+EdrickV Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 What is this? A while ago when I was talking to some family members about benchmarks they mentioned that there was one in the middle of a road that a surveyor used when doing a property survey of some nearby land. Wasn't anything listed in the NGS database so I went out to see what it was, and got a pic of what I believe to be the cover for some sort of local survey mark and I'm interested to know if anyone recognizes it. After that I was watching and saw a bunch more on major roads in the Mecosta, MI area. Unfortunately since they're in the middle of the road I couldn't really take the time to open the cover (if that's what it is) and see what is under it. Quote Link to comment
southpawaz Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 It is definitely a hand-hole, which may have a survey monument inside. Alternatively, there may be a gas or water valve below. Quote Link to comment
southpawaz Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Here's an excerpt of the detail drawing showing how ours are constructed: Quote Link to comment
68-eldo Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 In my neighborhood we have street survey markers. These are markers on the center line that designate the beginning and end of tangent sections, center of intersections and maybe more. They are located under a hand hole to protect them during resurfacing etc. I have seen surveyors use these when locating property corners on my street. This maybe what you are seeing. Check to see if the ones you see are at the point where the road transitions from a straightaway to a curve and in the center of intersections. Quote Link to comment
+EdrickV Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 (edited) Gas or water seems unlikely as this was out in the country where people still use propane tanks/wood stoves/electric heat and well water. (And cell phone coverage is still spotty.) The road in question is a county road and state highway and there aren't any turns or intersections for quite a ways. (Out there we have N-S & E-W roads about every mile, terrain permitting.) It is believed to be about 1 mile South of the center of a town, and I think there was another one in the intersection in the center of town. I know there was one North of town, but don't know for sure how far North. I also saw a bunch of them South on that road and in places on a different Country Road/State Highway. (Note that these "highways" are mostly just 2-lane roads in that area, with an occasional turn lane at an intersection.) I haven't seen them in the more urban areas around home, but then I haven't been looking for them and they're easy to miss. It's actually visible on Google Streetview: http://maps.google.com/maps?q=remus,+mi&hl=en&ll=43.582082,-85.145381&spn=0.004002,0.010568&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=35.547176,86.572266&hnear=Remus,+Mecosta,+Michigan&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=43.582082,-85.145381&panoid=bke7wTiRDs2gJR_PZhTcTg&cbp=12,252.58,,0,21.93 Edit: In retrospect, it would be at an intersection except that a county road doesn't actually go through due to a lake. And thus it would be at the intersection of M-66 and an extended 8-mile. Which means it is one mile south of town. Edit2: With a little more looking in Street View, these do seem to be placed about every mile or so along M-66 and I think M-20, even when there isn't an intersection there due to roads not going through. Edited April 21, 2012 by EdrickV Quote Link to comment
southpawaz Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 Seeing where it is on the map, it is almost certainly a section corner of the Public Land Survey System. Monuments were set every mile at the corners of sections (section corners), and at the +/- half mile midpoint in between (quarter corners). The quarter corners were set to serve as the basis for further subdivisions of the section. Quote Link to comment
+EdrickV Posted April 21, 2012 Author Share Posted April 21, 2012 Seeing where it is on the map, it is almost certainly a section corner of the Public Land Survey System. Monuments were set every mile at the corners of sections (section corners), and at the +/- half mile midpoint in between (quarter corners). The quarter corners were set to serve as the basis for further subdivisions of the section. After checking out the online PLSS map here: http://www.geocommunicator.gov/GeoComm/lsis_home/home/ That would definitely be a PLSS section corner. The locations of two other markers also match that map. And now I've learned about a little known landlocked park called Meridian-Baseline State Park. The oddest state park I know of since accessing it would require going through privately owned land. And apparently it has some huge PLSS benchmarks. Quote Link to comment
