[Adopted 7-22-1976 as Art. V of Ch. 150 of the 1976 Code[1]]
[1]
Editor's Note: Article V of Ch. 150 of the 1976 Code was originally derived from Ord. No. 872, adopted 4-26-1973, as amended.
[Amended 10-6-2016 by Ord. No. 20-2016]
It shall be unlawful to dig, excavate, open or in any manner interfere with or disturb the surface of any street or sidewalk area within the City of Margate City's right-of-way for any purpose whatsoever without first securing a permit therefor as hereinafter provided.
[Amended 10-8-1998 by Ord. No. 1998-20; 10-6-2016 by Ord. No. 20-2016]
A. 
Application for permission to make an excavation in any street between the curblines, driveways or in any sidewalk area shall be made to the City Engineer or City's designee. Such application shall be made on the required application form and shall be signed by the applicant and shall specify:
(1) 
The applicant's name, address and phone number (local and out-of-town).
(2) 
The name, address and phone number of the person or firm who will be performing the work.
(3) 
The length and width of such excavation.
(4) 
The purpose for which the excavation is to be made.
(5) 
The estimated time required to complete the work and restore the surface.
(6) 
Such other information as may be prescribed by the City Engineer or City's designee.
B. 
A fee of $200 shall be paid to the City Clerk in care of the City Engineer or City's designee, prior to the issuance of the permit for all excavations of less than six square yards. If said opened, disturbed or undermined area exceeds six square yards, the additional yardage shall be classified as excess yardage, an additional fee shall be due and payable by the applicant for all yardage in excess of six square yards at a rate of $10 per square yard.
C. 
The area opened, disturbed or undermined by the applicant shall be measured and determined by the office of the City.
[Amended 11-25-1992 by Ord. No. 1992-21; 10-8-1998 by Ord. No. 1998-20; 10-6-2016 by Ord. No. 20-2016]
The City Engineer or City's designee, upon receipt and examination of the application and the fee referred to hereinabove, shall issue a permit under his hand for the excavation. He shall specify on the permit that it is good for a thirty-day period from date of issuance. He shall further specify on the permit that such work shall be completed and the road or sidewalk surface restored within 48 hours after work is commenced or within a duration of time which in his opinion is reasonable and fair. The applicant shall notify the City Engineer or City's designee two business days (weekends and holidays are not considered business days) before the commencement of any work so that appropriate inspections can be made where required.
[Amended 8-11-1988 by Ord. No. 1988-15; 11-25-1992 by Ord. No. 1992-21; 9-23-1993 by Ord. No. 1993-18; 10-8-1998 by Ord. No. 1998-20]
A. 
The applicant to whom such permit is issued shall, within the time limited in such permit, replace the earth and pavement in the excavation in such manner that the same shall be left in as good a condition as it was before the excavation was commenced.
[Amended 12-10-1998 by Ord. No. 1998-27; 10-6-2016 by Ord. No. 20-2016]
(1) 
Trenches shall be backfilled in layers not to exceed six inches and a vibratory tamper must be used. Ninety-five-percent compaction shall be required. Puddling of backfill is strictly prohibited. Should there be a deficiency, additional backfill material shall be supplied by the permittee. Whenever the City Engineer or City's designee shall deem the material unsatisfactory for backfill, the permittee shall provide acceptable material for the backfill.
(2) 
Roadways with a concrete base shall be restored using a combination of concrete and asphalt. The amount of concrete and asphalt to be used at each such excavation shall be as directed by the City Engineer or City's designee. See detail at the end of this chapter.
(3) 
Bituminous concrete street restoration specifications.
(a) 
Gravel shall be installed six inches thick. The gravel shall consist of compact soil aggregate, Type I-5. The use of a recycled asphalt product (RAP) or recycled concrete product may be substituted for the soil aggregate as long as it meets the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) requirements for I-5 materials. The City Engineer or City's designee may, at his discretion, submit samples of the soil aggregate for a gradation analysis, with the cost of said analysis to be borne by the applicant.
(b) 
Temporary restoration.
[1] 
Asphalt roadways.
[a] 
Less than 100 square feet.
