UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

**BULLETIN 1751F-642**

**SUBJECT: [Construction Route Planning of Buried Plant]{.underline}**

**TO:** All Telecommunications Borrowers

RUS Telecommunications Staff

**EFFECTIVE DATE:** Date of Approval

**EXPIRATION DATE:** Seven years from effective date

**OFFICE OF PRIMARY INTEREST:** Outside Plant Branch, Telecommunications
Standards Division

**PREVIOUS INSTRUCTIONS:** This bulletin replaces RUS Bulletin
1751F-642, Staking of Buried Plant, dated June 26, 1992.

**FILING INSTRUCTIONS:** Discard RUS Bulletin 1751F-642, Staking of
Buried Plant, dated June 26, 1992, and replace it with this bulletin.
File with 7 CFR 1751 and is available to RUS staff on RUSNET.

**PURPOSE:** This bulletin provides RUS borrowers, consulting engineers,
contractors and other interested parties with information concerning
construction route planning of buried plant construction projects.

Adam Golodner 06/30/95

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Administrator Date

**TABLE OF CONTENTS**

1\. General
\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\... 5

2\. Pre-Construction Route Planning Activities \...\...\...\.... 7

3\. National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) \...\...\...\...\..... 9

4\. National Electrical Code (NEC) \...\...\...\...\...\...\...\... 10

5\. Outside Plant Assembly Units \...\...\...\...\...\...\...\..... 10

6\. Construction Route Planning \...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\... 10

7\. Outside Plant Housing Selection \...\...\...\...\...\...\..... 20

8\. Terminal Blocks \...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...
20

9\. Railroad Crossings \...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...
21

10\. Road and Highway Crossings \...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\.... 21

11\. Pipeline Crossings \...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...
22

12\. Station Installations \...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...
23

13\. Electrical Protection \...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...
23

14\. Final Inventory Construction Drawings \...\...\...\...\..... 24

**TABLES & FIGURES**

Table 1 Suggested Measurement Techniques \...\...\...\...\..... 18

Figure 1 Example of Typical Construction Drawing \...\...\.... 26

Figure 2 Methods of Locating Buried Pipelines on Drawings . 27

Figure 3 Example of Final Inventory Construction Drawing .. 28

Figure 4 Example of Buried Plant Construction Route

Planning Symbols \...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\...\... 29

INDEX:

Outside Plant

Construction Route Planning

Telecommunications

**ABBREVIATIONS**

BET Building Entrance Terminal

BFCP Buried Filled Cable Pre-Designated Area Assembly Unit

CATV Community Antenna Television Service

CFR Code of Federal Regulations

HFM Hand-push, Wheel-type Footmeter

LD Loan Design

NEC National Electrical Code

NESC National Electrical Safety Code

NID Network Interface Device

R/W Rights-of-way

RUS Rural Utilities Service

SAIC Serving Area Interface Cabinet

SAVE Serving Area Value Engineering

TE&CM Telecommunications Engineering and Construction Manual

VFM Vehicle Mounted Footmeter

**DEFINITIONS**

**[BFCP]{.underline}:** A buried filled cable assembly unit which
informs the contractor that the installation in that particular area
will be much more difficult than normal because of the presence of
underground facilities or severe rights-of-way restrictions.

**[Building Entrance Terminal]{.underline}:** A building entrance
terminal is comprised of housing containing both primary station
protectors and connector terminals for each conductor pair provided by
the telecommunications company and used by the customer. The primary
station protectors may be fused or fuseless.

**[Construction Corridor]{.underline}:** A corridor having a minimum
width of

1 rod (5.0 meters) along the designated route for buried cable and wire
placement, which permits passage and operation of the construction
equipment.

**[Construction Drawings]{.underline}:** The drawings developed through
the construction route planning process and used to guide the
construction of outside plant facilities.

**[Construction Route Planning Personnel]{.underline}:** Representatives
of the engineer responsible for gathering field data and preparing
construction drawings.

**[Loan Design]{.underline}:** A comprehensive engineering plan for the
project used to support a loan application to RUS.

**[Network Interface Device]{.underline}:** A network interface device
is comprised of a housing suitable for outdoor installation which
contains a compartment accessible by only telecommunications employees
which includes a primary station protector and means for terminating
telecommunications service wire conductors and/or metallic shields, and
a compartment accessible by customers which includes a RJ-11 plug and
jack of the type specified in Part 68 of FCC regulations.

**[Reduced Construction Corridor]{.underline}:** A construction corridor
having a width less than the standard \"Construction Corridor.\"

**[Resident Engineer]{.underline}:** The representative of the Engineer
who is delegated full-time \"on site\" responsibilities for overall
project administration, design, construction route planning, and
construction.

**[Restricted Construction Corridor]{.underline}:** A standard or
reduced construction corridor containing the presence of existing buried
telecommunications and/or other utilities facilities, rights-of-way
restrictions, or other factors.

**[Rights-of-Way]{.underline}:** The strips of land over which
facilities such as highways, railroads, power lines, other utilities, or
telecommunication lines are constructed.

