Highways SE A to Z Lunch and Learn Sessions (8/39)

Health, Safety and Wellbeing Moment

What is a departure from standards?

A Departure from Standard is where the designer is not following the requirements from the design
manual.
Departures may be appropriate in a variety of situations. A few of them are as follows:
- Development/updating of design Standards don’t keep pace with emerging technology,
exploration of new materials, methods of construction etc. and it might make advantageous
to deviate from the Standards
- Standards cannot be reliably written to cover every situation
- Site constraints
- Disproportionate costs and/or delays
- Trials and pilots
- Innovation
- An “elastic” solution
- Departures provide a useful source of ideas for updating standards

Important Consideration for Departure from Standard

The Departure (or Relaxation) from the Standard should ensure safety standards, maintainability and
giving good value for money on a whole life cost basis.

DMRB (Design Manual for Roads and Bridges) – used to use what was known as ‘Black Boxes’ to
identify mandatory requirements, which if not met, would require a Departure from Standards
Submission.

GG101 of DMRB “Variation of waiving of a requirement carried out in accordance with the
Overseeing Organisation’s procedures”.

Disciplines covered

- General Principles and Scheme Convenance

- Sustainability and Environment
- Road Layout
- Pavement
- Highway Structure and Bridges
- Drainage
- Geotechnics
- Control and Communications Technology
- Road Lighting

Departures from Standards for Geometric Design of Roads in Accordance with UK Standards

The hierarchy of geometric standards provides flexible approach, where desirable minimum
standards are likely to create environmental problems on people, properties and landscape and high
cost.
According to Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB), there is three tier system: desirable
minimum, Relaxation and Departures. It enables a flexible approach for a range of situation.

For example, Horizontal Curvature: The manual says the minimum radius shall be say 100m for a
certain design speed. If this can’t be met, and the max achievable is 85m, then the Director or
Specialists from the Overseeing Organisation would need to approve this as the best balance of
needs.

Except where Relaxations are permitted, any variation or waiving of a requirement contained within
a DMRB or Manual of Construction for Highway Works (MCHW) document must be considered to be
a Departure from that Standard.

A design incorporating a Relaxation that has been adequately justified in the particular
circumstances for which it has been adopted remains a design in accordance with Standards.

Departures from Standards Team and their Roles & Responsibilities

Designer – identifies and assesses Departures

Employer’s Agent, CDMC – provide advice and input as appropriate

Proposer– formally submits Departures

Project Manager – reviews Departure for commercial robustness

NetServ Specialist(s) – make technical recommendation based on information submitted

Project Manager – makes final determination taking all relevant factors into account

WSP’s Approach to Departures

Standards to produce an economic and safe solution.

- Eliminate unnecessary Departures and Relaxations where a compliant solution is possible.

- Implement Departures and Relaxations only in exceptional circumstances.
- Reduce waste associated with progressing Departures with a low like hood of approval.
- Improve the quality and consistency of Departures and Relaxations submitted.

DAS – Departure Approval System

WSP Tools

- Departures and Relaxation Database

- Templates, Tools and Examples Departures

- National Highways Directory of WSP (CHELOs And DAS Users)

1. How do you identify a departure from standards if there are so many standards?