Path of Travel Documentation Checklist

Projects submitted to the Coordinating Committee for the Removal of Architectural Barriers
(CCRAB) & Campus Building Department (CBD) for access compliance review must provide
documentation of the existing conditions of the path of travel (POT) to the project area. This guide
describes what to include in construction documents submitted to CCRAB and CBD for alterations
to existing facilities. POT improvements are required as a part of alteration, addition or structural
repair projects in accordance with Chapter 11B-202.4 of the California Building Code in effect at
the time of submission. These requirements are in alignment with those established by the Division
of the State Architect for projects proposing to alter existing facilities.

POT Documentation Requirements

Construction documents must clearly delineate the path of travel for a project, including any
upgrades of path of travel elements, as required by the CBC. It is essential that the path of travel
shown be an accurate representation of the actual field conditions at the time the project is
submitted to CCRAB & CBD.

Documenting Existing Conditions

The compliance status of paths of travel elements, components and features shall be examined by
or under the direction of the design professional in responsible charge during the preparation of
the construction documents.

Required Documentation

Path of travel documentation must include:

  1. A complete Accessibility Budget Calculation Form,
  2. A facility site plan showing the overall extent of the area of the campus on which theproject is located, existing buildings and site improvements in diagrammatic form.
  3. Indication on the facility site plan of the project’s area of work.
  4. Indication on the facility site plan of the project-specific accessible path of travel, beginning at the site arrival points and ending at the entrance to the area of alteration, addition or structural repair.
  5. Indication of the interior path of travel when the project area is within an existing building, including a plan of the primary entrance floor and in a multi-story building a plan of the floor on which the project area is located.
  6. Indication of any noncompliant path of travel elements, components or features that will be upgraded as part of the project, along with the key references to appropriate details and enlarged plans.
  7. When applicable, indication of any noncompliant path of travel elements that will not be upgraded as part of the project, based on valuation threshold limitations or a finding of unreasonable hardship.
  8. Project-specific plans and details for any required path of travel upgrades, suitable for cn and inspection; general references to “code compliance” or standard details requiring extensive modification to suit project conditions shall not be sufficient.

 For the purpose of this requirement, site arrival points must include the following: transit stops (campus and
AC Transit), any adjacent accessible parking, Loop stops, and campus circulation routes

Use of Prior Project Documentation

Use of documentation from prior projects does not necessarily relieve the project team of their responsibility to accurately indicate the compliance status of the required path of travel elements serving the area of the alteration, addition or structural repair. The design team must demonstrate that the documents submitted to CCRAB accurately represent the current conditions of the path of travel to the area of work.

POT Improvements to Consider

As described in Ch. 11B-202.4 the design team must give primary consideration to improving the accessibility of the following elements,  in order, when altering existing facilities:

  1. An accessible entrance;
  2. An accessible route to the altered area;
  3. At least one accessible restroom for each sex or one accessible unisex (single-user or family) restroom;
  4. Accessible telephones;
  5. Accessible drinking fountains; and
  6. When possible, additional accessible elements such as parking, signs, storage and alarms.

In many cases addressing the accessibility of those elements will meet or exceed the required 20% of construction costs required for access improvements. If a project either 1) has an estimated construction cost exceeding the current valuation threshold or 2) needs to identify additional access improvements to reach the 20% mark, the design team should evaluate the current accessibility of the following elements:

  1. Exterior or interior signs along the path of travel,
  2. Accessible route components,
  3. Walking surfaces dimensions,
  4. Running slope of walking surfaces, not to exceed 1:20 (5%),
  5. Running slope of ramps, not to exceed 1:12 (8.33%),
  6. Cross slope of walks and ramps not to exceed 1:48 (2.083%),
  7. Landings and level area slopes not to exceed 1:48 (2.083%),
  8. Vertical changes in level,
  9. Openings in drains and gratings not to exceed ½ inch in predominant direction of travel,
  10. Protruding objects and overhead obstructions in the path of travel, and
  11. Site arrival points, such as parking, passenger drop-off and loading zones, and bus stops.