**[RUS Accepted (Material and Equipment)]{.underline}:** Material and
equipment which RUS has reviewed and determined that:

a\. Final assembly is conducted within the United States, Mexico, or
Canada or any of their respective territories and the cost of United
States, Mexican, or Canadian, manufactured components, in any
combination, is more than 50 percent of the total cost of all components
utilized in the material or equipment, and

b\. The material or equipment complies with pertinent RUS or industry
standards and field experience has demonstrated that the material or
equipment is suitable for use on systems of RUS telecommunications
borrowers.

**[RUS Technically Accepted (Material and Equipment)]{.underline}:**
Material and equipment which RUS has reviewed and determined that:

a\. Final assembly is not conducted within the United States, Mexico, or
Canada, or any of their territories, or the cost of components within
the material or equipment which are manufactured within the United
States, Mexico, or Canada, or any of their territories, cost 50 percent
or less than the total cost of all components utilized in the material
or equipment, and

b\. The material or equipment complies with pertinent RUS or industry
standards and field experience has demonstrated that the material or
equipment is suitable for use on systems of RUS telecommunications
borrowers.

**1. GENERAL**

**1.1** Construction route planning is the process of reviewing and
assessing proposed construction routes and preparing drawings and
tabulations to show the locations and quantities of construction units
required. It should be consistent with the construction proposed in the
Loan Design (LD). It should be undertaken with the objective of
constructing buried plant which conforms to Rural Utilities Service
(RUS) standards, is free from hazards, and is economical. The
information and recommendations in this bulletin are advisory.

**1.2** Personnel performing the construction route planning should be
familiar with and have access to the following materials:

a\. The approved LD (including maps) and any revisions;

b\. List of subscribers giving map locations and grades of

service;

c\. List of held service orders;

d\. Maps showing any available, executed or planned

rights-of way (R/W) easements;

e\. National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) (latest edition);

f\. National Electrical Code (NEC) (latest edition);

g\. Existing local and State electrical codes, especially

where they are more stringent than the NESC and NEC

codes;

h\. Construction routing and R/W selection;

i\. Route, pole, and housing numbering;

j\. Existing construction drawings;

k\. Capabilities of various types of plowing and trenching

equipment;

l\. Station installation procedures;

m\. Clearances according to NEC and NESC Codes;

n\. Association of American Railroads Crossing Standard;

o\. Design and construction of joint buried plant (electric

and telephone) according to NEC and NESC codes;

p\. RUS Form 515, Telephone System Construction Contract;

q\. RUS Bulletin 345-150, Specifications and Drawings for

Construction of Direct Buried Plant (RUS Form 515a);

r\. RUS Bulletin 345-154, Specifications and Drawings for

Service Entrance and Station Protector Installation

(RUS Form 515g);

s\. RUS Bulletin 380-1, Right-of-Way and Title Procedures;

t\. RUS Bulletin 1751F-626, Staking of Aerial Plant;

u\. RUS Bulletin 1751F-640, Design of Buried Plant -

Physical Considerations;

v\. RUS Bulletin 1751F-641, Construction of Buried Plant;

w\. RUS Bulletin 1751F-670, Outside Plant Corrosion

Consideration;

x\. RUS Bulletin 1751F-801, Electrical Protection

Fundamentals;

y\. RUS Bulletin 1751F-805, Electrical Protection at

Customer Locations;

z\. RUS Bulletin 1751F-815, Electrical Protection of Outside

Plant;

aa. RUS Bulletin 1753F-401(PC-2), RUS Standard for Splicing

Copper and Fiber Optic Cables (codified under 7 CFR

1755.200);

bb. The following RUS Telecommunications Engineering and

Construction Manual (TE&CM) Sections:

1\. 116, Plant Engineering and Record System;

2\. 210, Telephone System Design - Sizing Criteria;

3\. 230, General Principles of Feeder - Distribution

Cable Engineering (Serving Area Value Engineering

\[SAVE\]);

4\. 231, Design Techniques of Feeder-Distribution Cable

Engineering (SAVE);

5\. 232, Transmission Design Cost Considerations of

Feeder-Distribution Cable Engineering (SAVE);

6\. 424, Design Guideline for Telecommunications

Subscriber Loop Plant;

7\. 628, Plastic-Insulated Cable Plant Layout;

8\. 629, Cable Plant Layout - Serving Area Value

Engineering (SAVE) for Rural Systems;

9\. 648, Serving Area Value Engineering-Physical Plant;

and

10\. 822, Electrical protection of Carrier Equipment.

**1.3** Construction route planning personnel along with representatives
of the borrower should attend the Pre-Construction Route Planning
Conference and construction route planning should conform to the
agreements and requirements contained in the Pre-Construction Route
Planning Conference minutes. When construction is planned to be
performed on public R/W, it may be advantageous to have a Department of
Transportation official present at the Pre-Construction Route Planning
Conference.

**1.4** Even though it is beneficial for construction route planning
personnel to be familiar with the material listed in Paragraph 1.2
above, construction route planning personnel are not usually expected to
design the buried outside plant. They are expected to make field
measurements of cable and wire lengths as well as miscellaneous unit
lengths, unit locations, and locate outside plant housings for loading
(when loaded lines are determined by RUS to be economically feasible and
the overall system design complies with the Modernization Plan \[7 CFR
1751, Subpart B\]), branch splices, subscriber terminations, etc. They
also locate obstacles such as culverts and underground facilities of
other utilities as discussed later. They verify the general route which
has been tentatively selected by the engineer and should discuss any
difficulties noted in the proposed routing with the engineer before
making any changes.

