Town of Sand Lake, NY Required Improvements

The following minimum road specifications shall apply to all roads proposed to be dedicated to the Town of Sand Lake or to be utilized as private roads in approved subdivisions.

Approval of a road in accordance with these specifications in no way obligates the Town of Sand Lake to accept such road as a public road.

No new highway, road or street in the Town of Sand Lake shall be constructed until the plat and improvement plans for the highways, roads or streets, including necessary drainage systems, have been completed and approved by the Planning Board Review Engineer and the Superintendent of Highways.

Offers of cession of roadways proposed to be dedicated to the Town shall be submitted to the Planning Board prior to its final approval of the plat and to the Town Board within 30 days after the date of signing of the final plat. The Town Board may require, as a condition of acceptance of the road before one year has elapsed since its completion, such security as it deems necessary to cover any reasonably anticipated costs of repair for such year as the Review Engineer, in consultation with the Town Public Works Department, may specify. For example, such security may take the form of a letter of credit or escrow. The developer remains responsible for all road maintenance and repair, including snow and ice control, until the Town Board formally accepts dedication of the road.

[Amended 5-12-1993]

Right-of-way width.

The right-of-way for all local highways, roads or streets shall be a minimum of 60 feet in width at all points, unless otherwise directed by the Planning Board.

Burial of all utilities in the easements shall be the same as in a public right-of-way. It shall be the developer's responsibility to repair any excavation being done in the development to the original state.

Dead-end turnarounds (culs-de-sac) shall have a minimum radius of 80 feet with island. (See Detail A.[1]). There shall be no tee dead ends accepted on a permanent basis, but such dead ends may be accepted, subject to conditions prescribed by the Planning Board, as a temporary alternative for future development. (See Detail B.[2]).

[Amended 11-9-2005 by L.L. No. 4-2005]

[1]

Editor's Note: Detail A is included at the end of this chapter.

[2]

Editor's Note: Detail B is included at the end of this chapter.

Pavement width.

The paved section of any local highway, road or street shall be not less than 20 feet in width at any point, unless otherwise directed by the Planning Board or Town Board.

The developer may also be required in some instances to blacktop shoulders and ditches or use other control measures on steep grades to prevent erosion.

All highways, roads and streets shall be centered in the right-of-way such that the center line of the pavement is no closer than 30 feet to either right-of-way line.

Intersections. Intersections shall be constructed in accordance with Detail C.[3]

[3]

Editor's Note: Detail C is included at the end of this chapter.

Clearing of trees and brush. All trees and brush shall be cleared and grubbed in the road section (top-of-cut slope to bottom-of-fill slopes) between the limits of five feet outside (back) edge of ditches or toes of fill slopes of the tops of cut slopes. On curves, an additional amount shall be cleared wherever necessary to maintain a minimum sight distance, acceptable to the Planning Board, at the paving edge along the inside of the curve. The Planning Board may waive the clearing of certain trees within the right-of-way.

Rough grading.

All topsoil shall be stripped from the bed of the proposed paved section, shoulder section and under the width of all fills. All stumps, loose stones, debris and bushes shall be removed from beneath the carriageway and shoulders.

The subgrade shall be prepared by excavating and/or filling, removing unstable materials and replacing with a foundation course, as required by the Superintendent of Highways and Planning Board Review Engineer, and thoroughly compacted. Where clay and swampy conditions are present, an approved geotextile fabric must be placed beneath the subbase to prevent contaminants from mixing with the subbase. Where these conditions exist, extra material may be required in the subgrade. Material to be used in fill sections shall consist of run-of-bank gravel free from all organic material.

Embankments shall not be steeper than four horizontal to one vertical (4:1). Steeper embankments require approval of the Planning Board.

Excavation slopes in earth shall be no steeper than 4:1 and, in rock, 1/2:1, unless approved by the Planning Board. Every effort should be made to blend in cuts and fills with the adjacent properties (even to the extent of cutting and filling out of the right-of-way prior to the sale of lots).

(5)

Maximum grades shall not exceed 10%, except in difficult areas where it may be greater for a distance of 500 feet, if approved by the Planning Board. The minimum grade shall be not less than 1%.

Signs. Road signs must be in place prior to the issuance of the first certificate of occupancy for the given subdivision or subdivision section and shall be provided by the developer at no cost to the Town of Sand Lake. All signs, such as stop, curve and road names, must be approved by the Planning Board and meet the New York State Department of Transportation Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, current edition, with addenda and specifications.

Pavement.

See specifications and detail.[4]

[4]

Editor's Note: Detail D illustrates a typical subbase and is located at the end of this chapter.

The paving material shall conform to current New York State Department of Transportation's Standard Specifications, with addenda, in quality, application and construction.

