[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Madison 3-9-1976;
printed as last amended 8-13-2007. [1] Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Excavations in streets — See Ch. 189.
Street naming — See Ch. 343.
Maintenance of public ways — See Ch. 679.
Streetlighting guidelines — See Ch. 713.
Requests for warning signs — See Ch. 767.
[1]
Editor's Note: An interim amendment to this ordinance was adopted
3-14-1977.
The following minimum design and construction standards shall be followed
for construction of streets and roads for public ways. Design of streets shall
provide for proper continuation of streets from adjacent subdivision and built-up
areas and proper projection of streets into adjacent unsubdivided and open
land.
A.
Minor streets shall be designed to discourage through
traffic.
B.
Width of rights-of-way shall be a minimum of 50 feet
and a maximum of 66 feet.
C.
The width of traveled ways shall be a minimum of two
ten-foot traffic lanes and three-foot shoulders. The Road Commissioner or
Selectmen may require that additional width be required for streets which
will receive heavy usage.
D.
The radius of center-line curves shall be 100 feet at
the minimum, up to 500 feet for streets, which will receive heavy usage.
E.
The angle of street intersections shall be as close to
90° as possible, but in no case less than 60°.
F.
Street grades shall be a minimum of 15% and a maximum
of 10%, which may be varied by the Road Commissioner in certain cases. Grade
at intersections shall be a maximum of 3% within 50 feet of the intersection.
G.
Cul-de-sac and dead-end streets shall have a maximum
length of 800 feet with a minimum property line radius of 100 feet and a minimum
turning radius of 35 feet at the closed end. Use of a T-shaped turnaround
will be permitted as an alternative. In the latter case, the turnaround shall
be at least 25 feet wide, 40 feet long, and shall be located between 50 and
100 feet from the end of the street (all dimensions cited for the T-shaped
turnaround are for the traveled way).
H.
All construction plans and progress of work shall be
approved by the Road Commissioner in writing and shall meet the following
minimum requirements:
(1)
Remove loam. In clay soil conditions, removal of three
feet may be required.
(2)
A minimum of 18 inches of base gravel shall be required
in firm dry areas and 24 inches in unstable or wet areas. Gravel shall not
exceed three-inch-diameter stones except as needed in exceptional circumstances.
(3)
In clay soil conditions, the base shall be 18 inches
of sand, 12 inches of base gravel.
(4)
Six inches of surface shall be on top of base material
and shall be crushed stone or screened gravel to 1 1/2 inches size.
(5)
All street construction shall conform to good engineering
practices and be suitable for the intended usage.
(6)
Construction progress shall be checked by the Road Commissioner
and a written record filed.
(7)
Utilities to be installed underground shall be installed
before base material is placed.
Upon completion of a street or road to these standards, the street or
road may be accepted as a public way, by approval of the Selectmen and the
Road Commissioner.
Surface treatment shall be by the Town after acceptance. No damage for
right-of-way shall be awarded in lieu of Town surfacing accepted public way.
Where Selectmen find that extraordinary and unnecessary hardships may
result from the strict compliance with these standards or where there are
special circumstances of a particulate plan, they may vary these standards
so that substantial justice may be done and the public interest secure; provided
that such variance will not have the effect of nullifying the intent and purpose
of these standards.
