Guidelines for Uniform ROW Plans
NOTE:
- Consultants providing right-of-way mapping to Western Federal Lands Highway Division Reality Group will consult the project Statement of Work to verify which files are to be provided and to determine which files it will be necessary to obtain from Western Federal Lands Highway Division to be used in the preparation of the Right-of-Way drafting.
- The Property and R/W - CADD file (PRW) is the responsibility of Western Federal Lands Highway Division Survey Group and will be provided by and/or approved by WFLHD Survey Group for use in right-of-way drafting.
1. CADD Filenames
Most Right-of-Way plan sheets are created with references to other files that contain the planimetrics (survey data) and horizontal alignment (design data).
Planimetric files have the suffix “plm” prior to the Microstation file extension (…plm.dgn) and horizontal alignment files have the suffix “ha” prior to the Microstation file extension (…ha.dgn). The Right-of-Way files should be named in a similar manor. The Right-of-Way base map should have the suffix “row” prior to the Microstation file extension (…row.dgn). Naming convention examples are shown in figure A.
| Figure A CADD FILE NAMING CONVENTIONS | |||
| OLD Forest Highway Program | Park, Refuge Road Program | Defense Access Road Program | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project Number | AK PFH 9-1(5) | WY PRA YELL 10(6) | MT DRA 18(33) |
| State/Park/Program | Alaska | Yellowstone NP | Missile Road |
| Highway Route | 9 | 10 | 18 |
| Segment of Route | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| Project Number | 5 | 6 | 33 |
| CADD Filenames example: | |||
| R/W Filename | af915row.dgn | ||
| Planimetrics | af915pl.dgn | ||
| Alignment | af915ha.dgn | ||
| **ROW Plans Sheets | af915ja-kz.dgn | ||
| ROW Plats Sheets | af915plt01-99.dgn | ||
| ROW Exhibits | af915ex01-99.dgn | ||
| ROW Utility Relocation Sheets | af915ut01-99.dgn | ||
**la - mz suffixes may be uses for ROW plans sheets, if additional sheets are necessary.
Standard file naming convention can be determined by using the Western Federal Lands Highway Division file names generator located at http://www.wfl.fhwa.dot.gov/resources/design/sample-plans/file-names/.
Note: Consultants preparing Right-of-Way sheets may need to use copies of files from Design or Survey/Mapping as references in the creation of the sheets. Changes to these files should not be made by the consultant. It is recommended that “_copy” be added to the name just before the “.dgn” file extension as a queue that the reference file may need to be replaced with the original file at a later date. (example: ak915plm_copy.dgn)
2. CADD Notes
Standard abbreviations and codes used in these guidelines are shown in Figure B.
| Figure B LEGEND | |
| AS | Active Scale |
| LV | Level |
| CO | Color |
| WT | Line Weight |
| LC | Line Style |
| TX | Text Size |
| LS | Text Line Spacing |
| FT | Font |
| CST | Set By Custom Line Style |
| Cell | Set By Cell |
| PRW | Property & R/W file |
| ROW | R/W Base Map |
3. Resource Files
Resource Files are located in the Right-of-Way Downloads section.
4. Cell Libraries
Graphics that are used on a consistent basis such as plan sheet borders, key maps, and symbols are located in the WFHD cell libraries section. Many of the cells in these libraries have been created for use with annotation scale. Those cells that are intended to be used with annotation scale will scale automatically when placed with the annotation scale toggle set to “on” and Active Scale set to “1”, providing that the appropriate active model scale has been chosen/set in the Model Properties Dialog Box. See Figure C & D. The Right-of-Way cell libraries includes cells necessary to complete Right-of-Way plans (11x17) and exhibits (8.5x11) for private acquisition of Right-of-Way through and abutting private properties and the cells necessary to complete Right-of-Way plats (8.5x11) for Federal Land Transfers.
- View the Right-of-way cell library
5. Right-of-Way Sheet Scale & Orientation Rules
- North arrows should always be vertical or horizontal, preferably pointing to the top or left of side of the sheet.
- DO NOT scale, move or rotate reference files to fit on the sheet. Reference files should remain world coordinate correct. Instead, place and adjust sheets as follows to fit the reference files:
- In the Model Properties Dialog box, make sure that the desired annotation scale is selected for the design model. This will set the sheet to the corresponding sheet scale. See Figure C.