**1.5** Investigation, coordination, and thorough planning of the route
should be of paramount importance to avoid future problems that the
borrower may encounter in the operation and maintenance of the plant. In
the case of buried plant, firm decisions should be made in the design
stage.

**1.6** The physical presence of the buried plant facilities,
characteristics of the terrain, and electrical and mechanical protection
of the buried plant facilities should also be considered in determining
the construction route.

**2. PRE-CONSTRUCTION ROUTE PLANNING ACTIVITIES**

**2.1** Before construction route planning begins, construction route
planning personnel should receive assurances from the borrower that R/W
agreements or permits have been obtained. Any suitable means, such as
easement strip maps to indicate the R/W conditions, may be used for this
purpose. Property owners who wait until construction route planning is
performed to observe the route taken before granting an easement should
be noted as well as the status of easements on other properties. The RUS
borrower should furnish a qualified representative to accompany the
construction route planning personnel to negotiate with landowners for
easements. Any precautions to be observed during construction should be
noted on the construction drawings.

**2.2** When service order activities indicate changes in subscriber
estimates, the resident engineer should be informed and if necessary,
action should be taken to revise the initial design to ensure that
construction will be adequate to meet subscriber demands. Any design
changes should be reflected in the construction drawings of the project,
but 7 CFR 1753.3 requires that written approval for significant changes
must be obtained from the borrower and RUS.

**2.3** Construction route planning personnel should mark only those
lines shown in the approved LD except for minor changes dictated by
field conditions. The resident engineer should inform the construction
route planning personnel of any routes, leads, or service connections
which for any reason are not to be constructed and for those additional
routes that are to be constructed.

**2.4** Careful consideration should be given to the usability of R/W
obtained on each parcel of land on which cables and/or wires are to be
constructed. If R/W are not satisfactory from a construction standpoint
because of poor routing, hazardous conditions, heavy clearing, rock,
swampy soil, lawns, insufficient construction corridor width for the
plow train, etc., the resident engineer should discuss the conditions
with the borrower so that an attempt can be made either to procure
additional R/W or to relocate the proposed section of route.

**2.5** When the borrower is required to submit engineering information
as a prerequisite for procuring a permit, license, franchise, or
authorization from public bodies or private corporations in connection
with proposed construction, construction route planning personnel should
furnish the resident engineer with the necessary field data to prepare
the required information and drawings for the borrower. Examples of
situations for which permits may be required are:

a\. Plowing or trenching on or adjacent to roads and

highways;

b\. Crossing of highways;

c\. Bridge attachments;

d\. Crossing navigable streams or other bodies of water;

e\. Crossing railroads;

f\. Joint occupancy trenches with another utility;

g\. Crossing buried facilities of other utilities;

h\. Crossing land owned or controlled by public bodies;

i\. Location of outside plant housings or poles on public

R/W; and

j\. Other sensitive environmental areas.

**2.6** The borrower and resident engineer should agree on the
construction route planning markers (such as stakes, bright colored
paint, etc,), installation time of the markers, and marking symbols to
be used during the construction route planning operation to identify the
proposed construction route. All of the above items should be agreed to
at the Pre-Construction Route Planning Conference and discussed at the
Pre-Bid Conference.

**3. NATIONAL ELECTRICAL SAFETY CODE (NESC)**

**3.1** It is very important that construction route planning personnel
know and understand the requirements set forth in the NESC for
telecommunications system outside plant construction as well as the
requirements of the local authorities in the particular locality where
construction route planning is to be performed.

**3.2** Some localities (States and/or municipalities) have requirements
for telecommunications buried plant which are more stringent than those
of the latest edition of the NESC. [The authorities administering these
provisions expect that the more stringent requirements be
observed]{.underline}. For localities where no requirements are
established, the provisions of the latest edition of the NESC should be
followed. RUS Loan Contracts and Mortgages require borrowers to observe
all appropriate codes that may pertain.

**3.3** The portions of the NESC that construction route planning
personnel should be particularly concerned with are Parts 2 and 3 which
deal with the installation and maintenance of overhead and underground
lines. NESC rules are not intended to serve as a basis for designing or
construction route planning of telecommunications plant. The rules
should be considered as the minimum standards that should be met to help
assure the plant is constructed to withstand the mechanical loads and
stresses to which it will be subjected, be reasonably protected from the
possible effects of electrical disturbances, and be relatively free from
hazards to the general public and to telecommunications maintenance
personnel.

**4. NATIONAL ELECTRICAL CODE (NEC)**

**4.1** The purpose of the NEC is the practical safeguarding of persons
and property from hazards arising from the use of electricity. The NEC
includes the basic minimum provisions for installation of
telecommunications facilities on subscribers\' premises.

**4.2** Chapter 8, \"Communications Systems,\" Article 800,
\"Communication Circuits,\" of the NEC discusses minimum conductor
insulation requirements and station grounding. Most authorities make it
mandatory to observe the requirements set forth in the NEC unless their
local requirements are more stringent, in which case the latter should
be observed.

