Federal Lands Highway Project Development and Design Manual (Part I)

(PDDM Part I - Chapters 1-7) Federal Lands Highway (FLH) has developed the Project Development and Design Manual (PDDM) to provide current policies and guidance for the interdisciplinary project development and design related activities performed by FLH Divisions and their consultants. It also serves as a guide for administrators, public officials and others, both within and outside FLH, who are responsible for advancing projects through the project development process. The purpose of the PDDM is to: Provide current policies, standards, criteria and guidance for development and design of FLH projects; Be easily accessed by internal and external participants in the project development process; Be user-friendly with useful navigation and search tools; Provide immediate access to approved external references; and Be frequently updated to maintain credibility. A primary goal of the PDDM is clarifying what is expected for FLH projects and delivering an end product that meets these expectations. The previous edition of the manual has been converted from a policy/procedures hard copy format manual to a policy/best practices, interactive web-based document with electronic links. Most theory-specific procedures or recommended methods, including computer software, are included in the updated PDDM by reference only. This manual is not intended to be a technical "how to" instructional guide. The manual defines FLH policies, standards and standard practices, criteria, guidance and discretionary expectations for project development. The FLH Discipline Champions and their respective teams prepared this edition of the PDDM, with assistance from engineering consultants. The FLH Discipline Champions wish to express their appreciation to all contributors who assisted in the development of this manual, specifically the contributions of the following: FLH Division Engineers and Directors, FLH Branch Chiefs, FLH Staff, Materials furnished by other State and Federal agencies, Research publications and materials furnished by the private sector, Consultants who contributed to the preparation, and Federal land management agency partners and other reviewers.