[i] 
For openings in asphalt roadways that are less than 100 square feet, the temporary restoration will consist of the installation of six inches of soil aggregate, Type I-5, to a level of six inches below the level of the adjacent paved surfaces. A four-inch lift of hot mix asphalt base course, Mix I-2, followed by a two-inch lift of a bituminous concrete cold patch installed to grade.
[ii] 
These temporary surfaces shall be left in place for a period of not less than 45 days to allow sufficient settlement to occur. Should settlement continue to be inadequate, the City Engineer or City's designee shall determine when the work is acceptable for final restoration. The permittee shall be responsible for all maintenance deemed necessary by the City Engineer or City's designee until such time as the final restoration is completed, which shall be completed within not more than 90 days from the date of opening.
[b] 
Greater than 100 square feet.
[i] 
For openings in asphalt roadways that are greater than 100 square feet, the temporary restoration will consist of the installation of six inches of soil aggregate, Type I-5, to a level six inches below the level of the adjacent paved surfaces. A six-inch lift of hot mix asphalt base course, Mix I-2, shall then be installed to grade.
[ii] 
These temporary surfaces shall be left in place for a period of not less than 45 days to allow sufficient settlement to occur. Should settlement continue to be inadequate, the City Engineer or City's designee shall determine when the work is acceptable for final restoration. The permittee shall be responsible for all maintenance deemed necessary by the City Engineer or City's designee until such time as the final restoration is completed, which shall be completed within not more than 90 days from the date of opening.
(c) 
Final restoration.
[1] 
Asphalt roadways.
[a] 
Less than 100 square feet. For openings less than 100 square feet, the final restoration will involve the removal of the top two inches of bituminous concrete cold patch. All edges shall be saw cut six inches beyond the actual trench width disturbed to produce a clean edge, and said edges shall be prepared with an asphaltic tack coat. A two-inch lift of hot mix asphalt surface course, Mix I-5, shall then be placed to a level even with the existing road grade.
[b] 
Greater than 100 square feet.
[i] 
For openings greater than 100 square feet, the trenches shall be milled to a depth of two inches to a distance of at least 12 inches beyond the actual trench width to produce a clean edge. All edges shall be coated with an asphaltic tack coat prior to a two-inch lift of hot mix asphalt surface course, Mix I-5, being placed to a level even with the existing road grade.
[ii] 
No surface water shall be entrapped or ponded on the resurfaced areas. If any ponding occurs, the permittee will be responsible for performing whatever remedial action is required by the City Engineer or City's designee.
(4) 
Emergency openings.
(a) 
No permit shall be issued for any street opening which would disturb the pavement of any road having been constructed, reconstructed or overlaid until a period of five years after the completion of said construction, reconstruction or overlay, except in the event of an emergency. The five-year period as articulated herein shall be calculated from December 31 of the year in which said road was constructed, reconstructed or overlaid and run five years thereafter. In the event that any entity shall be required to open a street and/or roadway as a result of an emergency, said emergency opening shall be reviewed by the City Engineer or City's designee and if said City Engineer or City's designee shall determine that no such emergency existed, then the entity so opening the street and/or roadway shall have a fine imposed upon such entity in the amount of $1,000 for the first nonemergency opening, $5,000 for a second nonemergency opening and $10,000 for a third nonemergency opening.
(b) 
In the event that an emergency requires the opening of a roadway that has been resurfaced by the City during the previous five years, a full-width restoration will be required. The restoration will consist of a six-inch dense graded aggregate base course, and a six-inch hot mix asphalt base course, Mix I-2, brought to existing grade, within the excavated area. A full width curb-to-curb milling two inches in depth to extend 20 feet beyond the limit of excavations will be performed after proper settlement in the trench area. The allowable time for the settlement shall be 45 days unless otherwise directed by the City Engineer or City's designee. The final surface course shall be a two-inch hot mix asphalt surface course, Mix I-5. See detail at the end of this chapter.
(c) 
In the event that an emergency requires the opening of a roadway, the entity shall first notify the Margate City Police Department of the location and cause of the emergency before commencing any work.
