[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Groton
as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 4-7-1997 as amended through 1-12-2004]
A road-opening permit is required for any excavation or construction
of any kind within a public right-of-way or that has an effect on the right-of-way.
The right-of-way shall be determined by county layouts or other surveying
records. If no layout is found, the right-of-way shall be assumed as a total
road width of 33 feet.
A.
The contractor will give to the Town a copy of his liability
and workers' compensation certificate. In some cases, a performance bond for
an amount set by the Highway Surveyor will be required before the issuance
of a permit.
B.
The holder of this permit or any of his designees or
other persons shall indemnify and save harmless the Town of Groton against
all claims for damages for injuries to persons or property, and against all
costs, suits, expenses and losses occurred by anyone or anything related to
the conditions in this road opening permit.
C.
Fee.
(1)
A permit fee of $1 per linear foot will be paid to the
Town of Groton when the permit is submitted. Permits must be obtained at least
72 hours before the work begins.
(2)
Applicants requesting a waiver of the road opening permit
fee must make a written request to the Highway Surveyor, which is subject
to the approval of the Board of Selectmen.
D.
Denials for any road opening permit from the Highway
Surveyor may be appealed to the Board of Selectmen.
E.
Failure to obtain a permit or comply with the following
regulations shall be subject to a fine of 10 times the permit fee but in no
case less than $50 or up to $1,000 plus the road opening permit fee.
A.
Permits will be granted by the Highway Surveyor for all
road openings other than emergencies from April 15 to November 15, at which
time all excavation will be closed and patched.
B.
All projects requiring digging in the road and/or right-of-way
may be required to have a one-hundred-percent performance bond to be held
by the Town until the utilities agree that the work has been done to their
specifications and the excavated area has settled for one winter's season.
C.
A contractor must provide evidence to the permitting
authority that he is qualified to do the work.
D.
The applicant is responsible for notifying Dig Safe and
any other local utilities which may be affected.
E.
All required traffic warning devices and signs will be
furnished by the contractor and approved by the Highway Surveyor and/or his
agent, at no cost to the Town of Groton.
F.
No road opening permit will be issued for a road that
has been resurfaced within the past three years, except in the case of an
emergency. Request for exemption from this subsection must be made in writing
to the Highway Surveyor.
G.
All work will be performed in a professional manner that
does not impede the flow of traffic. A police detail will be used in high
traffic areas, as designated by the Highway Surveyor and Police Chief or their
agents, at no cost to the Town of Groton. All emergency departments must be
notified by the permit holder of any work in a public way which impedes the
smooth passage of emergency vehicles.
H.
Excavations in the traveled way shall be cut in a straight
line with a concrete saw or other accepted manner as approved by the Highway
Surveyor and/or his designee that will cut full depth of the pavement. The
excavation shall be between these lines.
I.
Backfill shall be done, with flowable fill or mechanically compacted materials in six-inch lifts or jetted with water to within two inches of pavement grade, the last two inches shall be a temporary bituminous patch to be maintained for a minimum of 60 days; then the temporary patch shall be removed and a permanent patch shall be applied in accordance with Subsection S.
J.
If Town water is used for jetting, the Water Department
shall be notified, and all costs associated with use of water shall be borne
by the contractor.
K.
Backfilling will be done with excavated material unless
otherwise directed by the Highway Surveyor. Excess material will be disposed
of at the direction of the Highway Surveyor, at no cost to the Town of Groton.
M.
Excavated material will only be placed on the traveled
way when it will not impede the flow of traffic. When material is placed on
the traveled way, a mechanical sweeper will be on the job to sweep the pavement
after backfilling each day.
N.
Driveways, sidewalks, street intersections, shoulders,
lawns, shrubs, trees, signs and pavement markings shall be restored to conditions
prior to construction, at no cost to the Town. No trees, tree limbs, or brush
will be cut without prior approval of the Highway Surveyor.
O.
Catch basins, drainage pipes, sewer manholes, sewer pipes,
and all other underground utility structures shall be protected during construction
and adjusted to the grade. Any damages to these structures shall be repaired
to original working condition at no cost to the Town.
P.
If any utilities are exposed during excavation, i.e.,
sewer, water, electric, etc., the appropriate department will be notified
for the opportunity for an inspection prior to backfilling.
Q.
Cross trenches shall be excavated in such a manner as
to maintain one lane of passage to traffic at all times. Cross trenches will
be patched with bituminous patch immediately after backfilling and compacting.
R.
There shall be no open trenches left in the public right-of-way
overnight. Trenches shall be backfilled or plated with steel plates, and warning
devices shall be placed to alert motorists of road conditions. At no time
shall there be more than 150 feet of open trenches without temporary patches
being made.
S.
The bituminous patch in a trench will be the same thickness
as the road surface. For example, if there are six inches of hot top on the
road, then the patch shall also be six inches. In no case shall hot top placed
be less than 2 1/2 inches thick. A cut-back of up to 12 inches on each
side of the original cut will be required, so that the patch is placed on
undisturbed material when the permanent patch is applied.
T.
All trenches will be left in a safe condition to accept
traffic at the end of each day's work. No equipment will be left on the traveled
way overnight. Regulatory signs will be replaced daily.
U.
After completion of the work covered by this permit,
there will be a surface overlay of bituminous concrete, machine laid, full
width of the traveled way, and 30 feet both sides of the excavation at a minimum
depth of 1 1/2 inches or at the discretion of the Highway Surveyor. A
cash or bank check deposit can be made to the Town of Groton to utilize the
Town's contractor for paving. If the paving is to be done by the contractor,
a performance bond for the amount of the paving will be required and held
by the Town until completion of the work and approval of Highway Surveyor.
V.
Final pavement shall not be placed on any street without
a minimum settlement period of one winter's season on the excavated area or
with written permission of the Highway Surveyor.
W.
The contractor will be required to repair the permanent
trench for a period of one year.
X.
The contractor will be responsible for all miscellaneous
expenses. For no reason shall the Town be responsible for any costs incurred
from any of the conditions of the road opening permit, including, but not
limited to, any costs related to any litigation related to this permit.
Y.
All work is to be done between the hours of 8:00 a.m.
and 4:30 p.m., and there shall be no work on Saturday, Sunday or holidays,
unless approved by all public safety departments.
Z.
Town of Groton utility departments are not required to
file a permit application for emergency repairs. Any road opening by these
Town departments that exceeds 100 feet shall require a permit. The permit
fee may be waived.