Z15 Posted April 22, 2012 Share Posted April 22, 2012 (edited) Thats what is called a Monument Box. Its used for any type of survey marker place in the roadway in Michigan. As a matter of fact I set hundreds of them while I was at the DOT, I hate them, they are cast iron and heavy,+/- 40lbs??. Most that are on centerline are highway alingment points though and I would say 95% of what you find are highway alignment points. Contractors are required to place them on all Highway projects. You won't find monunment inside like the pic, could be anything from a plane pin to a licensed surveyors cap. Only the box is standardized, not what you want to use for the mark. MDOT Standard Specifications 821.01Section 821. PRESERVATION OF LAND MONUMENTS, CONTROL POINTS, AND PROPERTY CORNERS 821.01. Description. This work consists of preserving the corners and control points as shown on the plans, identified in the contract, or directed by the Engineer. These corners and control points are defined in subsection 821.01.A. The Department considers the terms point and corner synonymous when used in this section. A. Definitions. Public Land Survey System Corners. Section Corners, ¼ Section Corners, Center of Sections, and Meander Corners. Property Controlling Corners. Corners that control boundaries for several parcels of land and include ¼ – ¼ (1/16) Corners, Property Corners, Subdivision Corners and Subdivision Block Corners. Alignment Control Points. Points of Curvature (PCs), Points of Tangent Intersections (PIs), Points on Tangents (POTs), Points on Tangents in Curve Areas (POCTs), and Points on Curve Centerline (POCs). Alignment Points may be Property Controlling Corners. Geodetic Control Points. Horizontal or Vertical Control Monuments are published by the National Geodetic Survey as part of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). B. Administrative Requirements. In accordance with 1980 PA 299, perform work to verify point positions, evaluate, witness, place points, and report, under the direct supervision of a professional surveyor licensed in the State of Michigan. Use employees of the professional surveyor, or surveying firm to perform this work. Coordinate with the licensed professional surveyor during construction activities to schedule the work, including the following: 1. Verification of preliminary point positions; 2. Setting of temporary witnesses; 3. Installing monument boxes in paved areas; and 4. Final placement of preservation points. Ensure the licensed professional surveyor notifies the Engineer of the completion of the required preliminary verification and witnessing work before beginning construction activities on the project. 705 821.01 Witness corners and points identified as “Preserve” with straight-line witnesses before beginning construction. Reestablish the corners and points in accordance with this section and 1970 PA 74. The plans will identify Vertical Control Monuments published by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), as part of the National Spatial Reference System, that may be disturbed or destroyed during construction as “Preserve-Vertical”. Transfer or reference the original benchmark elevation of these monuments before the start of construction. Follow the procedures established in the NGS Benchmark Reset Procedure guidelines for transferring, referencing, resetting, and documenting a National Geodetic Survey Vertical Control Monument, found at the following website address: http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/heightmod/Leveling/Manuals/Benchmark_9_13 _07.pdf The guidelines are also available through the National Geodetic Survey website. Contact the appropriate MDOT Region Surveyor and the NGS State Geodetic Advisor to discuss before beginning field work. Submit the required data for each monument to the MDOT Region Surveyor and the NGS State Geodetic Advisor for review. Upon completing the requirements of this section and 1970 PA 74, for each corner and point identified as “Preserve”, ensure the licensed professional surveyor submits, to the Department, two copies of a “Land Corner Recordation Certificate,” approved by the Michigan State Board of Professional Surveyors for Section 5 of Act 74. Do not document more than four survey points on each form. Submit one copy of the “Land Corner Recordation Certificate” to the Engineer and mail one copy to the MDOT Region Survey Manager. For Public Land Survey System Corners or previously recorded Property Controlling Corners preserved under this provision, ensure the licensed professional surveyor records a Land Corner Recordation Certificate in the Register of Deeds Office in the County where the corner is located. Transmit the two copies of the Land Corner Recordation Certificate with the Register of Deeds recording stamp with the Liber and Page or File Number where the certificate is recorded. Review, with the licensed professional surveyor, the positions of corners within and near the construction limits identified on the plans as “Protect”. Mark these positions to prevent their disturbance. If a corner is in danger of being disturbed, identify and witness the corner with straight-line witnesses before construction, using the same method as for corners identified as “Preserve”. 