**5. OUTSIDE PLANT ASSEMBLY UNITS**

**5.1** The general buried plant design in the approved LD should be
translated by the resident engineer into a specific design in sufficient
detail to enable construction of the plant. To facilitate the specific
design, standard \"assembly units\" have been devised for most major
components of outside plant. Detailed descriptions of all standard
buried plant assembly units are given in RUS Bulletin 345-150,
Specifications and Drawings for Construction of Direct Buried Plant (RUS
Form 515a).

**5.2** Where standard assembly units are insufficient to provide for
unique construction requirements, \"nonstandard assembly units\" should
be created in detail to meet those requirements. RUS 7 CFR 1753.6
requires that the nonstandard assembly units and related drawings be RUS
approved when RUS loan funds will be used to finance their construction.
RUS prefers, however, that the number of \"nonstandard assembly units\"
be kept to the absolute minimum and that every effort be made to utilize
RUS \"standard assembly units\" as far as practical.

**5.3** The complete physical outside plant as contemplated in the LD
should be depicted by specifying the appropriate types, quantities and
locations of standard and nonstandard assembly units on construction
drawings.

**6. CONSTRUCTION ROUTE PLANNING**

**6.1** Construction route planning personnel should begin construction
route planning by checking the status of R/W and permit easements, by
marking control points on the LD maps, by making a reconnaissance of the
proposed construction areas, and checking and noting the items listed
below:

a\. Terrain;

b\. Location of establishments;

c\. Natural control points;

d\. Plowing or trenching locations as determined by fences,

roads, R/W easements, rivers, bridges, etc.;

e\. Obstacles for plow trains or trenchers;

f\. Sufficient construction corridor R/W for plow trains;

g\. Locations of other buried utilities; and

h\. Locations of existing outside plant housings.

**6.2** Control points are those points or areas along a proposed
construction route where circumstances demand special consideration by
construction route planning personnel in specifying appropriate
construction units. Examples of control points are:

a\. Street, alley, and highway intersections;

b\. Rivers, streams, drainage ditches, and canals;

c\. Private driveways, field entrances, and fence corners;

d\. Railroad R/W;

e\. Other buried facilities;

f\. Junctions between cable and wire;

g\. Junctions with branch cables;

h\. Housing locations;

i\. Subscribers\' premises;

j\. Trees;

k\. Reduced and restricted construction corridor R/W;

l\. Outcropping of rock;

m\. Buried splice closures; and

n\. Areas identified in the Borrower Environmental Report,

Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact

Statement.

**6.3** Housings should be placed along buried cable or wire leads at
the following locations:

a\. At subscriber distribution points within a reasonable

service distance to all prospective subscribers;

b\. At junctions with lateral runs of cable or wire

including possible future extensions;

c\. At bonding and grounding locations for fiber optic

cable plant;

d\. At aerial inserts, if it is necessary to splice the

cable or wire. (Ready-access closures may be used for

splicing to aerial cable inserts);

e\. At cable loading points for initial or ultimate loading

(when loaded lines are determined by RUS to be

economically feasible and the overall system design

complies with the Modernization Plan \[7 CFR 1751,

Subpart B\]); and

f\. At Serving Area Interface Cabinet (SAIC) and digital

carrier and lightwave repeater locations.

**6.4** For buried copper cable or wire plant, direct buried filled
splice cases should be considered in lieu of outside plant housings at
the following locations:

a\. When above-ground splicing as referenced in

Paragraph 6.3 is not practicable; or

b\. At reel end splices.

**6.5** For buried fiber optic cable plant, direct buried filled splice
cases installed in handholes are the preferred method of splicing fiber
optic cable plant.

**6.6** Data to be shown on construction drawings may be recorded in a
notebook or on construction drawings as the route is being traveled in
the field. This field data may then be recorded on construction drawings
back at the office. Information that will be necessary for construction
is recorded on one set of drawings. Information pertaining to removal of
existing plant is recorded on a separate set of drawings.

**6.7** Information to be included on construction drawings is that
which is necessary to prepare the plans and specifications and to
construct the outside plant. The construction drawings should be
prepared so that they may be used as permanent plant records.

**6.8** After the subscriber data is brought up-to-date on the
construction drawing and the actual construction route is selected, the
actual sizing of the cables or wires for the plant layout, line
assignments, and the proper sizes for outside plant housings or direct
buried filled splice cases may be performed in the engineer\'s office.
The construction drawings containing the above information should be
made available to the interested parties for discussion at the Pre-Bid
Conference.

**6.9** Low cost placement of cable or wire is usually obtainable when
the burial depth of the cable or wire can be maintained within the
shoulders or backslopes of roads and highways. The cable or wire route
should be selected so as to minimize property damage from heavy
equipment used in the plow train. Locations of the proposed outside
plant housings should be selected to minimize possible damage from
vehicular traffic and to allow for easy maintenance access. Burying of
cable or wire directly in the roadbed should always be avoided if
possible.

**6.10** Burying the cable or wire across private R/W in rural areas
having fences or where land is cultivated to extreme depths generally is
not economical in certain situations and should be avoided. However, the
use of private R/W for placement of cable or wire should be considered
if placement would be more economical than in or along road shoulders or
backslopes of roads and highways.

