Municipality of Murrysville, PA Construction, Roads and Streets

The following roadway classifications shall apply to all public or private street construction or reconstruction regulated by either the Subdivision Ordinance or the Land Operations Ordinance.[1]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 201, Subdivision and Land Development and Ch. 124, Grading, Excavations and Filling.

The classifications shall also apply to all existing roads and streets within the municipal system.

Purpose. The purpose of this classification system is to identify the applicable design standards contained in § 97-5.

Classification and method of classification.

All roads shall be assigned one of the following classifications. Existing roads are assigned one of the following classifications as shown on the Municipal Road Map located at the Murrysville Municipal Building.

Principal arterial.

Minor arterial.

Collector.

Local.

Local, nonmunicipal (privately owned).

Roadways shall be assigned the highest classification based upon the following criteria:

Principal arterial.

Serves major centers of activity and/or serves the highest traffic volume corridors and serves the longest trip designations.

Carries a minimum of 6,000 AWDT (two-way) with 2% or more trucks.

Minor arterial:

Serves trips having one or both ends outside Murrysville and/or trips between major traffic generations.

All other criteria shall be with that of a principal arterial.

Collector:

Provides access to abutting land uses and distributes traffic between local, arterial and other collector streets.

Carries a maximum of 6,000 AWDT (two-way), with truck usage limited to those trips serving abutting land uses and/or intersecting streets.

Local:

Serves abutting homogeneous land uses.

Carries a maximum of 2,000 AWDT (two-way); provides for no truck usage except for local deliveries.

Local, nonmunicipal (privately owned): Classification criteria is the same as local, except that streets serving fewer than five lots may be approved with reduced design parameters as warranted.

§ 97-5 Design standards.

Specific design standard elements are provided for the Municipality of Murrysville. Elements not defined by this chapter shall be designed in accord with the latest requirements and standards of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Design criteria.

The design speed will be the principal design criteria and shall be as follows:

Table 1 Speed Limits for Various Roadway Classifications
Roadway Functional Classification	Minimum Design Speed (mph)	Posted Speed (mph)
Principal arterial	55	35 to 55
Minor arterial	50	35 to 45
Collector	45	25 to 45
Local	25	25 to 35
Local, nonmunicipal	25	N/A

Pavement, right-of-way and shoulder width will be as follows:

Table 2 Minimum Right-of-Way and Street Widths
	Minimum Widths (feet)
Functional Classification	Right-of-way	Paved Road*	Travel Lane	Shoulder Width
Principal arterial	60	24	12	10
Minor arterial	60	24	12	8
Collector	60	24	12	6
Local	50	26	13	N/A
Cul-de-sac	50	24	12	N/A

* NOTE: Does not include curb width. Asphalt wedge curb width will be 12 inches; concrete curb and gutter width will be two feet.

Design elements. The roadway geometry will conform to the following:

Horizontal alignment shall be as follows:

Table 3 Horizontal Alignment
	Horizontal Radius (in feet) for Design Speed (in mph)
Cross Slope	25	30	35	45	55
0.02 foot per foot	150	250	325	575	925

* NOTE: Superelevation and curve widening may be required for speeds above 35 miles per hour.

Vertical alignment shall be as follows:

Table 4 Vertical Alignment
Design Speed (mph)		25	30	35	45	55
Minimum stopping distance (feet)		150	200	250	350	475
Minimum K Value*
	Crest vertical curve	15	25	41	93	152
	Sag vertical curve	23	33	45	75	103
Maximum grade		14%	14%	12%	10%	7%
Minimum grade		2%	2%	2%	1%	1%

* NOTE: "K Value" is the ratio of vertical curve length to algebraic difference in grades. The minimum length of any vertical curve will be 50 feet. "K value" criteria is not to be used at intersections.

Intersections.

Intersection geometries shall be as follows:

The desirable intersecting angle is 90°, and the minimum acceptable angle shall be as follows:

Arterials and collectors: 80°.

Locals: 75°.

No new intersection shall be within 125 feet of another existing or proposed intersection unless approved by the Murrysville Council.