706 821.03 Corners identified as “Protect”, but witnessed and left undisturbed, do not require remonumentation. Maintain documentation of witnesses for payment purposes. Ensure the licensed professional surveyor submits, to the Department, two copies of a list of corners identified as “Protect,” indicating the corners witnessed by the professional surveyor. List corners, identified as “Protect,” as “not witnessed”, if outside the construction area, not in danger of disturbance, and not witnessed. Include, in the list identifying “Protect” corners, a statement indicating that the corners were found undisturbed after construction. Ensure the licensed professional surveyor signs, seals, and dates the statement. Complete the work and submit the documentation within four weeks after the completion of construction work. 821.02. Materials. Provide and install monument box castings, as required by law, at survey points shown on the plans, or directed by the Engineer. Provide and install a monument to mark the location of a replaced Plat Block Corner or Plat Corner not located in pavement or other hard surfaces. This monument must consist of a precast concrete cylinder 4 inches in diameter, 36 inches in length, and have a ½-inch rebar protruding 1 inch from the center of the cylinder. Other monuments must be at least ½ inch in diameter and at least 18 inches long. Ensure that monuments possess a magnetic field and are legibly capped showing the license number of the professional surveyor. 821.03. Construction. Reestablish the horizontal position of monuments within 0.02 foot of the original position. Install points in paved surfaces in monument boxes. Install points located outside of paved surfaces and within gravel roadways, including gravel shoulders, at least 6 inches below the gravel surface. Install points, located outside of paved surfaces, and outside of unpaved roadways, flush with the ground. Drill and grout points located on rock outcroppings into solid rock to at least 8 inches deep. Install monument boxes in accordance with Standard Plan R-11 Series. Reinstall old monument boxes if the monument boxes meet the requirements of Standard Plan R-11 Series. Use coring, after completion of paving operations, to place new monument boxes in pavement areas. Obtain the Engineer’s approval of coring equipment before starting the work. Use a core diameter no greater than 1 inch larger than the largest diameter of the monument 707 821.03 box. Grout the monument box in place using non-shrink grout to the full depth, as approved by the Engineer. Do not place the grout in the monument box. Do not place granular material more than 0.1 foot above bottom of the monument box frame. Install monument boxes so neither the box nor the cover extends above the pavement surface and so no part is more than 0.02 foot below the pavement surface. Compact the material at the base of the box before placing the box. Prevent the reset monument or cap from touching the side of the monument box. Position the center of the monument within 0.25 foot of the center of the monument box. Position the top of the monument from 0.1 foot to 0.5 foot below the top of the monument box. Before construction, measure the distance from the corner position to existing record witnesses to within ±0.01 foot to verify and establish the “Preserve” corner position. Document the record and measured distances to existing witnesses on the Land Corner Recordation Certificate. To preserve existing points, place temporary witnesses with straight-line witnesses before construction begins. Place at least four hubs with tacks, two on each side of the roadway, outside potential construction activity limits, at right angles to the roadway centerline. Determine precise measurements from the corner to points on the temporary witness line. Document this information in Section B of the Land Corner Recordation Certificate. If not measuring temporary witness points directly from the corner, make check measurements to ensure the accuracy of the directly measured witness. Submit a copy of the field notes for these check measurements to the Department. During remonumentation, check and compare straight-line witnesses with the record measurements. For deviations from the record measurements, document the new measurement and the record measurement, and the method for resolving the deviations in remonumentation, in Section B of the Land Corner Recordation Certificate. Preservation of existing points includes documenting at least four newly established or recovered permanent record witness points expected to remain for five years after construction. Locate witnesses in at least three separate quadrants from the corner monument. Orient witness points from the corner position by bearing to the nearest 5 degrees, and distance to within 0.01 foot. 708 821.04 Record, in Section C of the Land Corner Recordation Certificate, a detailed description of the monument, noting the monument box if required, the designation of the monument (PC, PI, PT, POT, and stationing), and a complete description of the remaining witnesses. For Alignment Points and Geodetic Control Points, record the control section, job number, route name, point designation, and stationing in item “3. Miscellaneous” on the Land Corner Recordation Certificate. 