Mobility Planning & Guidance

When we plan a construction or maintenance project, we must consider how our work may impact the movement of people and good through the area.

By evaluating mobility during our planning process, we will:

Maintain and enhance work zone safety.
Minimize detours and delays for travelers and the freight industry.
Minimize permanent and temporary freight size and weight restrictions.
Maintain critical routes to ensure freight can move through the state unimpeded.
Engage mobility stakeholders to find solutions and minimize impacts.

Project Requirements

The Highway Mobility Operational Notice — PD16 provides guidance on implementing key ODOT mobility policies, processes, roles and responsibilities related to project delivery. This guidance applies to all state and federally funded projects on state highways, at the project development stage through construction. This operational notice is consistent with the policies and procedures contained within the more detailed ODOT’s Mobility Procedures Manual, the accepted authority for mobility policy for the Agency.

Key policy considerations include:

Identification of Mobility Issues.
Communication and Coordination.
Temporary Restrictions.
Permanent Restrictions.
Transportation Management Plan.
Contract and Design Considerations.

ODOT Policy PMT 06-01 requires the Department to work collaboratively with, and minimize the impact where possible, to the motor carrier industry and local government when it becomes necessary to restrict the allowable size and weight of loads on the state highway system in order to maintain safe travel.

The Project Mobility Consideration Checklist is used to identify potential impacts to freight and traffic mobility in the development phase of a project. A guide is also available for completing the Checklist. Prior to PS&E, the Statewide Mobility Program manager must sign all mobility consideration checklists for highway projects that impact freight and traffic mobility. Mobility Program signature is not required for a "no mobility impact" project before submitting it with the PS&E package.

Changes to Project Mobility Consideration Checklist

Before making changes during construction that have the potential to adversely affect mobility or run counter to previous agreements, the Project Manager:

Must discuss proposed changes with the contractor, region mobility liaison and any relevant region resources to discuss proposed changes to determine if the change is warranted and supported by the region.
Engage the mobility team to discuss and get agreement with the potential changes before any agreements are made with the contractor, if supported by the region.
Document ODOT Statewide Mobility Program and trucking industry support of any potential new restrictions and provide a copy of the documentation to the region mobility liaison.

Leadership Direction for Changes to Mobility Consideration Checklist

The Transportation Mangement Plan (TMP) is a documented set of coordinated transportation management strategies used to manage the temporary work zone impacts of construction projects. A TMP Project Level Guidance Manual is available to provide guidance to ODOT designers on how to develop project level TMP documents for projects. The project level TMP guidance document has been adopted by ODOT and applies to all projects in conjunction with the goals of the FHWA rule on Work Zone Safety and Mobility 23 CFR 630 Subpart J.

Information needed for the Mobility Impacts Section of the TMP:

Critical route pair information.
Detour route information. If on a local road, list the following:

Who approved it?
Describe truck modeling.
Will the detour route allow oversize loads that are currently allowed on the restricted route?
Are there any restrictions on the detour route?

Can oversize loads be accommodated through the work zone by moving barriers and equipment out of the way and waving loads through with a short delay?
Is advanced noticed required?
Are crossovers used? If so, will traffic travel under structures?
When lane closures are used, describe how much width is available for traffic between barriers.
Is the work zone on a tangent or curve?
Describe any ramp closures.

Which on and off ramps are closed?
How long will the closure last?

Specify hours of operation for the project.

Is the work done at nighttime, daytime or both?
Is weekend work allowed?
Are there windows of opportunity for loads to get through?

The work zone safety directive requires the following documents in the project delivery process.

The TMP is required for all projects.
Work Zone Decision Tree form.

Delivery & Operations Division Directive - Guiding Principle for Work Zone Safety

Oregon Work Zone Safety Executive Steering Committee Guiding Principle

Highway restriction notices are required whenever construction or maintenance work will close or restrict a state highway or ramp. Visit the Highway Restriction Notices web page for information on submitting restriction notices.

