Drawing Elements for Reading and Interpretating Plans

Initially, we thought of marking up the sample construction drawings to indicate and highlight aspects of the item of work. However, we realized that if we just marked up one or two drawing sheets with some aspects of the item of work indicated and highlighted, readers may still struggle when they encounter different drawings for the same item of work with different elements shown. So, instead of marking up the drawings, we believe it is better to provide detailed checklists of drawing elements needed for reading and interpreting all drawings of the item of work.

Here is an example of notes and comments on drawing elements for reading and interpreting drawings related to and specific to CLEARING AND GRUBBING ITEM OF WORK.

ID	Clearing and Grubbing	General and Specific Notes and Comments to Consider When Reviewing the Drawings for this Item of Work
1	Title Block	Check for any outstanding party signatures that would “invalidate” this drawing – for example, the absence of a critical planning or permitting signature from an agency.  Also, be aware of changes to this drawing that either occurred in the bidding phase or during the construction phase.  This is the area where these changes are tracked.
2	North Arrow	It provides the reference line for ensuring that project components are positioned accurately on a site. There have been cases of structures built facing the wrong direction – pay attention to where the north is pointing. This is important for relating weather patterns to construction operations (e.g., prevailing wind and direction of smoke from burning, dust from the operation) and their effect on adjacent parties.
3	Begin/End Station
4	Drawing Scales
5	Plan View	Refer to the roadway plan (layout) and profile view for related drawing elements that show the geometric location, alignment, and extent of existing and proposed features related to this item of work
6	Legend with Symbols	Construction drawing symbols, such as line-type symbols, material symbols, cross-reference symbols, object symbols, topographic symbols, welding symbols, and others, are among the most important elements found in construction drawings. It is impossible to read and interpret a construction drawing without a clear understanding of each symbol. These symbols provide a standardized way to communicate detailed and complex information for all parties involved in a construction project.
7	Abbreviations
8	Survey Data	Survey data may relate to coordinates, azimuths, bearings, horizontal curves, vertical curves, benchmarks, elevations, slopes, and datum establishment.
9	Plan Notes	General notes contain plan notes required to clarify construction items that are not satisfactorily covered by the specifications or plan details. They are also used to modify the Standard Construction Drawings
10	Horizontal Alignment Lines – Existing and Proposed
11	Right of Way Line
12	Station Equation	Indicating that the station numbering has changed. The first station number is correct when measuring BACK along the centerline, and the second station number is correct when measuring AHEAD along the centerline. For example, where the station at a specific location along the centerline indicates that the station is Sta. 7+73.20 BACK and Sta 10+57.34 AHEAD
13	Match Line	Adjoining of adjacent portions of the project to the left, right, above, or below the current sheet.
14	Construction/Project Limit Line	Violation of these lines can cause disruptions to the work in a case of trespassing.
15	Limit of Clear and Grub Area	Violation of these lines can cause disruptions to the work in a case of trespassing.
16	Marked Trees to be Removed or to Remain	Certain trees may be sacred to owners, homes to endangered species, or vital to final project architecture.
17	Controlling Roadway Centerline and Stationing
18	Existing Grade/Contour Lines	Telling which direction surface water will flow and the degrees of water velocity related to erosion.  Additionally, contours can determine the direction of work (i.e., uphill or downhill).
19	Summary of Estimated Quantities	The sheet number columns in the summary of quantities sheet or subsummaries of quantities sheet are used to cross-reference to the sheet from where the items are to be found and from where quantities are carried. Sheet-by-sheet data can assist in reconciling bid quantities against the drawings.