821.04. Measurement and Payment. Pay Item Pay Unit Monument Preservation ............................................................... Each Monument Preservation, Vertical ................................................. Each Monument Box ............................................................................. Each Protect Corners ............................................................................ Each Monument Box Adjust .................................................................. Each A. Monument Preservation. The Engineer will measure Monument Preservation by the number of monuments, public land survey corners, property controlling corners, and highway alignment control points preserved. The unit price for Monument Preservation includes the cost of the following: 1. Preliminary position verification; 2. Temporary witnessing; 3. Providing and installing new monument and permanent witnessing; 4. Recording the Land Corner Record Certificate in accordance with 1970 PA 74; 5. Providing the required documents; 6. Preparation work; 7. Traffic maintenance; 8. Cleanup; and 9. Site restoration. B. Monument Preservation, Vertical. The Engineer will measure Monument Preservation, Vertical by the number of vertical geodetic control points preserved. The unit price for Monument Preservation, Vertical includes the cost of the following: 1. Preparation work, 2. Traffic maintenance, 3. Cleanup, 4. Site restoration, and 5. Other costs associated with this work. 709 821.04 C. Monument Box. The unit price for Monument Box includes the cost of removing existing monument boxes, and providing and installing the monument box castings and monument box cover. D. Protect Corners. The unit price for Protect Corners includes the cost of verifying point positions before and after construction, witnessing before construction, and documentation. E. Monument Box Adjust. The unit price for Monument Box Adjust includes the cost of providing and installing monument box adjusting rings, and raising or lowering monument boxes to a position flush with the final paved grade. If the adjustment process disturbs the location of a monument, the unit price for Monument Box Adjust includes the cost of verifying the preliminary position, temporary witnessing, permanent witnessing, recording the Land Corner Record Certificate in accordance with 1970 PA 74, and providing the required documents. 710. Edited April 22, 2012 by Z15 Quote Link to comment
+EdrickV Posted April 23, 2012 Author Share Posted April 23, 2012 Unless I can find a section corner on publicly accessible land that actually has something there, I won't actually be seeing what is inside those monument boxes. And I don't know if PLSS section corners that aren't at a road would have anything there. (The monument boxes I have seen in the road all seem to correspond to PLSS section corners, I haven't seen any others. Though I could have missed some, they're not always easy to see. ) This thread, and the research I've done as a result of it, has incidentally cleared up a little mystery about where the name "Baseline road" came from. And kinda makes me want to try to arrange a visit to Meridian-Baseline Historical State Park. Quote Link to comment
68-eldo Posted April 23, 2012 Share Posted April 23, 2012 Unless I can find a section corner on publicly accessible land that actually has something there, I won't actually be seeing what is inside those monument boxes. And I don't know if PLSS section corners that aren't at a road would have anything there. (The monument boxes I have seen in the road all seem to correspond to PLSS section corners, I haven't seen any others. Though I could have missed some, they're not always easy to see. ) This thread, and the research I've done as a result of it, has incidentally cleared up a little mystery about where the name "Baseline road" came from. And kinda makes me want to try to arrange a visit to Meridian-Baseline Historical State Park. When you go you should find the Michigan Meridian. Looks like it is in the woods. Check this website: http://www.pmproject.org/MIPM.htm The coordinates I have for that is: 42°25'28.00"N 84°21'53.00"W If you get better coordinates please share them here. Thanks Quote Link to comment