No new driveway shall be within 75 feet of an existing or proposed intersection. Where lot frontages prohibit this, a reasonable distance will be used as approved by the Municipal Engineer.

No intersection shall have more than four intersecting roadways.

To assure adequate turning radii, the minimum corner radii will conform to the following table:

Table 5 Minimum Corner Radii
		Minimum Corner Radii
Functional Classification		Right-of-way (feet)	Pavement (feet)
Principal arterial		55	45
Minor arterial		55	45
Collector		45	35
Local:
	Residential	35	25
	Commercial	55	45
	Industrial	70	55

Traffic control devices.

The following devices will generally be required at intersections. In the case of private construction of roadways for inclusion in the municipal system, the cost of engineering, materials and installation will be borne by the developer.

Table 6 Traffic Control Devices
	Intersecting Roadway Classification
Main Roadway Classification	Local	Collector	Minor Arterial	Principal Arterial
Local	Yield or stop sign	N/A	N/A	N/A
Collector	Yield or stop sign	Stop sign or traffic signal	N/A	N/A
Minor arterial	Stop sign or traffic signal	Stop sign or traffic signal	Traffic signal	N/A
Principal arterial	Stop sign or traffic signal	Stop sign or traffic signal	Traffic signal	Traffic signal

All traffic signals shall be electrified and meet the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation requirements.

A new residential and commercial development shall be required to submit a signing plan as part of the development plans.

Stopping distances. The minimum stopping sight distances at intersections will comply with the following table:

Table 7 Minimum Stopping Sight Distance
	Minimum Sight Distance (feet)
	Grade
Posted Speed Limit on Intersecting Street (mph)	+9%	+6%	+3%	0%	-3%	-6%	-9%
25	135	140	150	150	160	170	180
35	225	230	240	250	260	275	295
45	N/A	320	330	350	410	435	N/A
55	N/A	425	445	475	575	625	N/A

Intersection standards. New or modified streets or intersections and access driveways shall be designed for adequate traffic capacity, defined as follows, unless otherwise approved by the Municipal Engineer. All references to "level of service (LOS)" shall be as defined by the Highway Capacity Manual, Special Report 209, as amended or replaced, published by the Transportation Research Board.

Traffic capacity LOS shall be based upon a future design year which coincides with the completion of the development of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation requirements.

Unsignalized intersections or driveways which intersect streets shall be designed for LOS C or better for each new traffic movement.

Signalized intersections shall be designed for LOS C or better for each new traffic movement. The LOS of existing traffic movements shall not be degraded.

Streets shall be designed for a minimum LOS C.

Sight distance at driveways and new intersections shall meet standards specified by Pennsylvania Department of Transportation regulations.

Drainage design and related procedures.

General criteria. A stormwater management plan shall be prepared in accordance with the Murrysville Stormwater Management Ordinance.[1] Underground storage tanks are not permitted in any road right-of-way (public or private).

Editor's Note: See Ch. 198, Stormwater Management.

Design methods (street drainage design).

Stormwater drainage systems will be designed using the most-current method described in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Drainage Manual.

All street drainage structures will be designed to accommodate the stormwater runoff generated by the ten-year storm return frequency.

A report must be submitted that shows the capacity of all pipes and inlets. A plan showing the pipe profiles and other details of the system must be provided.

Design details.

All drainage ditches or storm sewers must be designed in accordance with the Murrysville Stormwater Management Ordinance.[2]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 198, Stormwater Management.

All inlets shall have a Type M top with a cast-iron frame and bicycle-safe grate approved by the Municipal Engineer. The inlet shall comply with most-current Department of Transportation Standards of Construction. Steps at twelve-inch centers will be installed in all inlets five feet and deeper. Inlet tops will be constructed to match the grade and cross slope of the roadway.

Pipe for storm sewers shall have a minimum of diameter of 15 inches. Pipes shall either be reinforced-concrete pipe or smooth-walled plastic pipe (as manufactured by ADS or an equivalent). Metal pipes are not permitted.

All natural springs becoming apparent during construction will be piped to the nearest wetland, stream or storm sewer.

Any drainage structure not described in the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Standards of Construction will be detailed on the plan submitted to the Municipal Engineer. This shall include but not be limited to culverts, wingwalls and headwalls, bridges and channels.