(5) 
In the event in which a property owner has a hardship condition which requires a street opening permit to be issued contrary to § 242-17A(4)(b) the City Commissioners may grant relief if all of the following conditions are met:
(a) 
A letter addressed to the City Commissioner, care of City Clerk, is received detailing the hardship and necessity of opening the street in lieu of waiting the prescribed period of time.
(b) 
Upon receipt of the letter, a public meeting date will be set for the City Commissioners to take formal action.
(c) 
The property owner making the request shall serve a notice to all property owners within 200 feet, by certified mail, return receipt requested, or by personal hand delivery, a minimum of 10 days prior to the public meeting.
(d) 
The property owner shall file a copy of the notice served to adjoining property owners with an affidavit of proof of delivery of notice with the City Clerk at least three days prior to the public meeting. The notice must:
[1] 
Identify the property by street address and block and lot.
[2] 
State the reason for the hardship.
[3] 
State the type and size of the utility opening.
[4] 
Advise the adjoining property owners that if they have any objections, they must advise the City Clerk, in writing, as to their objections to the proposed street opening at least three days in advance of the public meeting.
[5] 
State the date and time of the public meeting.
[6] 
Be approved by the City Clerk prior to mailing.
(e) 
The City Commissioners shall consider the request at a public meeting and review all objections received, in writing. Approval or denial of the request shall be through formal adoption of a resolution.
(f) 
A request which includes the extension of a utility main shall not be considered and will be automatically denied.
(g) 
A request based solely on economic savings shall not be considered and will be automatically denied.
(6) 
If more than three individual excavations would be required with a twenty-foot length, a single trench must be used rather than the individual excavations.
(7) 
In all cases where concrete has to be removed prior to any excavation, saw cut methods of removal shall be used. The restoration of the concrete shall be according to the following specifications:
(a) 
It shall be Class B with a class design strength (28 days, psi) of 3,700 pounds per square inch.
(8) 
Multiple utility openings.
(a) 
When the same utility company, authority or developer performs five or more total cumulative openings, regardless of size, within the same street block during the five-year period following resurfacing, repaving, or reconstruction of said street, it shall be the obligation of that utility company, authority or developer to mill to a depth of two inches the entire block between existing gutter lines and for the entire block and overlay that milled area with a two-inch thick layer of hot mix asphalt surface course, Mix I-5.
(b) 
When the same utility company, authority or developer performs five or more openings, regardless of size, within the same year in the same block beyond the five-year period of a resurfacing, repaving, or reconstruction of said street, it shall be the obligation of that utility company, authority or developer to mill to a depth of two inches the entire block between existing gutter lines and for the entire block and overlay that milled area with a two-inch thick layer of hot mix asphalt surface course, Mix I-5.
(c) 
When the same utility company, authority or developer performs trench installation exceeding 1.5% of the pavement's surface area within a block, or if more than 1/3 of the width of the street is disturbed, or if three or more openings, regardless of size, are made within a fifty-foot length of the street, it shall be the obligation of that utility company, authority or developer to mill to a depth of two inches the entire block between existing gutter lines and for the entire block and overlay that milled area with a two-inch thick layer of hot mix asphalt surface course, Mix I-5.
(d) 
Milling and paving restoration shall not preclude the permittee from performing the required pavement restoration, except that the finish elevation of the asphalt restoration may be lowered by two inches in anticipation of a pending milling operation. Lowering of the restoration area will not be permitted if milling and paving operations are not being performed within 48 hours of the restoration or in advance of a weekend or holiday. In no case shall the final asphalt thickness of a lowered restoration area be less than two inches in thickness.
(e) 
Street openings, for the purposes of installing new or replacing old water or sewer laterals under the ownership and maintenance of the City of Margate City, shall be exempt from this portion of road restoration, unless the installation is performed for a private entity. Said private entity shall be required to obtain a street opening permit and perform the final restorations.
B. 
By the acceptance of such permit, the applicant shall be deemed to have agreed to comply with the terms hereof and, upon his failure to do so, to pay on demand any cost or expense that the City may incur by reason of any shrinkage or settlement in the excavated area resulting from such excavation if such shrinkage or settlement shall occur within three months from the time the surface thereof is restored.