**6.11** When a private R/W is chosen as the construction route, each
property owner should be contacted. Discussions should be held with each
property owner to emphasize to the owner the need to provide protection
to cable or wire. The selection of the cable or wire route, and cable or
wire depth is of utmost importance when using the private R/W. The type
and placement of above ground warning and route signs to identify the
construction route should be discussed with each property owner. Each
property owner should also be provided with a construction drawing
showing the proposed construction route and the proposed locations of
all buried facilities, housings, and signs to be located on the owner\'s
property.

**6.12** Permission should be obtained from Department of Transportation
authorities at locations where public R/W are to be used. Possible
highway improvements, such as road widening, should be considered in
planning the construction route. Future road work can result in costly
telecommunications plant rearrangements.

**6.13** Investigations should also be made to locate other buried
facilities such as water, gas, sewer, power, community antenna
television (CATV), telecommunications and oil lines. The location of
these facilities should be performed by obtaining maps from the other
utilities and by means of cable locators. Located facilities should be
indicated on the construction drawings to warn the contractor of their
presence. [Predesignated Areas]{.underline} should be established on
system detail maps where in the judgement of construction route planning
personnel installations will be [much]{.underline} more difficult
because of the presence of numerous or complex existing underground
facilities or severe R/W restrictions. Such system map locations are
possible areas to note predesignated construction units such as the BFCP
units. The units should appear on the construction drawings in advance
of bidding. A recommended procedure to be followed for showing the
general location of pipelines is discussed in Paragraph 11.3.

**6.14** Cable and wire routes should be marked on construction drawings
by reference to natural or manmade landmarks to facilitate the placement
and future location of cable or wire.

**6.15** Where difficulty may be encountered in finding stakes used as
construction route planning markers at a later date, the stake locations
should be indicated by driving four-foot building laths adjacent to the
stakes or by providing some other suitable method of identification.
Where stakes are used as construction route planning markers on R/W that
are hidden from the road because of brush, trees, crops, etc., a
suitable identification marker (such as a strip of bright colored cloth
or plastic marking tape tied on a fence or some other visible roadside
location) should be provided to indicate each stake location from the
road. Where permitted by transportation department authorities, a
colored stripe could be painted on the edge of the pavement to show the
approximate location of the stake. It will also be helpful to place
appropriate notes on the construction drawings.

**6.16** Construction route planning personnel should proceed along the
route, marking and detailing the following information (some of which
may be done in the resident engineer\'s office) on construction sheets:

a\. Cable and wire routes;

b\. Footage measurements along the route;

c\. Road names, road numbers, road surfaces, road widths,

R/W, fences, pole lines, etc.;

d\. Lakes, ponds, streams, etc.;

e\. Approximate locations of obstructions that may be

encountered during actual construction of the project,

such as other buried utilities, pipelines, etc.;

f\. Locations and types of the outside plant housings and

poles;

g\. Locations of direct buried filled splice cases;

h\. The distances in feet or meters from the plow or trench

line to each outside plant housing or pole;

i\. The distances in feet or meters along the buried

construction route between lateral trenches to outside

plant housings or poles. These distances should be

chain or wheel measured but under certain conditions

such as flat terrain, cable paralleling road, or highway

R/W, a vehicle mounted foot-meter may also be used for

the measurement (See Table 1 and Paragraph 6.18);

j\. Vertical footage measurements in feet or meters inside

each outside plant housing;

k\. The lengths of service wires or cables in feet or meters

from outside plant housings to subscriber\'s network

interface devices (NIDs), building entrance terminals

(BETS), or fused primary station protectors;

l\. Outside plant housing numbers;

m\. Pair sizes, gauges and types of copper cables or wires;

n\. Number of optical fibers and types of fiber optic

cables;

o\. Tentative load point locations (when loaded lines are

determined by RUS to be economically feasible and the

overall system design complies with the Modernization

Plan \[7 CFR 1751, Subpart B\]);

p\. Tentative digital carrier repeater locations;

q\. Tentative lightwave repeater locations;

r\. Types of station protection and grounding;

s\. Special considerations such as increased depths, minor

route deviations, easement reservations, etc.;

t\. Construction corridor widths, reduced construction

corridor widths, and restricted construction corridors;

u\. Grounding and bonding procedures at all splice

locations;

v\. All miscellaneous construction units for the plant

installation such as warning signs, etc.; and

w\. All outside plant assembly units necessary to construct

the buried plant.

An example of a blank construction drawing designed for this purpose is
given in Figure 1. Other forms of construction drawings depicting
similar information may be used.

**6.17** Construction route planning markers should be used to show the
location of the following:

a\. Proposed outside plant housings;

b\. Proposed direct buried filled splice cases;

c\. Proposed handhole and manhole locations;

d\. Proposed control danger points such as underground

utilities, culverts, etc.;

e\. Proposed poles and anchors for aerial inserts;

f\. Proposed miscellaneous units such as split metal guards

and warning signs;

g\. Proposed road and/or highway crossing locations; and

h\. Proposed railroad crossing locations.

The applicable cable or wire route numbers, outside plant housing
numbers, or pole numbers should be appropriately marked on the
construction route planning markers so as to be legible at the time of
construction.

**6.18** Acceptable measuring techniques used in construction route
planning of buried plant are (See Table 1):

a\. Chaining;

b\. Vehicle mounted footmeter (VFM);

c\. Hand-pushed, wheel-type footmeter (HFM); or

d\. Stadia rod.

