[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors
of the Township of Palmer 7-3-1961 as Ord. No. 36. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Shade Tree Commission — See Ch.
32.
Subdivision and land development — See Ch.
165.
[Amended 3-17-1969 by Ord. No. 96; 7-11-1972 by Ord. No. 126; 7-16-1990 by Ord. No. 234]
A. All pavements constructed and all curbs and sidewalks
placed on any street in the Township of Palmer, Northampton County,
Pennsylvania, shall meet the requirements of this ordinance and shall
be subject to approval by the Township Engineer.
(1) The following terms shall apply:
CONSTRUCTION OBSERVER
A representative of the Township or Engineer authorized to
observe any and all construction operations governed by this ordinance.
DEVELOPER
The individual, partnership, corporation or other entity
undertaking the improvement of land within the Township pursuant to
the Subdivision and Land Development Regulations.
ENGINEER
The Township Engineer or his authorized representative.
(2) Safety. The Engineer, acting on behalf of the Township,
assumes no responsibility for or control over the developer's or his
contractor's safety programs, nor any responsibility for the developer's
or his contractor's work procedures, methods, sequences, techniques
of construction, equipment, etc. Representatives of the Engineer are
at the site only on behalf of the Township to determine compliance
with the applicable documents, and to determine the acceptability
of the final product.
(3) It shall be the responsibility of the developer and/or
his contractors to post the notice to workers (available at the Township
Office) on the project site at a location accessible to all workers.
(4) The developer and his contractors shall be responsible
for compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local laws
and ordinances such as Department of Labor and Industry regulations,
state and local blasting permit requirements, Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) and other applicable safety codes,
etc. The construction observer does not have the authority to stop
the work because of a safety violation.
(5) Construction observers do not have the authority to
approve, in the field, all changes from the approved plans or specifications.
Any and all requests for deviation from the approved plans or specifications
shall be submitted in writing by the developer to the Engineer and
must be accompanied by supporting engineering data.
(6) Mix design information for all materials used in constructing
streets, curbs and sidewalks shall be submitted to and approved by
the Engineer prior to the delivery of the materials to the project
site. Escrow release certifications will not be processed until such
mix design information has been submitted and approved.
(7) No connections shall be made to existing Township
streets without prior approval and without three business days advance
notice to the Township to allow for scheduling of Township observation
personnel.
B. Street construction specifications.
(1) General.
(a)
All Township roads shall consist of the following
courses, unless a particular course is hereinafter excluded:
(b)
All new Township roads shall be curbed.
[Amended 11-17-2003 by Ord. No. 2003-342]
(c)
The following cross-slopes shall be maintained:
[1]
Cartway: 1/4 inch per foot sloped toward the
edge of road.
[2]
Sidewalk area: 3/8 inch per foot sloped toward
the edge of road.
(2) Materials.
(a)
Construction of all Township roads designated
on the Township Zoning Map as being either arterial, collector or local streets shall
meet the following thickness requirements:
[1]
Arterial streets:
[a] ID-2 bituminous wearing course:
1 1/2 inches.
[b] Bituminous concrete base course
(BCBC): 5 1/2 inches.
[2]
Collector streets:
[a] ID-2 bituminous wearing course:
1 1/2 inches.
[b] Bituminous concrete base course
(BCBC): 4 1/2 inches.
[3]
Local streets:
[a] ID-2 bituminous wearing course:
one and one-half (1 1/2) inches.
[b] Bituminous concrete base course
(BCBC): three and one-half (3 1/2) inches.
(b)
All materials and construction methods used
in the construction of streets shall meet the following requirements
as set forth in PennDOT Specifications, Publication 408, current edition.
|
Material
|
Section
|
---|
|
Subgrade
|
210
|
|
Subbase
|
350
|
|
Bituminous concrete base course (BCBC)
|
305
|
|
Bituminous wearing course ID-2
|
420
|
|
Plain cement concrete curb
|
630
|
|
Cement concrete sidewalks
|
676
|
(3) Construction methods.