(f)

All storm drainage will be designed with a minimum slope of 1%.

(g)

All ditches will be lined with the appropriate material as dictated by the design velocities.

(h)

The maximum spacing of inlets will be 400 feet between inlets or downstream from the high point of the street.

(i)

Bituminous curbs will be a wedge-type curb 12 inches wide and have a depth of five inches.

(j)

All utility trenches within three feet of the existing or proposed pavement will be backfilled with coarse aggregate (limestone only).

(k)

All manholes will comply with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Standards of Construction and will be constructed of either precast or cast-in-place concrete.

(l)

Storm sewers on slopes of 20% or greater will be anchored with concrete anchors, spaced as follows:

Not over 36 feet center to center on grades of 20% to 35%.

Not over 24 feet center to center on grades of 35% to 50%.

[3]

Not over 16 feet center to center on grades over 50%.

Pavement base drain. Longitudinal pavement base drain, a minimum of four inches in diameter, will be installed on both sides of the roadway. All drains will be installed per the most-current Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Standards for Construction. Pavement base drain installation will typically extend from inlet to inlet or manhole, with both ends of any given run extending into the inlet or manhole to allow for future maintenance.

(5)

Roof, yard and driveway drains. No drainage from dwellings or other buildings nor downspouts for roof drainage will be piped onto the road surface. No drainage system will be connected to the pavement base drains.

Pavement design.

Purpose. The purpose of these pavement design standards is to provide an adequate pavement structure for the soil support available and the traffic anticipated. The standards are also intended to provide this structure as economically as possible.

Minimum design. The pavement structure will be designed to provide the following minimum thickness, unless otherwise stated in the following tables:

Subbase: six inches of 2A limestone with a Class 4 geotextile material.

Base course: three inches of Superpave Asphalt Mixture Design, HMA Binder Course 25 mm, PG 64-22.

Wearing course: three inches of Superpave Asphalt Mixture Design, HMA Wearing Course 9.5 mm, PG 64-22, SRL-H (includes final 1 1/2 inches).

Materials. All materials will conform to the most-current Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 408 standards. The developer must submit an approved mix design prior to construction of the roadway.

Wearing surface. The wearing surface will be constructed with Superpave Asphalt Mixture Design, HMA Wearing Course 9.5 mm, PG 64-22, SRL-H.

Base course. The base course will be constructed with Superpave Asphalt Mixture Design, HMA Binder Course 25 mm, PG 64-22.

Subbase. The subbase will be constructed with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation approved 2A or 3A material (limestone only; slag is not permitted).

Geotextile fabric. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Class 4 geotextile will be used on all subgrade. Other geotextile fabrics may be used when conditions warrant and with the Municipal Engineer's approval.

Design method. The determination of the soil support and traffic intensity categories will be made by a registered professional engineer with experience in pavement design. The categories will be made using data and methods approved by the Municipal Engineer.

Soil support. The pavement subgrade will conform to the requirements stated in this chapter. All subgrade will be well-compacted and nonplastic in nature. Through the use of proof-rolling (§ 97-6D), the Municipality will determine the subgrade quality. Only quality subgrade will be accepted.

Traffic intensity design index. A design index (DI) number shall be determined from Table 8 for maximum traffic intensity anticipated to occur on the street during the first fifteen-year life cycle of the street.

	Table 8 Traffic Intensity Categories
	DI-1	Light traffic (passenger cars with truck traffic limited to local deliveries; includes most residential subdivision streets)
	DI-2	Medium to light traffic (similar to DI-1 but with greater frequency of truck traffic; includes residential streets exceeding 1,000 vehicles per day)
	DI-3	Medium traffic (similar to Dl-2 but including some light commercial traffic)
	DI-4	Medium to heavy traffic (up to 2,000 vehicles per day, mixed types, less than 5% maximum legal axle loads traveling the same wheel path patterns)
	DI-5	Heavy traffic (up to 2,000 vehicles per day, up to 25% DI-5 commercial, up to 10% maximum legal axle loads)
	DI-6	Very heavy traffic (over 2,000 vehicles per day, high frequency of legal axle loads)

Design thickness for normal environment. Based upon soil support and traffic intensity categories, the design thickness for the pavement structure shall be determined from Table 9.