**6.18.1** Chaining or VFM is the method of measurement generally used
in urban areas. When the chaining method is used, caution should
exercised used to avoid the following most common errors:

a\. Dropping or adding a complete chain length;

b\. Reversing the chain so that the wrong figure is read;

and

c\. Not holding the end of the chain even with the chaining

pin.

**6.18.2** Chaining, VFM, or HFM is the method of measurement generally
used in rural areas.

**6.18.3** Since measurements are intended to represent the length of
the telecommunications plant, they should be made along the contour of
the ground surface for buried plant. When gullies or sharp breaks in the
terrain are encountered, measurements should be made approximately
parallel to the route where the cable or wire is expected to be
installed.

**6.18.4** VFMs or HFMs may be used to check field observed
measurements. Such checks should result in fewer major measurement
errors. VFMs or HFMs should be calibrated at least once a day over a
measured 1000 foot (304.8 meter) distance. VFMs should not be used in
situations where the vehicle wheels could slip, such as in mud, snow,
loose gravel, or on steep slopes resulting in excessive or erratic VFM
rotation.

**6.18.5** The stadia rod is a relatively accurate and fast method of
measuring distance when there are no obstructions in the line of vision
and the terrain is flat between the transit and rod. It may be used to
good advantage for measuring distances across bodies of water, etc.

**6.18.6** Measurements of cable or wire length should be made twice,
either by rechecking the distances on existing plant records or by
actually remeasuring the cable or wire routes. This is particularly
important for cables or wires ordered to specified lengths for placing
in conduit systems, or between major predetermined control points,
especially with fiber optic cable plant.

**6.18.7 [Measurement Techniques]{.underline}:** Listed in Table 1 are
suggested measurement techniques for most situations:







Type of Measurement  Original  Check 

 Area  Situations  Measurement  Measurement 



  Conduit Systems  Chain  Chain 



    Chain, VFM, 

 Urban   Chain or VFM  HFM, or 

  Cables and Wires  (See Note 1)  existing 

    records 







 



  

    (See Note 1) 

    



   

  Private R/W  Chain or HFM  existing

   (See note 1)  records 

 Rural    (See Note 1) 



  Distance between   VFM, HFM, or

  load points  Chain, VFM, or  existing

  (See Note 2)  HFM (See Note 1)  records

    (See Note 1) 

 

  Distance between  

  digital carrier  Chain, VFM, or  existing

  or lightwave  HFM (See Note 1)  records 

  repeaters   (See Note 1)



  Chain, VFM, or HFM Chain or use 

  between drop poles HFM during

  Drops - Aerial HFM from drop pole final

  to house.  inventory

 Urban  (See Note 1)  (See Note 1) 

 or

 Rural   HFM from buried  Use sequential

  Drops - Buried  plant housing to  marking during

   house  final 

   (See Note 1)  inventory



Note (1): VFMs and HFMs should be calibrated frequently and used in
accordance with the manufacturer\'s recommendations.

Note (2): When loaded lines are determined by RUS to be economically
feasible and the overall system design complies with the Modernization
Plan (7 CFR 1751, Subpart B).

**6.19** Outside plant housings should be specified within a reasonable
service distance from potential subscribers. The housings should be
specified at junction points from which future extensions may be run
even though not required in the initial construction. The size of the
housing should be large enough to accommodate future branch cables or
wires. Future loading requirements (See Note 2 on Page 18) should also
be taken into account in sizing the housings. Pole mounted housings or
riser guards should be specified at junctions of buried plant and aerial
plant. The housings mounted on stub poles should be specified where
additional mechanical strength or protection is required.

**6.20** Outside plant housings on highway R/W should be placed as close
to the fence line as possible to provide maximum protection to the
housings from traffic and road and farm equipment. If such placement is
not possible due to the absence of fences or because of planned highway
widening programs, the housing should be placed in some other reasonably
protected location. The construction route planning personnel should
consider appropriate methods of guarding against damage if the housing
will be exposed to road or farm machinery, farm animals, or other
hazards. Such methods may include the use of stub poles, orange colored
housings or buried splices (RUS recommends, however, that buried splices
be used only as a last resort). Long stub poles may be used in high
vegetation areas. Consideration may also be given to mounting the
housing high on a stub pole with a riser guard to protect the cable or
wire for the desired height. This may be advantageous in areas subject
to flooding or heavy snow. If this type of construction is used, the
bottom of the housing should be sealed with a material that will not
allow entry of birds, rodents, or insects into the base of the housings.

**6.21** Outside plant housing and pole numbering should be in
accordance with RUS Telecommunications Engineering & Construction Manual
(TE&CM) Section 116, Plant Engineering and Record System, or some other
suitable numbering system. All housings should be marked with the
appropriate cable, load point (See Note 2 on

Page 18), route, and housing number.

**6.22** When the field work has been completed by construction route
planning personnel and the necessary entries on the construction
drawings are completed, construction route planning personnel turn the
construction drawings over to the resident engineer. The resident
engineer inserts other data and prepares final form construction
drawings which will be used for preparing the \"Plans and
Specifications.\"

**6.23** In computations made to locate load points (See Note 2 on Page
18), the engineer adds to the in-line plowed lengths, the lengths which
are trenched from the plow line to housing or pole, plus an amount
representing the vertical runs in the housing or on poles.

