3 + 25, 3 + 53, and 3 + 77. These examples are plus
stations of station 3 + 00.
LINE STAKES
Line (or alignment) stakes mark the horizontal
location of the earthwork to be completed and give the
Figure 15-24.—Combined alignment and grade stake.
Figure 15-25.—Centerline stake
Figure 15-26.—Station numbers.
direction of the proposed construction. Running over
stakes or otherwise damaging the stakes before they
have served their purpose results in many hours of
extra work to replace them and delay in the completion
of the project. Rough alignment stakes are placed far
ahead of the clearing crew to mark boundaries of the
area to be cleared and grubbed. These stakes, or
markers, are not of a control nature and their loss is
expected. On some stakes, the alignment information
and the grade requirement are combined on the same
stake (fig. 15-24).
Centerline Stakes
Stakes set along the center line of a project are
known as centerline stakes and are identified by letters,
as shown in figure 15-25. Most stakes are marked on
both the front and back.
On centerline stakes, the station number is written
on the front of the stake, such as 0 + 00, 1 + 00, 4 + 75,
and 5 + 25 (fig. 15-26).
The required grade is always established at the
center line of the project. The amount of change in
elevation is written on the back of the centerline stake
with a cut- or- fill symbol, which is known as the crow-
foot (fig. 15-27). The “crowfoot” is the reference point
of the vertical measure or grade.
Figure 15-27.—Cut-and-fill crowfoot symbol.
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