(a)
Trenches.
[1]
All utility trenches (such as for sanitary and
storm sewers, waterlines, gas mains, and electrical facilities) within
cartways shall be backfilled in thin layers (not thicker than eight
inches) and mechanically tamped. All trenches shall be allowed to
settle for at least 90 days before permanent subbase course, bituminous
concrete base course, or bituminous wearing course ID-2 pavement may
be constructed.
[2]
When a special case arises where a utility trench
would have less than 90 days of settlement time, all trench backfill
shall be 2A modified or 2RC stone, tamped and capped with eight inches
of clay at subgrade elevation. This shall apply whenever a permanent
subbase course or bituminous concrete base course and bituminous wearing
course ID-2 pavement is to be constructed.
(b)
Prior to commencing construction of the subbase,
the subgrade shall be inspected and approved by the Engineer. After
acceptance by the Engineer, the subgrade shall not be excavated for
any purposes without the express permission of the Engineer. The placement
of subbase material, as well as subsequent pavement courses, may proceed
only after the Engineer has accepted the underlying course.
(c)
Bituminous concrete base course (BCBC) shall
not be placed on surfaces that are wet or at a temperature of 35º
F. or lower, or when the air temperature is 35º F. or lower.
When work is halted because of weather conditions, limited tonnage
en route to the project may be placed, if permitted by the Engineer.
A bituminous prime coat of the subbase course is not required before
placement of the BCBC.
(d)
Placement of bituminous wearing course ID-2 shall be permitted during the period April 1 to October 15 annually, provided that temperature conditions as listed in Subsection
B(3)(e)[3] below are met; and provided, further, that no paving will be permitted during inclement weather. When the bituminous wearing course ID-2 is placed adjacent to curbs to form a bituminous gutter, it shall be sealed with AC-20. Excess bituminous material shall be removed to the satisfaction of the Engineer.
(e)
Placement of bituminous wearing course ID-2
may be permitted during the period October 16 to November 15 under
the following conditions:
[1]
Bituminous wearing course ID-2 shall be hauled
in properly covered and insulated trucks.
[2]
Bituminous wearing course ID-2 shall not be
placed on damp or wet surfaces.
[3]
Bituminous wearing course ID-2 shall not be
placed when the air temperature is 40º F. or lower, nor when
the temperature of the base or binder on which it is to be placed
is 40º F. or lower.
[4]
Extra precautions shall be taken in drying the
aggregate to be used in the mix, controlling the temperature of the
delivered material and compacting the mixture.
[5]
Bituminous wearing course ID-2 shall not be
placed if, on the date preceding placement, it rained or snowed and
the temperature fell below freezing during the previous evening.
[6]
Bituminous wearing course ID-2 shall not be
placed after November 15 without a written request from the developer
and the subsequent express written consent of the Township Supervisors
and Township Engineer.
C. Concrete curb specifications.
(1) General.
(a)
The concrete curb shall be six inches in width
at the top, eight inches in width at the base and 21 inches in depth
on all streets.
(b)
Construction of plain cement concrete curb shall
meet the requirements of Section 630 - Plain Cement Concrete Curb,
PennDOT Specifications, Publication 408, current edition. This shall
include the placement of concrete curb with an acceptable, self-propelled
machine (slip-form machine).
(2) Materials. All materials used in the construction
of curbs shall meet the requirements of Section 630.2 of PennDOT Specifications,
Publication 408, current edition.
(3) General construction methods.
(a)
Excavation; fill. The excavation or fill for
curb shall be carried to the proper depth and grade as directed by
the Engineer. The subgrade shall then be thoroughly compacted and
so shaped that the surface of the same shall be at the required depth
below the grade for the finished curb.
(b)
Placing concrete. After the subgrade and foundation
have been prepared, the concrete, conforming to these specifications
shall be laid or placed in the forms and thoroughly tamped and spaded
to ensure the filling of all voids and to secure a concrete of maximum
density with all corners full and square. All concrete must be finished
with a wooden float and true to the lines and grades given.