**6.24** To meet transmission objectives, especially with respect to
maintaining the proper end sections beyond the last load point (See Note
2 on Page 18), particular care has to be exercised when making
subscriber assignments. A thorough explanation of bridge taps and
excessive end sections and their effect on transmission loss and
frequency response is given in RUS TE&CM Section 424, Design Guidelines
for Telecommunications Subscriber Loop Plant.

**6.25** The locations determined for load coil housings (See Note 2 on
Page 18) following the field construction route planning may indicate
places where a housing for service connections can be combined with load
coil locations. The reverse (moving the load point) is not desirable
because of the precision required in locating load coils.

**7. OUTSIDE PLANT HOUSING SELECTION**

**7.1** RUS accepted or technically accepted outside plant housings
should be selected to allow sufficient room for splicing, loading (See
Note 2 on Page 18), carrier equipment, terminating the initial cable or
wire installation, and future cable or wire installations as well as for
ease of maintenance. All manufacturers of housings design their product
to contain minimum specified components. They are designed for splicing,
loading (See Note 2 on Page 18), carrier equipment or looping in and out
various size cables and wires but will not necessarily be large enough
to perform all four functions for a given size cable or wire. The
recommended capabilities of all housings are specified in RUS Bulletin
1753F-401(PC-2), RUS Standard for Splicing Copper and Fiber Optic
Cables. This data should be studied to select the proper size housing.

**7.2** Outside plant housings also may be used to provide above-ground
appearances of buried fiber optic cables. RUS accepted or technically
accepted outside plant housings for use on buried fiber optic plant are
available to accommodate the fiber optic cable slack and the fiber optic
splice case.

**7.3** One objective in the selection of housings is to preserve the
natural beauty of the countryside. There are, however, instances where
it may be desirable that facilities be clearly identified and visible.
This may be done by mounting the housing on tall stub poles or using
orange colored housings.

**8. TERMINAL BLOCKS**

**8.1** Moisture collecting on the inside of outside plant housings
should seldom be a problem if RUS accepted or technically accepted
filled splicing connectors are used for connecting service wire drops
instead of terminal blocks.

**8.2** However, in locations where use of filled splicing connectors is
not practical due to high service order activity, filled terminal blocks
having RUS acceptance or technical acceptance may be used to avoid
moisture and corrosion problems.

**8.3** RUS in accordance with RUS Bulletin 1753F-401(PC-2), RUS
Standard for Splicing Copper and Fiber Optic Cables, does not allow the
use of nonfilled terminal blocks on RUS financed construction projects.

**9. RAILROAD CROSSINGS**

**9.1** The NESC specifies minimum vertical and horizontal clearances
for aerial and underground railroad crossings, as well as minimum
strength requirements for poles, conductors, anchors and guys, and
maximum crossing spans. The Association of American Railroads also
publishes requirements regarding clearances, strength of poles,
conductors, anchors and guys, and span lengths titled \"Specification
For Communication Lines Crossing the Tracks of Railroads.\"

**9.2** Some railroads owners as well as States or municipalities may
have specifications which differ from the NESC and the Association of
American Railroads. Therefore, before design and construction route
planning work is undertaken, railroad and/or State or municipal
officials should be consulted regarding their crossing requirements. The
more stringent requirements should be followed.

**9.3** A drawing showing the detailed crossing layout is often
necessary for submission to railroad and/or State or municipal officials
for approval and for inclusion in the crossing agreement. This drawing
should also be included with the construction drawings.

**10. ROAD AND HIGHWAY CROSSINGS**

**10.1** The most acceptable method of crossing State and local roads
and highways and the most acceptable procedures to be used in both
cutting and repairing pavements should be discussed and agreed to with
transportation department officials at the Pre-Construction Route
Planning Conference. Such cutting and repairing agreements should be
made available to the bidding contractors to assist them in preparing
their proposals. Any local regulations concerning the cutting and repair
of private roads, lanes, and driveways should also be called to the
attention of all contractors at the Pre-Bid Conference.

**10.2** After discussions with transportation department officials and
visual inspection of the route, construction route planning personnel
can verify the preliminary entries of control points on the LD maps or
construction drawings.

**10.3** The cable or wire route should be planned to cross the road as
necessary to serve subscribers without the use of aerial inserts, if
possible. Such crossings could be constructed by cutting or sawing
perpendicularly across the road, by trenching perpendicularly across the
road, by directional boring under the road, or by pipe pushing under the
road. Since road crossings are often undesirable and expensive,
construction route planning personnel should select the side of the
paved road for the most general routing of the cable or wire which will
result in the fewest crossings. If numerous crossings are necessary,
burying the cable or wire on both sides of the road may be the most
economical choice.

**10.4** Existing conduit under roads and highways, as well as across
bridges, should be used where available. Lengths of new conduit may be
placed along with the cable or wire where the road or highway is opened.
This will facilitate future reinforcement or replacement.

**11. PIPELINE CROSSINGS**

**11.1** Crossing of pipelines and facilities of other utilities should
be done in the most economical and mutually satisfactory manner. This
would normally involve placing the cable or wire directly over these
facilities. If sufficient depth cannot be obtained, it may be necessary
either to place split cable guards over the cable or wire at the
crossing, to cut and resplice the cable or wire, or to use directional
boring to achieve the greater depth.

