Construction Policy Bulletin CPB 17-1, “Permanent Pedestrian Facilities Construction Inspection Documentation,” has been posted on the Caltrans Division of Construction website. This bulletin announces mandatory use of forms to document compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for construction of permanent pedestrian facilities. It instructs resident engineers to refer to Construction Policy Bulletin 14-1, “Americans With Disabilities Act Facilities Construction Inspection Guidance,” for guidance to follow before work begins and during the course of work. The bulletin also notifies staff of the future development of additional forms to document nonstandard curb ramp compliance inspections.
Local Agencies: These forms are mandatory for Caltrans construction contracts. If local agencies are doing work on the State Right of Way (ROW) they are expected to meet or exceed the department standards including those identified within the Construction Manual and would therefore need to provide equivalent verification of ADA compliance design/construction of these facilities. If the work is taking place off the State ROW, the local agency would not be “mandated” to follow such a process although they still have ADA compliance obligations pursuant to federal law. How they achieve ADA compliance in the latter case is at their charge.