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Introduction
The Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) has developed this Construction Manual to provide guidance and assistance to Department personnel in the practice and procedure for all construction related to highways as authorized by the State Legislature. This Construction Manual documents Department policies and prescribes procedures for new highway construction and highway improvements. This Manual is directed primarily to Department construction personnel and consultant inspectors retained under agreement by the Department. The Construction Manual consists of the following parts:
Part A – Construction Section Organization: Provides an overview of the Construction section and the responsibilities and duties of each of the various positions.
Part B – Department & Agency Organization and Coordination: Provides and overview of the Department and the responsibilities of the some of the division that make up the Department.
Part C – Contract Administration: Describes the different parts of the Contract and provides information on the responsibilities of the inspector regarding contract administration.
Part D – Office/Field Practices and Procedures: Describes general record keeping and inspection procedures to be used throughout the duration of construction projects and provides the inspectors manual for reference.
Part E - Standard Construction Procedures and Equipment: Describes, in conjunction with the Standard Specifications, the different aspects of construction, and gives explanations of the contractor’s work, inspection procedures, and general hints about conducting successful field operations. Provides the most common types of construction activities and the various types of equipment used to build the projects, providing both general features of operation and information specific to inspection and equipment to perform the work.
Part H - Standard Forms: Provides examples of many of the forms inspectors will encounter during a construction project.
Part I - Glossary: Provides definitions and explanations of most of the construction terms that appear in the Manual or are used in the field.
Part J - Appendices: Contains English/metric conversion charts, the most commonly used mathematical formula used in field inspection work and other useful references such as information regarding the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), inspector’s forms, reference letter, etc.
This Manual is intended to be used with the Specifications and its Supplements. Therefore, numerous references to the Specifications have been included in the Manual. These references are annotated in brackets at the end of the sentence or paragraph to which they refer. For example, in Part A, Section A2.00, the Chain of Command is referenced in the Standard Specifications as follows: [ 105.01][105.02]. Using this Construction Manual and these references, inspectors will be able to better understand the requirements of the Contract and what they must do to ensure those requirements are met. The reader has to know if the project references the 2001 Standard Specifications verses the 2016. Revisions to the Manual will be made periodically by the Construction Manual Committee.
Changes
The DelDOT Construction Manual electronic first draft was officially released on April 28, 2017. Subsequent to this release, several minor updates were made to Part F and Standard Forms. As of 2025 we are in the process of reviewing the entire manual and bringing it completely up to date to our current practices. Please feel free to provide comments to Construction Manual Administrator at DOT.ConstructionManual@delaware.gov . We continuously update the following sections:
- . Part F – eConstruction
- . Standard Forms
We are currently working to update the following sections:
- . Part A - Construction Organization
- . Part B - Department and Agency Organization and Coordination
- . Part C – Standard Construction Procedures and Equipment
These updates can be viewed on our drafting website [https://stage.constructionmanual.deldot.gov]. We encourage all users to visit this website and provide comments on the updates before they are made live.
The Chief of Construction and Construction Resource Engineer will review all major comments with the relevant parties and any necessary updates will be incorporated into the updated 2025 version of this Manual.
Recent Changes
| Date | Page | Section | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9/xx/2020 | Part F - eConstruction | Unifier Videos | Inspector Daily Report, Change Order, and Progress Estimate videos have been updated to reflect newer version of Unifier |
| 10/28/2020 | All Pages | All Sections | Converted site to new hosting site and Mediawiki backend |
| 2/25/2025 | Part F | All Sections | Completely re-wrote page, reorganizing content, updating software, descriptions, and links |
| 2/25/2025 | Standard Forms | Document Links | Updated list of standard forms, bringing in line with current eConstruction practices. Updated letterheads to match new Cabinet Secretary |
Procedures for Making Changes
Please submit comments to DOT.ConstructionManual@delaware.gov. Major comments will be reviewed quarterly and changes will be made as deemed necessary by the Chief of Construction, the Construction Resource Engineer or their designee. Major changes are changes that impact the content and business delivery of DelDOT such as modifications to Parts A - E, specification updates, payment corrections, etc. They will work with sections within DelDOT and partners i.e. FHWA, DNREC, etc. to provide the most up-to-date Manual that is in accordance with policies, regulations, and best practices for the administration of DelDOT contracts. Minor revisions are considered to be spelling and grammar corrections that do not require review. While updates to Part F and Standard Forms are not considered minor, the frequency of changes requires updates be made with as little delay as possible. Therefore, updates to Part F and Standard Forms shall be made on a more frequent bases, similar to minor revisions.