Method: for each item — find the pay item # (FDOT Basis of Estimates and Pay Items) → read BOE description + spec measurement & payment (what’s included!) → take off station-to-station in a tab that shows work → unit-check → independent check. Traffic takeoffs: signs (panel area/each + posts by type; assemblies!) · markings (LF by type/width/material; messages/arrows EA; RPMs) · signal (poles/mast arms EA, heads, ped features, loops/detection, conduit & cable LF — the conduit run map is where errors breed) · ADA ramps (EA by index case) · parking striping (stalls EA or LF + ADA symbols/signage). Double-count guards: incidental items list per spec (e.g., is X “included in cost of Y”?) · phase overlaps in MOT quantities · removed-vs-proposed netting stated explicitly. Estimate: BOE historical costs as sanity band; flag items outside band with reason. Practice question: 6 thermoplastic left-arrows + 275 ft of 6” white skip + 2 stop bars 24”×12 ft — write the item list with units before looking anything up, then verify. QA/QC reminder: every quantity has a shown calc and a second method or second person; “from CAD measure” alone isn’t a check.