Alert: Beware of fake messages pretending to be MnDOT, E-ZPass or tolling agencies. We don’t text or email for payment. Delete and don’t respond.

Minnesota Department of Transportation

511 Travel Info

Bridges and Structures

Design, construction and maintenance resources

Do It Right! Lessons from the field not to be repeated

Approach panels

Approach panels
  • Once the deck and approach panel have been poured, some provisions usually have to be made to direct rainwater until the stormwater system has been installed.
Approach panels
  • Hopefully, a Contractor only has to learn this lesson once.
  • The granular material, sill and approach panel all had to be replaced . . . and it cost a week to do it.
Approach panels
  • At first glace, an approach panel
    washout can look relatively minor, but upon further review...
Approach panels
  • Most often, a small-looking
    washout can extend many feet
    under the approach panel, and in
    some cases, the entire approach
    panel has to be replaced.
Approach panels
  • In some cases, you wonder how so much sand can be moved overnight!
Approach panels
  • Remember, one foot maximum per lift.
  • One reason our approach panels settle is because the select granular material is hogged in like this: one-foot lifts, compacted with a roller, with optimum moisture.
  • Here, plate tampers and a hose are used.
Approach panels
  • Don’t let the pavers sell you more bit than you want!
  • In this case, the deck needs to be texture-planed, yet the last 10 feet of the approach panel won’t get touched. Plus, we end up with a pour ride.