[Amended 10-8-1998 by Ord. No. 1998-20; 10-6-2016 by Ord. No. 20-2016]
Any public utility company in the City of Margate City, in the conduct of its business, shall post with the City Clerk a bond for $10,000, which bond shall be approved by the City Attorney and conditioned to ensure the proper restoration of all streets and sidewalks opened by said utility company. The public utility company shall give written notice of all streets and sidewalks which it desires to open to the City Engineer or City's designee, who shall issue a permit for each project to open said street or sidewalk. Said utility shall pay to the City Clerk, care of the City Engineer or City's designee, for the use of the City of Margate City the amount as indicated in § 242-15 of the City Code.
[Amended 10-6-2016 by Ord. No. 20-2016]
The excavation work shall be performed and conducted so as not to interfere with access to fire stations and fire hydrants. Materials or obstructions shall not be placed within 15 feet of fire hydrants. Passageways leading to fire escapes or fire-fighting equipment shall be kept free of piles of material or other obstructions.
A. 
The permittee shall erect and maintain suitable timber barriers to confine the earth from trenches or other excavations so as to encroach upon highways as little as possible.
B. 
The permittee shall construct and maintain adequate and safe crossings over excavations and across highways under improvement to vehicular and pedestrian traffic at all street intersections.
(1) 
Vehicular crossings shall be constructed and maintained of plant, timbers and blocking of adequate size to accommodate vehicular traffic safely. Decking shall be not less than four inches thick and shall be securely fastened together with heavy wire and staples.
(2) 
Pedestrian crossings shall consist of planking three inches thick, 12 inches wide and of adequate length, together with necessary blocking. The walk shall be not less than three feet in width and shall be provided with a railing, as required by the City Engineer.
C. 
Prior to the placement of any equipment for work to be performed under the street opening permit, the person, firm, corporation, or company performing the work shall erect the necessary maintenance protection of traffic devices. All maintenance and protection of traffic, both signage and location, shall be in accordance with the published details of the MUTCD. Any question arising as to the amount of required traffic control devices shall be resolved by the Margate City Police Department. Failure to establish the necessary traffic control prior to the initiation of any work under a street opening permit shall be cause for revocation of said permit.
[Added 10-6-2016 by Ord. No. 20-2016]
D. 
Any street opening permit work which shall cause the temporary closure of one lane of traffic shall not take place until a proper traffic control plan has been submitted to and approved by the Margate City Police Department. After approval of said traffic control plan, at least 24 hours' advance notice by telephone shall be provided to the Margate City Police Dispatcher. No complete closure of any municipal street shall be permitted unless submitted with the original request for and issued under the approved street opening permit.
[Added 10-6-2016 by Ord. No. 20-2016]
E. 
Prior to the initiation of any excavation activity, proper erosion and sediment control measures shall be employed to prevent any excavated material from entering existing drainage facilities. Where it is determined necessary by the Supervisor of Public Works, inlet filter material shall be utilized during the course of excavation. Filter material shall be removed upon completion of the excavation work. For projects involving more than one day, the contractor shall maintain and replace the filter material to assure functioning in rainfall events.
[Added 10-6-2016 by Ord. No. 20-2016]
The applicant to whom a permit is granted shall keep the excavations properly guarded and shall place lights thereat at night. At all times such excavations shall be made so as to allow safe passage of pedestrians and vehicles in and along the public way.
A. 
The City shall not be responsible for any injury or damage to persons or property resulting from the negligence of the applicant or his servants, agents or employees in making, grading or filling any excavation permitted under the terms of this article.
B. 
This article shall not be construed as imposing upon the City or any official or employee any liability or responsibility for damages to any person injured in the performance of any excavation work for which an excavation permit is issued hereunder; nor shall the City or any official or employee thereof be deemed to have assumed any such liability or responsibility by reason of inspections authorized hereunder, the issuance of any permit or the approval of any excavation work.
[Amended 1-25-1988 by Ord. No. 1988-1; 10-8-1998 by Ord. No. 1998-20]
Any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction thereof before the Judge of the Municipal Court, be subject to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or to imprisonment in the City or county jail for a period not exceeding to 90 days, or both. Penalties for violating the emergency road opening provisions are contained in § 242-17 of the City Code.