[Adopted 3-13-1978 by Ord. No. 78-3 as Art. II of Ch. 212 of the 1977 Code; amended in its entirety 4-11-1990 by Ord. No. 90-2]
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to make any excavation in, tear up or in any way impair or undermine the surface of any Township road or street in the Township of Pennsauken for the laying, replacing or repairing of any water, gas, drain- or sewer pipe, telephone, electrical or television cable or conduit or for any other purpose without a written permit being first had and obtained from the Construction Official of the Township of Pennsauken.
A. 
The application for such permit shall be made to the Pennsauken Township Construction Official's office. Said application shall be made, in writing, on forms available at said Construction Official's office, specifying the location, the size of the excavation and other information as may be required. The standard application forms of any public utility company may be submitted in lieu of the standard Township forms, provided that the forms contain substantially similar information as stated above. A permit application must be submitted to the Construction Official's office for every street opening performed by a public utility, regardless of whether the street opening is performed by utility personnel or by a private contractor working for the utility.
B. 
No permit for a street opening shall be issued for a period of five years where a pavement has been reconstructed or a period of three years where a pavement has been resurfaced, unless there is a need shown as a result of an emergency with potential endangerment of health, life or property (i.e., gas leak).
A. 
The fees and bond/escrow amounts shall be established based on the following schedule:
(1) 
Township permit fee: $35
(2) 
Engineer application review fee: $50.
(3) 
Engineer inspection fee: $150. This fee shall be for two inspections by the Township Engineer as described in § 273-12. If, for any reason, additional inspections are necessary, there shall be a fee of $75 per inspection.
(4) 
Bond/escrow amount: $500 except where deemed necessary by the Township Engineer to require a bond/escrow amount in excess of the standard amount.
B. 
The applicant shall pay the designated fees and post the required bond/escrow amount. A permit shall be issued by the Construction Official's office only when required fees are paid and the required bond is posted.
C. 
A utility company shall pay a permit fee in accordance with § 273-9A(1) above and shall post an annual performance bond in the amount of $20,000, in a form acceptable to the Township Solicitor, to guarantee the performance and maintenance of street opening work in accordance with the provisions of this article. The Pennsauken Sewerage Authority and the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission need not post an annual performance bond. In lieu of the performance bond, the Authority/Commission shall provide to the Construction Official's office an annual certification of compliance with the provisions of this article for all street openings that are the responsibility of the utility.
D. 
The provisions of § 273-9A(2), (3) and (4) and B shall not apply to any public utility company.
A. 
All existing pavements, road surfaces, sidewalks, curbs, gutters, pipes, manholes, drains, conduits and other installations, fixtures and property adjacent to the street excavation shall be properly protected by the applicant. All installations, fixtures and property shall be restored or replaced by the applicant to their preconstruction condition.
B. 
The requirements and standards for excavation and reconstruction shall be as follows:
(1) 
The road surface shall be cut vertically with a sharp tool along straight lines before excavating or before installation of the final surface pavement.
(2) 
Backfill material shall be clean granular material deposited in layers 10 to 12 inches in depth and thoroughly tamped. Backfill shall be placed to a level two inches minimum below the top of adjacent paved surfaces. (Backfill compaction will be strictly enforced.)
(3) 
Temporary paving of bituminous concrete or cold patch two inches in minimum thickness shall be placed and compacted. The applicant shall be responsible for keeping the temporary patching flush with the adjacent surface during the settling period.
(4) 
Thirty days after the initial placing of the temporary paving or at such later date as the Township Engineer may direct if, in his or her opinion, there is a reasonable need for the applicant to maintain said temporary paving for a period of the time longer than 30 days, the temporary paving and backfill shall be removed as necessary to install permanent paving in accordance with one of the following as specified by the Township Engineer:
(a) 
Six inches minimum of quarry-blend stone subbase and six inches minimum of reinforced concrete pavement.
(b) 
Six inches minimum of bituminous stabilized base course and two inches minimum of FABC surface course.
(c) 
Six inches minimum of quarry-blend stone subbase, six inches minimum of bituminous stabilized base course and three inches minimum of FABC surface course.
(5) 
All joints between new and existing paving materials shall be tacked and sealed.
C. 
Materials and methods of construction for all work supplied and performed under said permit shall conform in all aspects to the requirements set forth in the New Jersey Department of Transportation Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction, latest edition.
D. 
Any deviations from the excavation and reconstruction standards specified herein must be submitted, in writing, by the applicant and approved in advance by the Township Engineer, without exception.
The applicant shall, at his or her expense, maintain lights and barricades at the excavation of sufficient number and properly located to assure the safety of the public at all times throughout the performance of the work. The excavation work shall interfere as little as possible with travel along said street or road. No greater excavation area shall be opened than can be completed and backfilled in one workday unless the opening is properly covered by a steel plate or an alternate covering providing equal protection. Special circumstances may necessitate the presence of flagmen, and, if required by the Township, the same shall be provided by the applicant at his or her expense. In no case shall the applicant create a condition that is a potential hazard to the health and safety of the public.
A. 
The applicant shall notify the Township Engineer 24 hours in advance of the start of work so that an inspector can be present during the backfilling of the excavation and the placement of the temporary paving.
B. 
The applicant shall notify the Township Engineer 24 hours in advance of the removal of temporary paving so that an inspector can be present during the placement of the subbase and the final pavement surface.
C. 
The above notifications and inspections are required in order to release the performance bond as addressed in § 273-13.
A. 
Upon completion of the excavation and reconstruction of the road and after inspection and acceptance by the Township Engineer, an amount equal to 80% of the performance bond shall be released to the applicant. The remaining 20% shall be retained by the Township of Pennsauken as a maintenance bond for the term of one year from the date that the permanent repair was made. After one year, the work shall be reinspected and, if acceptable, the maintenance bond shall be released to the applicant. If the work is unacceptable, the applicant will be advised that the maintenance bond will not be returned and permanent repairs will be made by the Township of Pennsauken.
B. 
In the event that notifications are not made as required in § 273-12, the full amount of the performance bond shall be retained by the Township of Pennsauken as a maintenance bond for the term of one year from the time the Township is made aware that final street repairs have been made.
C. 
A public utility company shall not be required to post a separate maintenance bond.
If any opening is required as a result of any emergency, such as a gas leak or a water main break, and therefore precludes the submittal of a permit application in advance, the person, corporation or public utility responsible for said opening shall submit the necessary permit application and fee(s) within the next three calendar days thereafter.
A. 
In the event that the Township is made aware of an excavation in a Township street or road for which no permit exists, the person, firm or corporation responsible for the excavation is required to perform the following:
(1) 
Pay fees required by § 273-9A(1), (2) and (3).
(2) 
Post a maintenance bond which is at least two times the amount of the standard bond required by § 273-9A(4). A higher bond may be required as deemed necessary by the Township Engineer. The maintenance bond shall be retained by the Township of Pennsauken for the term of two years. Following inspection and acceptance of the repair, the bond shall be released to the applicant.
(3) 
In lieu of the requirements of Subsection A(2) above, the excavation may be reopened and reconstructed in the presence of an inspector in accordance with the requirements of § 273-10. The standard bond shall be posted and retained by the Township in accordance with §§ 273-9A(4) and 273-13.
B. 
Any person, firm or corporation which shall violate any of the provisions of this article shall be subject to one or more of the following: a fine not exceeding $1,250 or imprisonment in the county jail for a term not exceeding 90 days, or a period of community service not exceeding 90 days, at the discretion of the Municipal Court Judge. Violation of any of the provisions of this article shall represent cause for the withholding of permits for future work in the Township by the applicant.