- b. Place the sheet cell making sure that the annotation scale button is highlighted.
(Active scale of 1 will result in sheet placement at the active model Scale)
See Figures C & D. - Move the sheet to the desired area of the map to be shown.
- Rotate the sheet to the desired 90º incremental rotation.
- Rotate the view to sheet orientation.
Figure C
Figure D
6. What's in the Right-of-Way Base Map?
The Right-of-Way Base map should include references to the following base files:
- The Engineers Design Plan
- The Engineers HA file
- The Surveyed PLM file
- The Property PRW file
The Right-of-Way Base map should contain:
- Proposed Right-of Way Line-work
- Proposed Construction Easement/Permit Line-work
- Proposed Right-of-Way Dimensions and Stationing
- Proposed Construction Easement/Permit Dimensions and Stationing
- Property Ownership Information
- Parcel Numbers
- Boundary Control Description Text
- Major Station Labels
- Control Point Station Labels
- Curve Information
- Boundary Control Monuments
All text and labels should be rotated and scaled appropriately for 11x17 Plans Sheets.
All text and labels on Plats and Exhibits will usually be copied directly into the sheets.
The Right-of-Way Plans Sheets may contain copied information from the Right-of-Way Base Map when necessary for clean sheet organization and layout. Copy information with discretion. Other line-work and text may be included as necessary for facilitation of Right-of-Way Plans, Plats and Exhibits. Some levels, in some references, may not be displayed for clarity. See the Right-of-Way Plans Checklist for what is to be included in the Right-of-Way Plans sheets set.
ROW Plans Checklist.doc (Word/docx, 19 KB)7. Stations and Offsets
Do not use “Station” or “Sta” as a prefix to the station numbers. Any numbering including a plus sign (for example 2+959 or 30+00 is understood to be a station number. Station and offset callouts should be used at all crucial points on the R/W and Easements. Stand-alone offsets may be used to dimension R/W when R/W constant over a large stretch of the alignment or in other special cases.
8. Constraints for Mapping New ROW Boundaries
- Right-of-Way lines should be a minimum of 3 feet (1 meter) beyond the Outer Design Limits.
- Stay parallel to centerline when possible.
- Do not take unnecessary Right-of-Way.
- Right-of-Way widths are to be in even 1 foot or (1 meter) increments.
- Do not change ROW offsets within a curve unless absolutely necessary.
- Transition only on even 50 foot (20 meter) stations or at curve / spiral points.
- Maintain a consistent offset through spiral curves, unless the transition starts at the beginning stations of the spiral and ends at the ending stations of the spiral.
- Always show chord distances and bearings, especially on spirals and curves.
- Do Not transition on the same station unless absolutely necessary and the change in offset is 10 feet (3 meters) or more. (i.e. PC 27+129.33 15ft – 25ft offset.)
9. Text Styles & Dimension Styles
Standard Text Styles and Dimension Styles to be use in the preparation of Right-of-Way plans, plat and exhibits are the same as those used for design files/plans preparation with some exceptions. These styles have been created with the intension that annotation scale be used. All text and dimensions, except in special circumstances, should be place with the annotation scale toggle set to “on”. This sets the text/dimensions scale using the chosen Text or Dimension Styles based on the Active Model Scale as seen in the Model Properties Dialog Box. Exceptions include the use of Style (none), without the use of annotation scale, for some text. It may be necessary to selectively copy some text from reference files directly into the Right-of-Way base map, plan or plat sheet and Text Styles with annotation scale may not have been used. In this case it is usually recommended that the Text Style be changed to a current annotative Text Style, but in some special cases where Text Style (none) – font001 is use it is best not to change the Text Style.
For more information about prescribed Text and Dimension Style using annotation scale, choose Text and Dimension Info. and see the Right-of-Way Sample Plans.
Note: the Text and Dimensions Info. page was created for design work not Right-of Way, therefore some information may not apply.
Tip: It will be advantageous to manually modify the standard Dimension Style Properties to place dimensions on the P_RW_Dimensions level before placing dimensions in Right-of-Way base map. This can be accomplished by opening the Dimension Style Dialog Box, selecting the Advanced Tab, Expanding the General Properties and Placement Property in the Properties Window, and selecting P_RW_Dimensions from the levels drop-down.
