1E-5: Standard Road Plans

Table of Contents

Standard road plans are detailed drawings of standardized design features, construction methods, and approved materials.  At the Iowa DOT, the Methods Section of the Design Bureau oversees all Standard Road Plans.  The issued standards are approved by the Methods Engineer and are posted on the DOT’s website: https://iowadot.gov/consultants-contractors/design/standard-road-plans.

They are also available on the Electronic Reference Library (ERL).

Open Roads Designer files for Standard Road Plans are located

  • in ProjectWise at: pw:\\NTPwint1.dot.int.lan:PWMain\Documents\Highway\Design\MethodsSection\ORD Connect\ORD-DGN\Standard Road Plans\ 

  • or on the DOT’s website: https://iowadot.gov/consultants-contractors/design/standard-road-plans. 

The file name represents the name of the standard.

Quick Tips
Quick Tips:

Include modified standards in plans as U sheets.

To create a modified standard

  • Turn off levels dsnStdBlock and dsnStdBlockNotModified
  • Turn on level dsnstdModifiedBlock
  • Describe modifications
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Title Block

A title block is located in the lower right hand corner of each Standard Road Plan.  The title block includes the latest revision date and number and a brief description of the latest revision. 

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Standard Road Plan Revisions

Standard Road Plans are modified every six months to incorporate changes in technology, procedures, or specifications.

 
Note
Note:Changes are to be made only by the Methods Section in the Design Bureau. 

Revision letters are posted on the DOT’s website: https://iowadot.gov/consultants-contractors/design/standard-road-plans. 

Newly released standards are effective with the April and October lettings.

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Interim Standard Road Plans

Occasionally between printed updates, it is necessary to make changes to standard road plans that are not project specific.  When this occurs, the Methods Section will create an interim standard with a title block as shown in Figure 1. 

 
Note
Note:Interim Standard Road Plans are to be created or modified only by the Methods Section in the Design Bureau.

Designers will receive an email notification when interim standards are created.  They are available

  • in ProjectWise at: pw:\\NTPwint1.dot.int.lan:PWMain\Documents\Highway\Design\MethodsSection\ORD Connect\InterimAndModifiedStandards\

  • or on the DOT’s website: https://iowadot.gov/consultants-contractors/design/standard-road-plans.

 
Attention Required
Attention Required

Do not modify Interim Standard Road Plans without discussing the modifications with the Methods Engineer. If modifications are necessary, remove the word “INTERIM” from the title and replace with the word “MODIFIED”, see Figure 2.

Figure 1: Interim standard road plan title block.

Figure 1:  Interim standard road plan title block.

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Modifications of Standard Road Plans

Figure 2: Modified standard road plan title block.

Figure 2:  Modified standard road plan title block.

Modified standard road plans are generally included in the U sheets of the project plans and in the Index of Sheets. Refer to Section 1F-21 for cases where modified standard road plans are not to be included in the U sheets.  They are also to be listed in the certification block that is signed by the Design Engineer in charge of the plans.

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Chronology of Changes

Chronology of Changes
DateRevision Description
  
  
6/11/2026New 2026 Update
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