Construction Bulletin Number 28

Subject:

Highway Patrol Notification of Work Zone Towing

Category:

Roadway

Issued:

September 16, 2003

Contact Person:

Dennis Jernigan, PE

Phone Number:

(919) 715-1746 Ext. 204

E-mail Address:

dwjernigan@dot.state.nc.us

Issue Details:

 

A towing contract is sometimes implemented on contract construction projects to remove disabled vehicles that can cause traffic congestion, create an unsafe condition and/or cause delays to the contractor from a roadway or shoulder. Vehicles to be towed are designated by the Resident Engineer’s Office by placing lime-green stickers on the vehicles and notifying the towing contractor. Current towing contracts specify a location where towed vehicles will be stored but do not require notification outside the Resident Engineer’s Office by the towing contractor.

This has generated concern by the Highway Patrol, as they are usually the first contact by the owner of a vehicle that has been towed without the owner’s knowledge. The Highway Patrol maintains a database of vehicles that are towed through their normal towing rotation, but there is no record in their database of vehicles that are towed through construction towing contracts, which understandably upsets the owners when their vehicles cannot be located.

 

Future towing contracts have been revised to require the towing subcontractor to notify the Highway Patrol within an established time frame and with the appropriate information so the Highway Patrol can record the tow in their database. On current contracts, the Resident Engineer should contact their respective towing contractor and make arrangements for the Highway Patrol to be notified within two hours of each tow. The Highway Patrol should be furnished the make, model, color, license tag number of the vehicle as well as when it was towed, where it is being stored and the Resident Engineer’s contact information. The VIN for the vehicle is helpful but not necessary. The appropriate Highway Patrol troop can be found at http://www.ncshp.org/divisions1.html. This web site shows which counties are covered by each troop along with their respective contact information.

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This Construction Bulletin has been issued by the NCDOT Construction Unit to clarify, discuss, interpret and provide guidance for contract administration issues related to NCDOT construction contracts.