+EdrickV Posted April 23, 2012 Author Share Posted April 23, 2012 (edited) Unless I can find a section corner on publicly accessible land that actually has something there, I won't actually be seeing what is inside those monument boxes. And I don't know if PLSS section corners that aren't at a road would have anything there. (The monument boxes I have seen in the road all seem to correspond to PLSS section corners, I haven't seen any others. Though I could have missed some, they're not always easy to see. ) This thread, and the research I've done as a result of it, has incidentally cleared up a little mystery about where the name "Baseline road" came from. And kinda makes me want to try to arrange a visit to Meridian-Baseline Historical State Park. When you go you should find the Michigan Meridian. Looks like it is in the woods. Check this website: http://www.pmproject.org/MIPM.htm The coordinates I have for that is: 42°25'28.00"N 84°21'53.00"W If you get better coordinates please share them here. Thanks The two benchmarks would by why I'd be interested in going. There's an old thread about the park here: http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=93113 And the two benchmarks have been added to Waymarking.com: http://www.Waymarking.com/waymarks/WMA4FT_Michigan_Meridian_Baseline_State_Park http://www.Waymarking.com/waymarks/WMA4VH_Michigan_Prime_Meridian_Benchmark There was apparently a Geocaching event out there at some point in the past. The official website of the park, which doesn't have much detail but does have the phone number mentioned in the thread, is here: http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=471&type=SPRK Edit: Oh, and this isn't something I'm planning to do anytime soon, it's more like something to put on my bucket list. Edited April 23, 2012 by EdrickV Quote Link to comment
68-eldo Posted April 24, 2012 Share Posted April 24, 2012 Thanks for the links. I’ve updated my info. Quote Link to comment
CallawayMT Posted April 28, 2012 Share Posted April 28, 2012 Unless I can find a section corner on publicly accessible land that actually has something there, I won't actually be seeing what is inside those monument boxes. And I don't know if PLSS section corners that aren't at a road would have anything there. (The monument boxes I have seen in the road all seem to correspond to PLSS section corners, I haven't seen any others. Though I could have missed some, they're not always easy to see. ) This thread, and the research I've done as a result of it, has incidentally cleared up a little mystery about where the name "Baseline road" came from. And kinda makes me want to try to arrange a visit to Meridian-Baseline Historical State Park. When you go you should find the Michigan Meridian. Looks like it is in the woods. Check this website: http://www.pmproject.org/MIPM.htm The coordinates I have for that is: 42°25'28.00"N 84°21'53.00"W If you get better coordinates please share them here. Thanks Hey I've been there! I have been busy and away from the posts for awhile and missing these good conversations. Kurt Quote Link to comment
AZcachemeister Posted April 29, 2012 Share Posted April 29, 2012 Unless I can find a section corner on publicly accessible land that actually has something there, I won't actually be seeing what is inside those monument boxes. And I don't know if PLSS section corners that aren't at a road would have anything there. (The monument boxes I have seen in the road all seem to correspond to PLSS section corners, I haven't seen any others. Though I could have missed some, they're not always easy to see. ) This thread, and the research I've done as a result of it, has incidentally cleared up a little mystery about where the name "Baseline road" came from. And kinda makes me want to try to arrange a visit to Meridian-Baseline Historical State Park. It's not exactly a State Park, but I have an EarthCache (adopted) at Meridian and Baseline. GC17NQ9 Quote Link to comment
+EdrickV Posted April 30, 2012 Author Share Posted April 30, 2012 Unless I can find a section corner on publicly accessible land that actually has something there, I won't actually be seeing what is inside those monument boxes. And I don't know if PLSS section corners that aren't at a road would have anything there. (The monument boxes I have seen in the road all seem to correspond to PLSS section corners, I haven't seen any others. Though I could have missed some, they're not always easy to see. ) This thread, and the research I've done as a result of it, has incidentally cleared up a little mystery about where the name "Baseline road" came from. And kinda makes me want to try to arrange a visit to Meridian-Baseline Historical State Park. It's not exactly a State Park, but I have an EarthCache (adopted) at Meridian and Baseline. GC17NQ9 Totally different Meridian and Baseline roads then mine. Interestingly enough that Meridian Road is nowhere near where the PLSS grid starts for your state. Though I see you've already found the benchmark that marks the initial point of the PLSS grid for your state. Which unlike the Michigan one is actually in the NGS database. Quote Link to comment
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