Two course pavement shall be used, consisting of a two-and-one-half-inch asphalt-concrete Type 3 binder course and a one-and-one-half-inch asphalt-concrete Type 6F top course (high friction). In such case, there shall be a foundation or subbase course having a thickness of not less than 12 inches, pursuant to the construction specifications hereinafter set forth. Reference is made to Detail D for clarification and additional details and requirements.

Shoulders. Shoulders shall be of compacted gravel or crushed stone, not less than four feet in width or as may be required by the Planning Board or Town Board. Shoulders shall have a slope of 3/4 inch per foot.

Drainage.

A complete system of surface drainage shall be installed to dispose of stormwater. When discharge of stormwater shall be into, upon or through private property, permanent easements shall be granted to the Town of Sand Lake and shall convey the perpetual right to discharge stormwater runoff from the highway and from the surrounding area onto and over the affected premises by means of pipes, culverts or ditches, or a combination thereof, together with the right to enter such premises for purposes of making such installations and doing such maintenance work as the Town may deem necessary to adequately drain the highway and the surrounding area. Where a drainage easement discharges onto or terminates at property of a third party, consent for an easement, properly executed, to channel or discharge stormwater from such third party must be obtained by the owner of the road or street prior to dedication.

All culverts shall be designed to handle at least a storm of ten-year frequency. Culvert pipes shall be of approved reinforced concrete or corrugated galvanized metal or plastic and not less than 18 inches in diameter. The interior of all pipes shall be cleaned of all foreign matter before being placed. Pipe shall be installed in straight lines and at a uniform rate of grade between points to match grade and direction of drainage swales. Any changes in grade or direction shall require the placement of a catch basin (see Detail E [5]). Culverts under driveways shall be a minimum of 30 feet long and no less than 12 inches in diameter.

[5]

Editor's Note: Detail E is located at the end of this chapter.

Where groundwater drainage in encountered, intercepting (curtain) drains may be required. Every effort should be made to use natural drainage and to minimize the use of underground storm drains. Swales are preferred over storm sewers (see Detail F [6]).

[6]

Editor's Note: Detail F is located at the end of this chapter.

All culverts shall begin and terminate with flared end sections. Slope conditions will determine the necessity of erosion protection. All culverts under the roadway shall maintain a minimum of 18 inches of cover and shall be bedded with subgrade material with a Class A bedding to a minimum of 12 inches.

Guideposts (delineators and guardrails).

Delineators are reflective devices to be placed along the highway and serve as driving aids. Delineators shall be installed at the locations stated below and at other locations as directed by the Planning Board:

At all open culvert ends within road rights-of-way.

Along all fills within road rights-of-way having a depth over four feet. The maximum spacing for the delineators shall be 10 feet.

(c)

Along all guide rail installations within road rights-of-way. Delineators shall be installed at each end and spaced not more than 10 feet apart.

Delineators shall conform to and be installed in accordance with the latest edition of the New York State Department of Transportation Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, current edition, with addenda, and the current New York State Department of Transportation's Standard Specifications.

Guardrails.

Guardrails shall be required in all areas as defined in the most current New York State Department of Transportation Highway Design Manual or in other areas which are considered dangerous in the opinion of the Town Superintendent of Highways and the Planning Board Review Engineer.

Guardrails shall be installed in accordance with the most current New York State Department of Transportation Highway Design Manual, with all materials conforming to the current New York State Department of Transportation's Standard Specifications.

Finish grading and seeding. All surfaces shall be finish-graded from the edge of the shoulder to the toe or top of the slope and shall be sown with grass seed, a mixture of 60% annual and 40% perennial, in sufficient quantity to produce vegetation that will stabilize the slope, unless otherwise directed by the Planning Board or Planning Board Review Engineer.

Monuments. Sufficient reinforced concrete or granite markers, at least four inches square on top and four feet long must be set at a minimum of two per 1,000 feet or two per road, as required by the Planning Board.

Inspections.

Agents of the Town shall have access to all parts of the work while under construction at all times. No portion of the work which will not be exposed upon final completion shall be covered until reasonable opportunity for inspection after written notice has been given. Approval shall be by the Superintendent of Highways and the Planning Board Review Engineer.

At the developer's expense, a New York State licensed surveyor shall certify to the Town Board that the roads have been constructed true to line and grade and as shown on the approved improvement plans, and a New York State licensed engineer shall certify that the roads and drainage system have been constructed substantially in accordance with the improvement plans. Four prints of certified reproducible record drawings detailing all variations from the approved improvement plans showing as-built revisions shall be submitted to the Planning Board or Town Board upon completion of the work and installation of utilities, unless the supplying of the same is specifically waived, in writing, by the Town Board.

Underground utilities. All underground utilities which are to be in the right-of-way, including water, sewer, drain, gas, electricity, telephone, cable television, including junction boxes, risers, manholes, catch basins and pull boxes, shall be completely installed when the road is within six inches of final grade. All excavations shall be suitably filled and tamped with vibratory tampers. All utility lines shall be buried a minimum of 30 inches to the top of pipes and cables, unless otherwise specified, and 18 inches to the top of boxes, except for culverts designed to carry stormwater. Manhole and catch basin frames shall be six inches deep minimum and be designed to carry H-20 loading. The cover shall be 25 3/4 inches in diameter (Campbell 1009 or equivalent).