(c)
The forms shall not be removed until satisfactory
curing has taken place. After removing the forms the exposed surface
should be rubbed down or floated to a smooth, even surface, as necessary.
If any holes or defects develop, they shall be filled with mortar
composed of one part cement and two parts sand and then floated with
a wooden float to a smooth, even surface.
D. Concrete sidewalk specifications.
(1) General.
(a)
A crushed stone base course of No. 2A Modified
shall be provided to form a compacted base four inches deep.
(b)
In general and unless otherwise stated herein,
construction of cement concrete sidewalks shall meet the requirements
of Section 676 - Cement Concrete Sidewalks, PennDOT Specifications,
Publication 408, current edition.
(2) Materials. All materials used in the construction
of sidewalks shall meet requirements of Section 676.2 of PennDOT Specifications,
Publication 408, current edition.
(3) Construction. The concrete shall be not less than
four inches in depth and shall have a transverse grade of 3/8 inch
per foot upward from the curbing. In driveway areas, the sidewalk
and the apron shall be constructed of concrete six inches in depth
on a four-inch base of thoroughly compacted crushed stone (2A Modified)
according to the Palmer Township Standard Construction Details.
E. Record plans.
(1) Records plans shall be prepared by the developer's
Engineer from information recorded by the developer's contractors
during construction. Such record plans shall be submitted to the Engineer
upon the completion of the street construction. The following information
is required on the street grade and profile record plans:
(a)
Any construction changes that were made shall
be noted and documented on the record plans by drawing a line through
the proposed design data and noting the record data.
(b)
The record plans shall include, but not be limited
to, the "as-constructed" curb and/or pavement grades for intersections
and all other areas that were changed from the design plan. The record
profile grades should be shown where they differ from the original
design.
(2) After the record plans are reviewed and approved,
three prints and a Mylar tracing of each shall be provided to the
Engineer for a permanent record.
[Amended 4-9-1974 by Ord. No. 150]
All persons desiring to lay or relay curb or
sidewalk shall apply for a permit to the Building Inspector.
[Added 11-23-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-470]
A. It shall
be the duty of all developers and all owners of property abutting
a public street or highway within the Township of Palmer to construct
concrete ramps, where feasible, and crosswalks when new installations
of sidewalk and/or curb are made or when a replacement of an existing
sidewalk and/or curb is made so as to make the transition from street
to sidewalk easily accessible for handicapped persons in wheelchairs
and for other persons who may have difficulty in making the required
step up or down from curb level to street level.
B. All such
ramps shall be constructed or installed in accordance with the designs
and specifications therefor prepared by the Pennsylvania Department
of Transportation. The cost for such installation shall be borne by
the property owner or developer who owns or is developing the property
upon which the ramps and/or sidewalks are being constructed. Upon
completion of said construction, said property owner and/or developer
shall be required to keep the improvements in good repair.
[Amended 9-17-1973 by Ord. No. 146]
The fee to be paid to the Township for permits
shall be set by the Board of Supervisors by resolution.
[Amended 9-17-1973 by Ord. No. 146; 10-25-1988 by Ord. No. 227]
A. Any person, partnership, corporation, trust or other
entity which or who shall violate any of the provisions of this ordinance
or who shall fraudulently do work for the Township which does not
conform to these standards shall be liable, upon conviction in a summary
proceeding before any Alderman, District Magistrate or Justice of
the Peace, to pay a fine or penalty to the Township, and for the use
of the Township, of not less than $10 nor more than $600 or to be
sentenced to imprisonment in the county prison for a period not exceeding
30 days, as provided by law.
B. Each day of violation of the particular code or ordinance
applicable shall be considered a separate offense, for which the fines
and penalties stated herein may be imposed on a daily basis.
C. For collection of fines and penalties, see §
1-16E of Chapter
1, General Provisions.
