§ 12.04.050. General requirements and design standards.

In considering applications for road construction, the planning board shall be guided by the standards set forth hereinafter.

These standards shall be considered to be minimum requirements.

A.

Roads and Pavement Design.

1.

Introduction.

Roads are important to the applicant because they can substantially affect the cost of land development. They are important to the community because they must be maintained in perpetuity. Both capital cost and maintenance costs can be reduced if roads are economically designed and constructed. Applicants should become familiar with this material and must consult with the town planning board in developing the road system for any subdivision.

2.

Arrangement.

a.

Road systems shall be designed with due regard to the needs for: convenient traffic access and circulation; traffic control and safety; access for firefighting, snow removal, street maintenance equipment, and school buses; stormwater drainage, water distribution and sewage disposal. Roads shall be designed to accommodate the prospective traffic, and so arranged as to separate through traffic from neighborhood traffic insofar as it is practicable.

b.

The roads in contiguous subdivisions shall be coordinated so as to compose a convenient system to include construction or extension, presently or when later required, of needed utilities and public services such as sewers, water and drainage facilities.

Where a subdivision adjoins undeveloped land its roads shall be laid out so as to provide suitable future road connections with the adjoining land when the latter shall be developed. A road thus temporarily dead-ended shall be designed with provisions for construction to the boundary line of the subdivision or site plan and shall be provided with a temporary turn-around of the same dimensions as for permanent dead-end roads with a notation on the construction plat providing for temporary easements for the turn-around until such time as the road is extended. These same requirements shall apply at the discretion of the planning board in those cases where the adjoining land is another section of the same subdivision, and which is not scheduled for development at the same time.

c.

Roads shall be logically related to the topography. Grades of roads shall conform as closely as possible to the original topography. A combination of steep grades and sharp curves shall be avoided.

d.

Where a subdivision borders on or contains an existing or proposed railroad right-of-way or controlled access highway right-of-way, the planning board may require a road approximately parallel to and on each side of the right-of-way, at a distance suitable for the appropriate use of the intervening land, as for park purposes in residential districts, or for business, commercial or industrial purposes in appropriate districts. Such distances shall also be determined with due regard for the requirements of approach grades and future grade separation.

e.

Reserve strips of land shall not be left between the end of a proposed road and an adjacent piece of property, unless the reserved strip is for future dedication to the town.

Where a road does not extend to the boundary of the subdivision and its continuation is not needed for access to adjoining property, it shall be separated from such boundary by a distance sufficient to accommodate a lot meeting the requirements of the zoning law. However, the planning board may require the reservation of, at a minimum, a twenty foot wide easement for pedestrian and bicycle traffic and/or for utilities.

3.

Design, Material and Construction Method References.

In addition to the requirements of the minimum specifications of the town as set forth in this chapter, it is also the intent of the town that all roads and necessary drainage structures shall be designed and constructed in conformance with the current edition of the following design references and any subsequent addenda or revisions thereto:

A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

Guide For Design of Pavement Structures, AASHTO.

Highway Design Manual, New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Facilities Design Subdivision.

Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, NYSDOT Traffic and Safety Division.

Standard Specifications for Highway Bridges, AASHTO.

Standard Specifications (Construction and Materials), NYSDOT Office of Engineering.

4.

General Design Considerations.

a.

Roads shall be designed for specific traffic volumes and level of service appropriate for functional classification. The average daily traffic (ADT) projected to a design year twenty (20) years from the date of completion of construction shall be the basis for design. The current ADT may be used for the design if the design hourly volume (DHV) for the design year is less than 100; otherwise the DHV shall be used.

b.

Geometric design features shall be consistent with a design speed selected as appropriate for environmental and terrain conditions. Low design speeds are generally applicable to roads with winding alignment in rolling or mountainous terrain or where environmental conditions dictate. High design speeds are generally applicable to roads in level terrain or where other environmental conditions are favorable. Intermediate design speeds would be appropriate where terrain and other environmental conditions are a combination of those described for low and high speed.

c.

The selected design speed shall be utilized to determine: minimum sight distances; grades; alignment; superelevation; width of traveled way, shoulder and roadways, and intersection design. Additional design considerations are number of lanes, structures (new and existing), vertical clearance, right-of-way width, foreslopes, horizontal clearance to obstructions, curbs, railroad and road grade crossings, traffic control devices, and erosion control.

The following recommended minimum design speeds shall be used unless satisfactory documentation is presented by the applicant to warrant a variance by the town highway superintendent and planning board.

Minor collector roads	45 mph
Local roads (through)	35 mph
Local roads (dead end)	30 mph

 

5.

Design Standards.