Figure H
Figure I
10. Lettering Sizes
Standard lettering sizes are shown in Figure J. text line spacing (LS) should generally be half of the text size (0.5). For text placed using Text Styles with annotation scale “on” the sizes shown in figure J should be set automatically.
| Figure J LETTERING SIZES (TX) | ||||||
| UNITS | US CUSTOMARY UNITS Plot scale |
METRIC UNITS Plot scale | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard size Scale | 1"=200ft | 1"=100ft | 1"=40ft | 1:2000 | 1:1000 | |
| Minimum text size | 8 | 4 | 1.6 | 2 | 1 | |
| File location and date | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2.5 | 1.25 | |
| Sheet number block | 12 | 6 | 2.4 | 3 | 1.5 | |
| Small text | 14 | 7 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 1.75 | |
| Normal text size | 16 | 8 | 3.2 | 4 | 2 | |
| Large text | 18 | 9 | 3.6 | 4.5 | 2.25 | |
| Drawing minor headings | 20 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 2.5 | |
| Drawing major headings, NOTE: and FOOTNOTE: text & Title block text | 24 | 12 | 4.8 | 6 | 3 | |
NOTE: Other scales may be used to comply with the needs of the local agency.
Use a “Footnote” to supplement labels where insufficient space is available at the label location. Use a “Note” for general information that is relevant to the entire sheet. Do not use the term “General Notes”. When possible, place Notes and Footnotes on the right hand side of the sheet with Notes placed above Footnotes.
Write numbers with commas separating millions or thousands (i.e. 99,999 rather than 99999 or 99 999).
11. plan and Plat Distribution
Color Right-of-Way plan and plat sheets should be distributed for plan reviews and to clarify complex information on the plan sheets. One set of color plans will normally be distributed to county or state agencies along with three sets of black & white plans. For Federal Land Transfers, federal agencies shall receive one color copy of Right-of-Way plats along with three sets of black and white plats. Color exhibit sheets will be needed for use in Right-of-Way negotiation. The first sheet of each parcel exhibit set will include one “Symbols and Abbreviations sheet” for clarification of exhibit content. Standard colors to be used for colored plans sheets are shown in Figure E. Most of the standard colors are set according to the level that the element resides on (ByLevel). Further information about Level Assignments and Element Symbology can be seen in the Levels and Symbology section, Figures F & G.
| Figure E STANDARD COLORS (FYI - Most colors are set By-Level automatically) | ||
| CADD Color | Plotted Color | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| CO = 0 | Black | R/W Dimensions and Information not listed below |
| CO = 1 | Blue | Water (streams, culverts, wetlands) |
| CO = 2 | Green | Existing Vegetation, National Forest Service Lands boundaries |
| CO = 3 | Red | Proposed centerline, National boundaries, State boundaries, County boundaries, City boundaries, BIA boundaries, BLM boundaries |
| CO = 5 | Pink | Parcels, Properly lines, Ownership information, Existing R/W, Permanent easements, Prescriptive easements, Utility easements, Township & Range lines, Section & Subsection lines, Boundary control & descriptions |
| CO = 79 | Purple | Proposed R/W, Permanent Easements (P/E), Construction Easements (C/E) |
| CO = 194 | Lt. Green | National Wildlife Refuge boundaries |
| CO = 253 | Brown | National Park boundaries |
12. Levels & Symbology
| Figure F LEVEL ASSIGNMENTS | ||
| DESCRIPTION | FILE | LEVEL |
|---|---|---|
| Existing Right of Way information (FYI) | PRW | |
| Property lines | E_RW_Property_Line | |
| Existing Right of Way (Lt side of alignment) |
E_RW_Right_of_Way_line | |
| (Rt side of alignment) | ||
| Existing Permanent Easement (Easement Lt) |
E_RW_Perm_Easement | |
| (Easement Rt) | ||
| Existing Prescriptive Easement | E_RW_Prescriptive_Easement | |
| Township, Range | E_RW_Township_or_Range_Line | |
| Sections & Subsections | E_RW_Section_Line... | |