Table 9 Flexible Pavement Design
Pavement Design Thickness¹ (inches)
DI-1	DI-2	DI-3	DI-4	DI-5	DI-6
6²	6.5	7	8	9³	10³

	NOTES:
	¹	Excluding the subbase. Subbase for DI-1 and DI-2 will be a minimum of six-inches. The subbase for DI-3 to DI-6 must be submitted to the Municipal Engineer for approval.
	²	See minimum design standards.
	³	Alternative reinforced concrete pavement may be submitted for approval.

Roadway appurtenances.

Guiderail. The use of guiderails will be avoided except in the case where site conditions warrant such safety devices. Earthwork and landscaping will be done in such a manner as to eliminate any unsafe conditions or hazards near the roadway. Guiderail construction will follow the most-current sections of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Road Construction Standards and Publication 408. All guiderails will have proper end treatments. When guiderails are required in a residential subdivision, consideration will be given to the use of alternate designs.

Pedestrian facilities.

Sidewalks. Sidewalks may be constructed in accordance with the Municipality's Subdivision Ordinance.[3] When sidewalks are constructed, they will have a minimum width of five feet and a minimum thickness of four inches of reinforced concrete and four inches of stone base. At locations where sidewalks cross driveways, the minimum concrete thickness shall be increased to six inches. Alternate designs may be submitted to the Municipal Engineer for approval.

[3]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 201, Subdivision and Land Development.

Curb-cut ramps. Curb-cut ramps will be required at all intersections where sidewalks are present and at other locations deemed necessary by the Municipal Engineer. Curb-cut ramps will be designed as a sidewalk section in accordance with the most-current requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Pedestrian signals. Pedestrian signals will be required where the safety of pedestrians warrants such devices. When pedestrian signals are required, they will be designed and constructed in accordance with the most-current requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Utilities. In accordance with the Municipality's Subdivision Ordinance, all utilities will be located in the public right-of-way but outside the pavement section, or within a utility easement, wherever possible. All utilities will be located a minimum of 3.5 feet behind the back of the curb. When utilities must cross the pavement, they will do so at an angle perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the pavement. If future utilities are forecast to cross the pavement section, the developer will install metal or plastic conduit pipe to accommodate such utilities. All utilities and/or conduits will be installed prior to the placement of any pavement. For the construction of utilities within existing municipal rights-of-way, all provisions of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 408 and Pennsylvania Code, Title 67, Chapter 459, Occupancy of Highways by Utilities, shall apply for work within the right-of-way. Manholes, valve boxes, curb stops and other such accessways shall be kept out of the sidewalk areas.

Driveways. All private driveways will be so located as to conform to the stopping sight distance requirements listed in this chapter. The maximum grade on a driveway will be 15%. All other driveway design criteria will be as defined in Chapter 441 of Title 67 of the Pennsylvania Code, Access to and occupancy of highways by driveways and local roads.

(5)

Curbs and shoulders. The standard curb for local roads will be a bituminous wedge curb 12 inches wide and five inches in height. The wedge curb will be constructed at the same time and of the same material as the roadway. Concrete curbs may be constructed where conditions warrant their use or when directed by the Engineer. Concrete curbs and gutters will be constructed in accordance with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation RC-64 Standards. When it is necessary to construct roadway shoulders, either a Type 1 or Type 3 shoulder may be used, as directed by the Engineer. Shoulder construction will be in accordance with the most-current Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Road Construction Standards.

(6)

Parking lots. The design of parking lots will be as described in the Municipality's Zoning Ordinance.[4] In addition to those requirements, in order to assure proper drainage, the minimum grade will be 1%, and the maximum grade will be 7%.

[4]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 220, Zoning.

(7)

Temporary turnarounds. Temporary turnarounds will not be permitted. If the proposed development is to be constructed in phases, the streets shall be so designed as to have the phase line at an intersection.