The developer shall utilize the standard accepted design references listed in subsection (A)(3) of this section to develop the proposed road or road system design. However, all roads shall be designed and constructed to the minimum requirements set forth in the following table entitled "Minimum Standards for Road Design" where they exceed the minimum recommendations in subsection (A)(3) of this section references. Based upon data presented in the developer's engineering report, the design of the road shall be approved jointly by the town highway superintendent and planning board.

TABLE:	MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM STANDARDS FOR ROAD DESIGN
	Local	Local	Minor
	(Dead-End)	(Through)	Collector
Minimum width of right-of-way	50′	50′	60′
Minimum width of pavement	20′	22′	24′
Minimum width of shoulder treatment	4′	4′	8′
Maximum rate of superelevation	-	2%	4%
Maximum grade	10%	10%	10%

 

Circular cul-de-sacs are not permitted. Dead-end local roads shall have a T-type turning area at the pavement terminus. A typical detail follows subsection (A)(7) of this section.

6.

Street Intersection.

a.

Intersections with arterial roads shall be held to a minimum and spaced at least one thousand (1,000) feet apart, and intersections of collector roads by other roads shall be at least eight hundred (800) feet apart. Between offset intersections there shall be a distance of at least one hundred (100) feet. Within fifty (50) feet of an intersection roads shall be approximately at right angles and in no case shall the angle of intersection be less than seventy-five (75) degrees without additional channelization. Minimum edge of pavement radii shall depend on the intersecting street types, and shall be as follows:

Minor collector with minor collector	35′
Local with minor collector	30′
Local with local	30′

 

b.

Access roads from an arterial road shall have minimum edge of pavement radii of forty (40) feet.

c.

Grades within the intersection should not exceed one percent. They should not exceed one to one and one-half percent for a distance of fifty (50) feet from the intersections. From fifty (50) feet to one hundred (100) feet from the intersection the grades should not exceed three percent, and in no case shall they exceed ten (l0) percent.

d.

Triangles, circles or other traffic channeling islands may be required at intersections where present or anticipated traffic conditions indicate their advisability for traffic control or safety.

7.

Construction of roads.

a.

All materials and construction methods shall be referenced to and meet the requirements of the NYSDOT Standard Specifications, Construction and Materials, with all revisions and addenda thereto, unless the same are altered by specific requirements within this chapter or by modifying notes shown on the approved construction drawings. In the absence of any specific reference to specifications, the materials to be incorporated into any project and work to be performed are intended to conform to the NYSDOT specifications.

b.

A typical road half-section follows this subsection. Materials are referenced by NYSDOT item number.

B.

Storm Drainage.

1.

Stormwater Runoff.

Rate of stormwater runoff shall be calculated utilizing the current edition, with all revisions and addenda thereto, of the USDA Soil Conservation Service Urban Hydrology for Small Watersheds (Technical Release 55) or the Rational Method.

For small areas of two hundred (200) acres or less the Rational Method is acceptable and from five to two thousand (2,000) acres the SCS method is usable.

2.

Design Storms.

The town planning board requires that stormwater runoff be calculated using a design storm with a one hundred (100) year recurrence frequency. However, if the applicant's engineering consultant can utilize specific internal areas of the project as part of a designed stormwater detention system without creating backwater flooding of the roadway, pavement structure, buildings, water wells, etc., then the design storms for calculation of stormwater runoff for sizing culverts, structures and sewers may be as follows:

Minor collector 50 year

Local road (through) 25 year

Local road (dead-end) 10 year

3.

Design and Construction.

Road stormwater drainage systems may consist of culverts, ditching, swales, storm sewers, structures, detention basins, or other methods designed in accordance with established engineering principals.

a.

The anticipated service life of all piping shall be seventy (70) years. Service life is referenced to NYSDOT material criteria.

b.

All materials and construction methods shall conform to the requirements of the NYSDOT Standard Specifications, Construction and Materials.

c.

The minimum size pipe used shall be fifteen (15) inch diameter.

d.

All open drainage lines (water courses, ditches and detention ponds) shall be protected by perpetual unobstructed easements guaranteeing to the town the right-of-access and power to improve the channels, as well as prohibiting structural or terrain encroachments within the easement except on approval by the town. Such easements shall have a minimum width of twenty (20) feet.

All road plans shall be related to the natural drainage pattern with proper provision made for adequate storm drainage facilities, detention facilities, or both. The subdivider shall be required by the board to carry away by pipe or open ditch any spring, surface, or subsurface water not retained.

C.

Soil Erosion, Water and Air Pollution Abatement.

In order to ensure that the surrounding land and watercourses will not be subjected to siltation or erosion, the developer shall detail, schedule, implement and maintain erosion control practices through completion of the roads and acceptance by the town as a public road. It is recommended that these erosion control practices be reviewed with the local soil conservation service specialist prior to submission.

l.

General.

