparation, class of
many ways to that of a roadway of the same bituminous materials and aggregates used in
surface type, although the degree of importance is surface treatment, and the proper procedure for
different. applying the materials.

Paved shoulders have been provided on many When shoulders are repaired by surface
secondary roads where the volume of traffic is treatment the finished surface must be flush with
heavy and through urban areas where shoulders the edge of pavement and should slightly overlap
are needed to permit vehicles to park and to enter the pavement edge.
or leave driveways. Also, along such high-speed When the failure of a paved shoulder is due to
highways as those of the interstate system, the failure of the base, the repair procedure
shoulders are paved for improved safety and ease outlined in the appropriate performance standard
of day to day routine maintenance. should be followed. In general, repairs of this type
The methods of maintaining paved shoulders include the following operations:
correspond to those set forth in this manual for 1. Scarifying
surfaces of similar types. The maintenance of
paved shoulders includes the following 2. Removing and replacing unstable material
operations:
3. Reshaping the base material
1. Patching with plant mix bituminous material
(hot) 4. Compacting material to obtain correct grade
and slope
2. Surface treatment
When the failures are caused by water trapped
3. Repair of base failures in the subgrade, the use of french drains or
underdrains is required. The use of subsurface
4. Skin patching drainage is covered in detail in the drainage
5. Sealing cracks and/or joints structures section of this manual.

When paved shoulders are patched with Skin patching should be used under the
bituminous material, care should be taken to see following conditions: in areas where there is
that the surface of the patch is even with the insufficient bituminous material or dryness
surrounding surface. The material used for (oxidation), on bituminous surfaces where
patching a paved shoulder should be the same as raveling or spalling is evident, or on limited areas
the material of the existing shoulder. The correct where there is map or alligator cracking. The
procedure to be used in patching a paved surface importance of skin patching cannot be emphasized
of a certain type is described in detail by enough because of its ability to revitalize a
performance standards and also standard concrete shoulder surface and prolong its life at an
patching procedures. economical cost.

When the bituminous surface on a paved Cracks and/or joints in portland cement
shoulder becomes lean or dry, or oxidizes, the concrete and bituminous concrete will be sealed as

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Chapter 5: Shoulders PUB 23 - MAINTENANCE MANUAL

prescribed for each in the respective performance within the normal shoulder width. Maintenance in
standard. The weakest point in a paved shoulder these cases shall be by the owner.
and the place where most failures start, is the joint
between the roadway pavement and the paved The presence of even one improperly
shoulder. "Pumping" often develops when joints constructed entrance along a highway makes it
are not kept sealed and water is allowed to enter. difficult to provide maintenance of the shoulder.
Special attention should be given to the Moreover, poor or improper drainage at the
maintenance and sealing of this joint. During entrance often is a direct cause of failure of the
winter months, the freeze-thaw cycle has a road surface, and an improperly constructed
tendency to break the joint. entrance sometimes creates a hazard to the
traveling public by directing surface water/ice

5.7 COMBINATION SHOULDERS


onto the highway pavement. When an improperly
constructed drive entrance or approach causes
In a combination shoulder the surface for a drainage or any other undesirable condition, the
width of 3 to 4 feet adjacent to the pavement is of a owner and District Permit Office should be
higher type than that of the remainder of the contacted and advised of his/her responsibility to
shoulder width. Such a shoulder is usually correct the condition.
provided on the median side of a dual highway
where the amount of traffic does not justify full 5.9 MAILBOX APPROACHES AND
width stabilization or paving. Without the better
ROADSIDE REST AREAS
surfacing next to the pavement there would be
continued rutting and drop-off of the shoulder It is necessary at these locations to stabilize
along the edges of the pavement. A combination shoulders with suitable material and to provide
shoulder may be constructed by placing a regular maintenance. Proper shoulder slope must
stabilized or paved strip along the inside be maintained for the full width of the shoulder to
pavement edge of an earth shoulder, or by placing insure adequate drainage. The slope should be as
a paved strip along the pavement edge of a previously indicated for a particular shoulder type
stabilized shoulder. discussed in this manual.

The maintenance of combination shoulders is


5.10 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS
identical to that for shoulder constructed of similar
materials. The nature of maintenance on a portion Environmental concerns such as wetlands,
of shoulder used for an entrance to a driveway or erosion control, and waterway pollution are to be
that alongside a mailbox does not differ greatly for addressed in the disposal of all excavated and
normal shoulder maintenance. However, the waste materials and in all other actions related to
extent of the repair and maintenance operations this activity.
may be quite different. All environmental policies, either by PennDOT,
D.E.P. or others in effect at the time are to be
5.8 ENTRANCES TO DRIVEWAYS adhered to by maintenance forces.
AND SIDE ROADS
PennDOT Publication 464 should be reviewed
Whenever a public road intersects a paved for BMP’s (Best Management Practices), both
highway, the approach to the side road should be installation and maintenance of erosion control
stabilized or paved by the Department to the limits devices related to shoulder cutting as well as other
of the right-of-way of the through highway. earth disturbance activities. Under SEM Program
Whether stabilization or paving is required will objective 433/434 Establish/Maintain SEM
depend on the amount of traffic using the side Program objectives and targets waste reduction
road. and resource conservation matters apply, along
At each approach, the normal shoulder width with water quality control matters.
should be maintained by maintenance forces in the
performance of regular routine shoulder main -
tenance operations. At entrances to private drives
and places of business, the Department "will not
be responsible for the maintenance of these areas"

Ch. Updated 4/12 5-6


Update #1

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