Earthwork. All earthwork will be in accordance with the Municipality's Land Operations Ordinance.[5] In addition, all earthwork will be performed under the supervision of a qualified geotechnical engineer when recommended by the Municipal Engineer.

[5]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 124, Grading, Excavations and Filling.

Erosion and sedimentation control. All new roads will be constructed in such a manner as to minimize erosion and prevent the release of sediments into any body of water. An approved erosion and sedimentation control plan must be on file with the Municipality before any road work will be permitted to commence. Also, all required erosion and sedimentation control devices must be installed before earthmoving begins. The erosion and sedimentation control plan and all necessary devices will be in conformance with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources Soil Erosion and Sedimentation Control Manual and the Westmoreland Conservation District.

§ 97-6 Construction methods.

Specifications. All material and methods of construction shall be in accordance with the most-current Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 408 and Road Construction Standards.

Notification. The contractor will notify the Municipality one week in advance of starting work. The contractor will schedule, before the start of construction, a preconstruction meeting with the Municipality. He will, at all times during the progress of the work, have a competent superintendent or foreman on the job site. Inspection of the road and drainage work will be done by the Municipal Engineer or an appointed representative.

Earth work. All earth work will be performed in accordance with Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 408 and the Municipality's Land Operations Ordinance.

Topsoil. All topsoil must be stripped from the proposed subgrade and stockpiled in accordance with the erosion and sedimentation control plan. No pavement will be placed on topsoil.

Fill. All fill to be placed for roadway embankment will meet with the requirements of the geotechnical report. All fill is to be clean, well-drained and compacted to optimum density. The Municipal Engineer reserves the right to reject any roadway fill.

Cut. All cut areas will be excavated as required in the geotechnical report. No blasting will be permitted.

Preparation of subgrade.

The subgrade shall be well-rolled and fine-graded to a tolerance of no more than 0.1 foot above and 0.2 foot below the grade as shown on the plan.

All soft, plastic or rock areas in the subgrade shall be undercut to a depth of at least nine inches, or more if deemed necessary by the Municipal Engineer, and shall be refilled with approved materials, including possible use of geotextiles, and by methods approved by the Municipal Engineer.

The subgrade is to conform to the same crown as the paved surface.

The subgrade must be proof-rolled with a loaded single-axle truck carrying a gross weight of 18,000 pounds and approved by the Municipal Engineer or Director of Public Works prior to the placement of subbase or base course material.

Placement of subbase and base course materials. The material and methods of construction for this work will comply with Section 310, Crushed Aggregate Base Course, as contained in the Seldom Used Specifications, dated 1983, or Section 350, Subbase, as contained in the Publication 408 specifications, dated 1987, as amended.

Placement of bituminous base and surface courses.

The base and wearing courses shall meet the specifications of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 408 and will be laid in the manner prescribed therein. All wedge curbs shall be constructed with base course material and finished with wearing course material at the same time as the wearing course is installed.

In the case of new roads or streets being constructed in new subdivision plans, the final wearing course of 1 1/2 inches will not be placed or constructed until such time as 85% of the buildings are completed in the plan. If the eighty-five-percent completion stage, as mentioned herein, takes more than five years to complete, the developer will place the final wearing course of 1 1/2 inches as directed by the Engineer at the end of the five-year period. The five-year period will begin immediately after the placement of the first one-inch wearing course. The developer will be required to maintain a performance bond with the Municipality until completion of the final wearing course of 1 1/2 inches is completed and accepted by the Municipality. The developer will supply a surety as a performance bond. This surety must be structured to give notice to the Municipality 60 days before expiration of said surety.

Complete block construction required. In addition, the complete street, from intersection to intersection, must be constructed and shall be complete as far as the entire block is concerned. Constructing a street in sections will not be acceptable. A street must be constructed from intersection to intersection or to its ending point.

Calendar and weather limitations.

Road construction work, such as filling, berming, subgrade, fine grade construction, base construction or surface construction, cannot be commenced before April 1 and must be completed by October 31 of the same year. It is assumed that the weather conditions between these dates will be acceptable for road construction. However, if adverse weather conditions occur between these dates, the contractor or builder must abide by the judgment of the Municipal Engineer in regard to permissible construction weather conditions. Work will only be permitted before or after these dates on a day-by-day basis as approved by the Municipal Engineer.