[Added 9-17-1973 by Ord. No. 146]
The widths and grades of streets and sidewalks
shall be as set by the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance,
as amended.
[Added 9-17-1973 by Ord. No. 146; 7-16-1990 by Ord. No. 234]
In areas of sidewalk, driveway aprons shall
be constructed of concrete six inches in depth on a four-inch base
of thoroughly compacted crushed stone (2A Modified) according to the
Palmer Township Standard Construction Details.
[Added 9-17-1973 by Ord. No. 146]
This ordinance shall be known and may be cited
as "Township Ordinance No. 36."
[Added 9-17-1973 by Ord. No. 146]
If the provisions of this ordinance conflict
with those of any other ordinance or law, the most restrictive of
the two shall prevail.
[Amended 9-17-1973 by Ord. No. 146]
Township Ordinance No. 26 of October 6, 1958, and all ordinances inconsistent herewith are hereby repealed.
[Added 5-20-1974 by Ord. No. 152]
No railroad or street railway shall hereafter
be constructed upon any Township right-of-way or road, nor shall any
railroad or street railway crossings, nor any gas pipe, water pipe,
electric conduits or other piping be laid upon or in, nor shall any
telephone, telegraph or electric light or power poles, or any coal
tipples or any other obstructions be erected upon or in any portion
of a Township road or right-of-way except under such conditions, restrictions
and regulations relating to the installation, safety, maintenance
and restoration thereof, as may be prescribed herein and in permits
granted by the Township for such purpose.
[Added 5-20-1974 by Ord. No. 152]
The application for a permit required by §
160-10 shall be on a form prescribed by the Township and submitted to the Township in triplicate. The application shall be accompanied by a fee in accordance with the schedule of fees set forth by the Department of Transportation for highway occupancy permits and restoration charges. In addition, the applicant shall submit three copies of a sketch showing such dimensions as the location of the intended facility, existing utilities, width of the traveled roadway, right-of-way lines and a dimension to the nearest intersecting street.
[Added 5-20-1974 by Ord. No. 152]
A permit shall be issued to the applicant so long as all the aforementioned requirements of §§
160-10 and
160-11 and permit conditions are complied with. All restoration shall conform to this ordinance.
[Added 5-20-1974 by Ord. No. 152]
Upon completion of the work and restoration
and at such other times as the Township may require, the applicant
shall give written notice thereof to the Township.
[Added 5-20-1974 by Ord. No. 152]
Upon completion of the work authorized by the permit described in §§
160-10 to
160-13, the Township shall inspect the work and, when necessary, enforce compliance with the conditions, restrictions and regulations prescribed herein and by the permit. Where any settlement or defect in the work occurs, if the applicant shall fail to rectify any such settlement or other defect within 60 days after written notice from the Township to do so, the Township may do the work and shall impose upon the applicant the cost thereof, together with an additional 20% of such cost.
[Added 5-20-1974 by Ord. No. 152]
Anything installed pursuant to §§
160-10 through
160-14 of this ordinance which interferes with use or access to roads shall be removed at once upon notice from Palmer Township to so remove.
[Added 7-9-1974 by Ord. No. 155]
A. Plumbing or building permits or permits for street, driveway, curb, drainage or sidewalk construction or for work contemplated by §
160-10 hereof may be revoked for failure to carry on operations in a reasonably safe manner or for carrying on work in such a manner as violates Township ordinances or injures Township roads or deposits undue amounts of earth or mud upon the same.
B. The Township may also revoke or withhold issuance
of building or zoning permits in any subdivision in which road, drainage
or utility construction does not conform to this ordinance, Township
standards or a subdivision plan or in which construction of roads,
drainage or utilities is not proceeding contemporaneously with construction
of buildings.