Control of erosion and sedimentation shall be carried out in conjunction with earthwork operations or as soon thereafter as practical. The area of bare soil exposed at any one time by construction operations shall be kept to a minimum.

Whenever the developer's operations, carried out in accordance with the erosion control schedule, result in a situation where temporary erosion control measures not scheduled must be taken, the developer will be guided by, but not limited to, the following controls in carrying out the control measures;

a.

When borrow material is obtained from other than commercially operated sources, erosion of the borrow site shall be so controlled both during and after completion of the work that erosion will be minimized and minimal sediment will enter waterways, impoundments or adjacent properties. Waste or spoil areas and construction roads shall be located, constructed and maintained in a manner that will minimize sediment entering waterways and impoundments.

The developer shall include with the application, grading plans for all borrow pits or areas, spoil or waste areas for acceptance prior to the start of work on, or the use of, such areas.

The grading plans shall indicate the sequence of operations, temporary slopes, and other factors which may have an influence on erosion control.

b.

Frequent fording of live waterways will not be permitted; therefore, temporary bridges or other structures shall be used wherever an appreciable number of waterway crossings are necessary. Mechanized equipment shall not be operated in live waterways.

c.

When work areas or gravel pits are located in or adjacent to live waterways and impoundments, such areas shall be separated from the rest of the waterway or impoundment by a dike or other barrier to minimize sediment entering a flowing waterway or impoundment. Care shall be taken during the construction and removal of such barriers to minimize the muddying of a waterway or impoundment.

d.

All waterways shall be cleared as soon as practical of falsework, piling, debris or other obstructions placed during construction operations and which are not a part of the finished work.

Ditches which are filled, or partly inoperative shall be cleaned and made operative before the work stops for any day, and shall be maintained in a satisfactory condition for the duration of the contract.

e.

Water from aggregate washing or other operations containing sediment shall be treated by filtration, settling basin or other means sufficient to reduce the turbidity so as not to cause a substantial visible contrast to natural conditions. Wash water or waste from concrete mixing operations shall not be allowed to enter waterways or impoundments.

f.

Pollutants such as fuels, lubricants, bitumens, raw sewage and other harmful materials shall not be discharged into or near waterways and impoundments or into natural or manmade channels leading thereto.

g.

All applicable regulations of fish and wildlife agencies and statutes relating to the prevention and abatement of pollution.

h.

Any material generated by any activity for the development, modification and construction of any transportation facility shall not be burned within the town. This shall include but not be limited to land clearing material and demolition material.

i.

The contractor shall not discharge dust into the atmosphere of such quantity, character or duration that it unreasonably interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property or is harmful to plants or animals.

2.

Schedules.

The developer shall include within the design report schedules for all excavation, stripping, embankment, fill and grading operations within the project. Schedules shall be prepared to:

a.

Sequence the work in such a manner that the exposed unprotected surface area of any earth material that is subject to erosion by wind or water will be minimized; and

b.

To perform permanent erosion control work at the earliest possible time during the construction at all locations.

During construction, both cut and fill earth slopes shall be seeded, fertilized and mulched as specified in the application at right angles to the roadway centerline, as soon as the roadway subgrade is reached. When the slopes are to be topsoiled, the topsoil shall be placed as soon as the slopes reach the stages as noted above and then seeded, fertilized, and mulched.

Seeding dates are to be specified. The mulch cover must be maintained and any areas where the mulch has been lost must be re-mulched prior to applying the seed and fertilizer.

D.

Utilities.

l.

Location.

When the utilities are to be underground, the planning board shall, wherever possible, require that they be placed in the road right-of-way, but outside the roadbed limits, to simplify the location and repair of lines when they require attention. The applicant shall install underground service connections to the property line of each lot within the subdivision for such required utilities before the street is paved.

2.

Easements.

Where topography is such as to make impractical the inclusion of utilities within the road rights-of-way, perpetual unobstructed easements at least twenty (20) feet in width shall be otherwise provided with satisfactory access to the street. Wherever possible, easements shall be continuous from block to block and shall present as few irregularities as possible. Such easements shall be cleared and graded where required. Utilities shall be offset from the centerline of the easement to provide maintenance access and work area.

E.

Maintenance of Roadway.

1.

Responsibility.

The developer shall be responsible for maintaining and protecting the roadway and temporary turn-around until accepted as a public road by the town. If subsequent subdivision sections are built utilizing the roadway for access and/or haul road during construction, the applicant shall be responsible for special maintenance provisions. These provisions could be placing or replacing topping, periodic cleaning and flushing of the road surface and repair of any structural damage.

2.

Scheduling.

The developer shall submit a schedule of his or her proposed road maintenance program to the town indicating how the roadway will be maintained, a timetable for the proposed maintenance and an estimate of cost. This schedule shall be reviewed and approved by the planning board and shall become a part of the project work. (Res. 142-89 § 500)