**11.2** Some pipeline companies require that telecommunications cable
or wire be placed a fixed distance below the pipeline. This may require
either cutting the cable or wire, trenching, splicing and installing a
buried splice enclosure or an outside plant housing or the use of the
directional boring method. This applies to all crossings of railroads,
roads, highways, bridges, pipelines, etc. Generally, it is the
responsibility of the construction route planning personnel to determine
the most advantageous and economical method to use. Generally, it is the
responsibility of the contractor to avoid damaging facilities which are
crossed and to restore them and their contents if damaged.

**11.3** Since a pipeline can only be precisely located by exposing it
to view, construction route planning personnel should make special
markings on the construction drawings showing approximate pipeline
locations and also should provide appropriate cautionary notes regarding
the facilities to cross. This is especially important as to the exact
location of the pipes. Suggested correct and incorrect locating methods
are shown in Figure 2.

**12. STATION INSTALLATIONS**

**12.1** Station installations include the construction route planning
of buried service wire assembly units, NID assembly units, BET assembly
units, or fused protector assembly units.

**12.2** Where the objectives of safety and electrical protection
conflict with the objectives of appearance and economy, [the decision
should always favor safety and protection]{.underline}.

**12.3** Construction route planning of the buried service wire or cable
should conform with the NID, BET, or fused station protector location
which will facilitate connections to the subscriber\'s inside wiring and
which, at the same time, [will ensure interconnection between the
telephone, power, and water pipe grounds]{.underline}. RUS recommends
that the NID, BET, or fused station protector location be chosen to be
as close as practicable to where there is easy access to the electric
service grounding system (electric service grounding conductor, metal
conduit covering the electric service grounding conductor, or other
means of access to the electric service grounding system).

**13. ELECTRICAL PROTECTION**

**13.1** Construction route planning personnel should be provided with
the detailed protective measures to be employed which have been decided
upon in the system design. RUS Bulletins 1751F-801, -802, -805, and -815
include details regarding applicable protection practices.

**13.2** In order to minimize the possibility of conflict with or
interference from power distribution systems, crossings of power and
communication systems should be minimized. Where joint occupancy of
power and telecommunications facilities is contemplated, the provisions
of the NEC and NESC codes and any more stringent local codes should be
followed.

**13.3** RUS recommends that joint occupancy construction be limited to
1/2 mile (800 kilometers) or less to help minimize possibilities for
telecommunications interference caused by power line harmonics.

**13.4** Auxiliary protection of buried wire or cable against direct
contact with power conductors is not required. Station instal-lations
connected by buried wire from aerial extensions may require auxiliary
protection as described in appropriate sections of RUS Bulletin
1751F-805, Electrical Protection at Customer Locations.

**13.5** It is important that construction route planning personnel
understand the difference in the objective of station protection as
compared to plant protection. Plant protection is primarily concerned
with balancing the cost of maintaining unprotected plant and the value
of service interruption against the cost of applying and maintaining
protective devices which will reduce or eliminate this plant
maintenance. Station protection is concerned with the personal safety of
the subscriber and maintenance personnel, protection of the
subscriber\'s premises against fire and protection of the station
equipment and wiring against damage and circuit outage. [Adequate
protection of persons and premises should be provided at all station
installations]{.underline}.

**14. FINAL INVENTORY CONSTRUCTION DRAWINGS**

**14.1** Final inventory construction drawings are usually made after
construction completion by correcting the initial construction drawings.
Due to design changes during construction, the initial construction
drawings may require some modifications, particularly in regard to cable
or wire lengths, load points (See Note 2 on Page 18), digital carrier
repeater locations, and lightwave repeater locations. The resident
engineer and contractor should agree on all the quantities and units
appearing on the final inventory construction drawings. The corrected
construction drawings are then prepared in final form as permanent plant
records.

**14.2** The \"as built\" or final inventory construction drawings
should provide the following information in complete detail:

a\. An inventory of all outside plant units installed; and

b\. The physical location of the buried facilities.

**14.3** These construction drawings should give a record of the amount
of materials and their locations in the field, and also provide the
borrower with a basis for a reliable schematic with which to locate the
cable or wire either for trouble-shooting, upgrading, or coordinating
with other utilities and construction activities that might occur in the
future. An example of a final inventory construction drawing, as well as
the construction symbols used in preparing the drawings, are shown in
Figures 3 and 4, respectively.

**14.4** To facilitate future reinforcement, the construction drawing
should be corrected and marked with reasonable accuracy so future
construction crews will know the approximate locations of existing
cables or wires and the approximate locations and depths of any
underground facilities. If a greater than normal depth has been
specified to facilitate future reinforcing, the resident engineer should
make certain that this depth is achieved during construction. For
instance, a nominal cable or wire depth of 36 inches (914 millimeters)
may be used with the thought that additional cable or wire may be placed
at a nominal depth of 24 inches (610 millimeters) in the future.

**14.5** The outside plant housings, buried splices, cable or wire
lengths, etc., required for cable or wire repairs should be so
designated on the construction drawings to facilitate trouble-shooting
later; however, this repair material information should not be included
in the final inventory for compensation purposes.