| Sec. & Sub. Labels | E_RW_Text | |
| Corners & Corner Labels | E_RW_Boundary_Control | |
| Government & Fed. Lands Boundaries | E_RW_Boundary... | |
| Other Existing Right of Way Info. | E_RW_... | |
| Proposed Right of Way information | ROW | |
| Proposed Right of Way (Lt side of Alignment) |
P_RW_Right_of_Way | |
| (Rt side of Alignment) | ||
| Proposed Permanent Easement (Easement Lt) |
P_RW_Permanent_Easement | |
| (Easement Rt) | ||
| Proposed Temp. Const. Easement (Easement Lt) |
P_RW_Construction_Easement | |
| (Easement Rt) | ||
| Dimensions for Proposed Line-work | R_RW_Dimensions | |
| Other Information Pertinent to Right of Way | ||
| Copied text information from HA, PLM or PRW; Scaled, Rotated or Moved for Readability Note: |
Preserve the level of original information or use the AUX levels (as needed) | |
| Figure G ELEMENT SYMBOLOGY | ||||
| DESCRIPTION | FILE | CO | WT | LC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Existing Right of Way information (FYI) | PRW | All Symbology is ByLevel unless noted with * | ||
| Property lines | 5 | 1 | ||
| Existing Right of Way (Lt side of Alignment) |
5 | 1 | *E_Right_of_Way_Left | |
| (Rt side of Alignment) | *E_Right_of_Way_Right | |||
| Existing Permanent Easement (Easement Lt) |
5 | 1 | *E_Permanent_Easement_Left | |
| (Easement Rt) | *E_Permanent_Easement_Right | |||
| Existing Prescriptive Easement | 5 | 1 | E_Permanent_Easement_Inline | |
| Township, Range | 5 | 1 | E_Township_or_Range_Line | |
| Sections & Subsections | 5 | Varies | E_Section_Line... (Varies) | |
| Sec. & Sub. Labels | 5 | 1 | E_Section_Text | |
| Corners & Corner Labels | 5 | 1 | E_RW_Boundary_Control | |
| Government & Fed. Lands Boundaries | Varies | Varies | E_RW_Boundary... (Varies) | |
| Other Existing Right of Way info. | Varies | Varies | Varies | |
| Proposed Right of Way information | ROW | All Symbology is ByLevel unless noted with * | ||
| Proposed Right of Way (Lt side of Alignment) |
79 | 4 | *P_Right_of_Way_Left | |
| (Rt side of Alignment) | *P_Right_of_Way_Right | |||
| Proposed Permanent Easement (Easement Lt) |
79 | 4 | *Permanent_Easement_Left | |
| (Easement Rt) | *Permanent_Easement_Right | |||
| Proposed Temp. Const. Easement (Easement Lt) |
79 | 4 | *Construction_Easement_Left | |
| (Easement Rt) | *Construction_Easement_Right | |||
| Dimensions for Proposed Line-work | *0 | *0 | P_RW_Dimensions | |
| Other Information Pertinent to Right of Way | ||||
| Copied text information from HA, PLM or PRW; Scaled, Rotated or Moved for Readability Note: |
Preserve original symbology | |||
13. Sample Right-of-Way Plans, Plats, & Exhibits
Sample Right-of-Way plans, plats are located in the Sample Plans & Plats section. Exhibits for use in private party negotiations for Right-of-Way acquisition are created using the same (8.5x11) sheet cell as the Right-of-Way plats and will be very similar in appearance. Right-of-Way exhibits sets do not require the creation of a Title Sheet, Plans and Symbols Sheet, Vicinity Map Sheets or Typical Section Sheets as this information is available in the (11x17) Right-of-Way Plans Set.
These Sample Sheets can be utilized to identify TextStyles, text size, levels, symbology, cells and file referencing structure use in the preparation of Right-of-Way Plans, Plat and Exhibits.
14. Finalization of Right-of-Way Projects
Any design files referenced by the Right-of-Way Base Map, Plan sheets, Utility Relocation sheets, Plats or Exhibits shall be copied to the “…/Right-of-Way/References” folder upon approval of the final right-of-way plan by all parties involved. This should be done just prior to the recording of the legal right-of-way documents. These are only for the purpose of comparison should changes to the design file be evident when right-of-way files are opened at a later date. The copied files will retain the name of the original file with the addition of “_final(mm-dd-yy)” before the file extension. Do Not re-associate any references to these copies at this time. These are for backup purposes only.