[Added 7-9-1974 by Ord. No. 155; amended 7-16-1990 by Ord. No. 234]
In addition to the safety requirements of the
Building Code, all unattended open trenches in public streets or rights-of-way
or front yards shall be covered or barricaded and flasher lights provided
to clearly mark the trench at night. Barricading shall also be required
in the daytime for such trenches, when unattended, if they are left
open more than 24 hours. Filled trenches in public roads which present
soft support or sharp elevations or depressions of more than 2 1/2
inches shall be marked with barricades and signs and, in addition,
at night with flasher lights, lanterns or smudge pots. Filled trenches
in shoulders which present soft support shall be marked at reasonable
intervals with a sign saying "soft shoulder." Utility work areas in
public streets or rights-of-way and open manholes shall be barricaded
and marked at night in the same manner as open trenches. The Police
Department shall have the right to require permittees or contractors
to provide flagmen or policemen at construction or maintenance sites
if activities will reduce the traffic lanes available for travel or
present unusual traffic hazards. Construction or maintenance vehicles
on public roads shall have warning lights.
[Added 7-9-1974 by Ord. No. 155]
Except for emergency vehicles, all backhoes,
cranes, elevating platforms and other vehicles operating on public
roads with outrigger or jack-type supports shall have boards or other
materials inserted between such supports and the pavement of any public
road to prevent injury to the pavement. Failure to take such protective
measures is hereby declared to be a nuisance, and the Township may,
in addition to fines imposed by this ordinance, collect the cost of
restoring injured roads from the persons or organizations responsible.
[Added 7-9-1974 by Ord. No. 155; amended 7-16-1990 by Ord. No. 234]
After new curbing or sidewalks have been installed
or after alteration of existing curbing or sidewalks, the trench in
which the curbing or sidewalks are located shall be backfilled to
appropriate street and property grade. Except for curbing and sidewalk
trenches, refilling of trenches in the existing cartway of public
streets shall be entirely with modified crushed stone or with other
similar approved materials to a level eight inches below the existing
adjacent subgrade with such degree of compaction as the Engineer shall
require. The crushed stone backfill shall be capped with eight inches
of well-compacted clay to reform subgrade. The pavement shall be restored
by constructing courses of the same materials and thickness as represented
by the adjacent existing pavement. Joints between existing paving
and any patches, which may be permitted, shall be sealed with appropriate
sealing materials. Open trenches in public roads or rights-of-way
shall be filled in as soon as possible, and boring shall be carried
out in lieu of open trenching whenever practical.
[Added 10-28-1986 by Ord. No. 216-B]
A. It shall be the duty of every owner and occupant of
any dwelling, tenement, store, shop, place of business, church, school
or any other building, be it public or private, fronting on any sidewalk
in or upon any street in the Township of Palmer, Northampton County,
Pennsylvania, to remove or cause to be removed all snow, ice or sleet
from said sidewalks in front of and around their respective premises
within 12 hours after the same has ceased to fall or accumulate thereon.
Similarly, sidewalks fronting vacant lots or vacant buildings shall
be cleaned as aforesaid by the owner or owners of such vacant lots
or vacant buildings. Wherever and whenever it may be impossible to
remove all snow, sleet or ice, as aforesaid, which may have become
compacted by travel or formed on sidewalks so as to present a slippery
surface, it shall be the duty of every owner and occupant of the premises
abutting the same to cover such snow, sleet or ice with ashes, cinders,
sand or any other suitable substance in such a manner as to facilitate
safe walking upon the aforesaid sidewalks. No owner or occupant shall
allow snow, sleet or ice to remain on or accumulate in any drain located
on or near any sidewalk so as to impede the flow of water therein
in case of thaw or rain.
B. No person, whether an owner, occupant or otherwise,
shall place or cause the placement of any dirt or debris on or in
the sidewalks fronting his respective premises.
C. No person, whether owner, occupant or otherwise, shall
place or cause the placement of any materials or merchandise of any
kind or description whatsoever, whether for sale, display, storage,
construction or otherwise, in or on any sidewalk or gutter fronting
his respective premises. The provisions of this section shall not
apply to the temporary placing of necessary building material in or
upon such sidewalks or gutters permitted under other Township rules
and regulations.