Construction specification: gravel and crushed stone foundation course for pavements (subbase course).

Description. This item shall consist of a foundation (subbase course) composed of gravel or crushed stone, as specified hereinafter, laid on the properly prepared subgrade to a finished thickness of not less than 12 inches and shall conform to the lines, grades and typical cross section as shown on the approved drawings. The method of construction shall proceed substantially as follows:

All culverts within the road area must be completed and proper drainage provided before any base aggregate is placed upon the subgrade.

A total thickness of the rolled compacted and finished base course shall not be less than 12 inches and shall be installed in no less than six-inch lifts.

Materials. All materials shall be secured from approved sources and shall be DOT Type 4 or its equivalent.

Construction methods.

Preparation of the subgrade. All boulders, organic material, soft clay, spongy material and any other objectionable material shall be removed and replaced with approved material. The subgrade shall then be properly shaped, rolled and uniformly compacted to the approved cross section and grade.

Placing and rolling aggregates. All subbase course material shall be deposited and spread according to State Department of Transportation specification.

(c)

Testing the surface. The compaction test shall be 95% standard Proctor Test at intervals of not less than 100 feet, as directed by the Planning Board Review Engineer. After compaction, the base course surface shall be tested with a straight edge 10 feet in length, paralleling the center line of the roadway, and any depressions exceeding 3/8 inch in depth shall be satisfactorily eliminated.

(d)

Seasonal limits. No subbase course material shall be deposited or shaped when the subgrade is freezing or thawing or during freezing or other unfavorable weather conditions.

(e)

Protection of subbase course. A two-inch layer of subbase gravel or crushed stone shall be placed on top of the specified twelve-inch course as a wearing course. Immediately prior to placing final pavement, this two-inch layer is to be removed and, if in good condition, used to form the shoulders.

§ 225-30 Water facilities.

Community water system.

A community water system is required when one or more of the following conditions exist:

The subdivision is located in an existing water district or service area;

The subdivision is reasonably accessible to an existing water district or service area. This requirement shall apply in the absence of proof satisfactory to the Board that the developer cannot effect arrangements for the installation and/or connection of the water system to the existing water district or service area facilities;

(c)

Individual wells cannot provide an average yield of five gallons per minute;

(d)

The subdivision consists of 50 lots or more;

(e)

The subdivision consists of 200 or more residents in the aggregate; or

(f)

Groundwaters are nonpotable.

Community water systems shall be capable of delivering water at an average of 100 gallons per capita per day when service connections are unmetered or 75 gallons per capita per day when service connections are metered.

Community water systems shall be designed to deliver water meeting the quality requirements of Part 72, Chapter 11 of the Administrative Rules and Regulations of the New York State Department of Health.

Community water systems shall provide for continuity of water service. Groundwater shall not be relied on unless at least two sources are available.

(5)

Community water systems shall have at least one days' available storage at design-average consumption.

(6)

The developer shall connect each lot at the property line with the community water system.

Individual water supply system. Individual wells shall assure an average yield of five gallons per minute of potable water.

Standards and inspection. Groundwater supplies normally shall be taken by the drilled well construction method with a casing 6 inches minimum in diameter. Supplies taken from driven or jetted well points, dug or bored wells and springs are undesirable and should be avoided.

[Amended 4-11-1990]

Water supply systems shall conform to the standards of and inspections by the Rensselaer County Department of Health and New York State Department of Health.

§ 225-31 Sewerage facilities.

Community sewerage system. A community sewerage system is required when:

The subdivision is located in an existing sewer district or service area;

The subdivision is reasonably accessible to an existing sewer district or service area. This requirement shall apply in the absence of proof satisfactory to the Board that the developer cannot effect arrangements for the installation and/or connection of the sewerage system to the existing sewer district or service area facilities;

The soil percolation rate is slower than 60 minutes per inch;

The subdivision consists of 50 lots or more;

(5)

The subdivision consists of 200 or more residents in the aggregate; or

(6)

A minimum separation of two feet cannot be maintained between the lowest part of the leaching system and the highest elevation of the top of the zone of water saturation, rock, hardpan or other impermeable material at all times of the year.

When a community system is required and where the soil is suitable, interim individual sewerage systems may be permitted by the Board, provided that:

Dry sewers are designed and installed consistent with the community sewerage plan; and

Plumbing is installed from the house to the dry sewer to facilitate individual connection to the community system.

Individual sewerage system.

Only subsurface leaching systems utilizing a septic tank may be employed on an individual basis in lieu of the provision of a community system. Septic tanks shall be designed and installed so that they are readily accessible for inspection and cleaning.