Technical Guidance & Directives

Additional Resources

The following trainings are available to sign up in Workday Learning. Non-ODOT staff (consultants and other ODOT partners) can view information for creating a Workday Learning account on ODOT's Workday Learning Support page. For questions about Mobility trainings, contact the Mobility Program Content Owner. Did you attend a recent training? Tell us what you think by taking this brief survey.

Mobility 101: This course provides an introduction to Mobility Program policies and procedures. The session covers why mobility coordination is important, temporary and permanent mobility impacts, over-dimension permitting basics, roles and responsibilities, and more. Sign up for a live, instructor-led webinar version in Workday Learning, or take an online, self-directed version at your own pace.
ORS 366.215 Review Process: Raised medians, bridge structures, sidewalk bulb-outs, roundabouts, sign structures - these are just a few examples of permanent features which, if proposed on routes subject to Oregon Revised Statute 366.215, would require review per Oregon Administrative Rule (OAR 731-012-0010). This training session explains what is required under the law, how to identify potential impacts, and how to prepare for the review process.
Sign up in Workday Learning.
Preparing for a MAC Meeting: The purpose of the Mobility Advisory Committee (MAC) is to review and provide feedback on agency projects through the lens of mobility and work zone safety as it applies to both temporary and permanent impacts. The MAC recently adopted a charter that outlines the committee’s roles and responsibilities, project review criteria and mobility meeting guidelines. This course will prepare you for these meetings by covering when you may need to present to the MAC, guidelines and resources, as well as the project review criteria.
Sign up in Workday Learning.
Mobility Considerations Checklist Essentials: The Mobility Considerations Checklist is used during project development to identify temporary work zone impacts to mobility. This course explains why this form is important to ODOT, what information is required, and best practices for getting the Checklist signed-off on time.
Sign up in Workday Learning.
Understanding Oregon's Critical Route Pairs: An important concept that affects mobility coordination when planning temporary work zone restrictions is Critical Route Pairs. This course explains what these paired routes are and why it is important to ensure they are not concurrently restricted. The course also includes different scenarios for restriction planning and explains tools available to help with Critical Route Pair coordination efforts.
Sign up in Workday Learning.

Full Charter with Appendices

Charter At-A-Glance

Individual Appendices:

Vertical Clearance Standards

Critical Route Pair GIS Map

State Highways subject to ORS 366.215

Statewide PDF Map
ODOT Trans GIS (view the Reduction Review Route layer in the Freight category)

Reduction Review Routes includes all parts of the state highway(s) that must be travelled to complete the prescribed route and/or connect with other state highways. This includes couplets and on- and off-ramps.

View a GIS Map showing projects with planned restrictions on Critical Route Pairs.
Critical Route Pairs explained (what they are and where they are located)
If a route identified on the list of critical route pairs (below) needs to be temporarily restricted, ODOT will take steps to make sure the paired critical route on the list is not restricted.

Highway	Paired With	Area
I-5	OR 212, U.S. 26, U.S. 97	Washington - California
I-84	OR 212, U.S. 26, U.S. 97, U.S. 20 (Sometimes includes OR 78 & U.S. 95)	Portland - Ontario
U.S. 30	U.S. 26	Portland - Coast
OR 22 & OR 18	U.S. 20	Willamette Valley - Coast
OR 126	OR 38	Willamette Valley - Coast
OR 38	OR 42	I-5 - Coast
OR 126	OR 58	I-5 - Central Oregon

Mobility Considerations Checklist (form# 735-9983): Used for identifying potential mobility impacts associated with construction and maintenance projects.
ORS 366.215 Consent Calendar Request Form (form# 735-9995): Used for projects with low-impact Reductions in Vehicle-Carrying Capacity requesting to be placed on the Interested Party Forum consent calendar (see form instructions).
Work Zone Decision Tree (form# 734-5042): Used to evaluate all work zone safety options throughout the life of a project.

Roundabout Directive: Every time a roundabout is proposed to be installed on the state highway system, the Highway Directive — Roundabouts on State Highway System must be followed. This directive establishes the expectations and processes concerning freight mobility.
Mobility Engagement Guidance for Intersection Improvements and Roundabouts: Guidance document for engaging with the Mobility Advisory Committee for proposed intersection improvements and roundabouts.