In addition, bituminous paving mixtures shall not be placed when surfaces are wet or when the temperature of either the air or the surface on which the mixture is to be placed is 40° F. or lower. When work is halted because of weather conditions, tonnage en route to the project will not be accepted.

Performance and maintenance bonds.

After the bituminous base course and surface course have been placed and all other associated work has been approved, the contractor can replace the first performance bond with a new performance bond of sufficient amount, as determined by the Engineer's estimate or a signed work contract, to guarantee the repairs to the base and binder as needed and the placement of the finished ID-2 wearing course. The contractor, upon completion of the final wearing course and as a condition for acceptance by the Municipality, must provide an eighteen-month maintenance bond in the amount of 15% of the performance bond.

Prior to the conclusion of the eighteen-month period for the maintenance bond, as mentioned herein, the contractor or developer shall notify the Municipality to make final inspection of the road. Failure by the contractor or developer to request the final inspection shall result in forfeiture of said bond to the Municipality. If the condition of the road is such that the road shall not be accepted as a municipal road, the developer or contractor shall have the duty to repair or replace said road so that it will be in proper condition to be accepted by the Municipality. Nothing in this chapter, including services which the Municipality may render during the period of the performance bond and/or maintenance bond, shall be construed to mean that the road has been accepted as a municipal road.

In conjunction with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s procedure for the addition to the Municipality’s road inventory included in annual liquid fuel fund allocation determination, no streets will be approved for acceptance by the Municipality after October 1 of the calendar year. The deadline may be waived by Council on a case-by-case basis following an extension by the aforesaid Department of its deadline for such purpose or other just cause, and a recommendation by the Municipal Engineer. All final inspections must be completed before this date. A further requirement for approval to be accepted will be a legal description for each street and associated right-of-way to be accepted. The legal description will include street center line and the entire right-of-way. The legal description must be prepared and sealed by a registered surveyor. Two copies of as-built drawings, with the roads highlighted in yellow and the storm sewers highlighted in green, of all streets being offered for acceptance must be provided to the Municipality. These drawings must be sealed by a professional engineer licensed in Pennsylvania or professional surveyor licensed in Pennsylvania. These drawings must show all improvements within the street right-of-way, including pavement, sidewalks and utilities.

[Amended 11-7-2012 by Ord. No. 869-12]

The Council of Murrysville will only consider streets for acceptance that meet the following conditions:

[Added 11-7-2012 by Ord. No. 869-12]

The street(s) must be located in a plan or development that was approved by the Murrysville Council and includes language in the Council approval that said street(s) are to be considered for acceptance into the municipal street system.

Dwellings have been constructed and completed on 75% or more of the approved lots in the development or phase of development.

All of the improvements required as documented in the final plan approved by Murrysville Council have been completed in the development or phase of the development.

All of the information and plans described above in § 97-6I(3) have been provided and are acceptable to the Municipal Engineer.

There are no outstanding issues which would otherwise limit the Municipality’s ability to maintain or operate the described roadways, streets and rights-of-way.

Special requirements and services.

Street signs. After the street is complete with binder and wearing course and after the maintenance bond has been provided and as soon as the first dwelling is being occupied, the developer shall request the Municipality to install a road sign or signs. The developer will be required to pay the cost of the sign(s) and of the installation work. The cost is to be the actual cost to the Municipality for the materials and labor. The sign(s) will then become the responsibility of the Municipality to maintain, replace, restore, etc. Street signs will include but not be limited to street name signs, stop signs, speed limit signs and advisory signs. The developer will also provide for any street markings, such as stop lines and crosswalks.

Snow removal. The Municipality will only provide winter maintenance on streets that have been accepted by Council. It will be the responsibility of the developer or the contractor to maintain streets that have not been accepted.

Fire hydrants. In cases where the subdivision is serviced by a waterline sufficient to enable the installation of a fire hydrant or hydrants, the developer shall contact the Municipality, which shall determine the location of such hydrant(s). The developer shall pay costs of the hydrant(s) as charged to the Municipality by the Water Authority.