The work covered by this section of the specifications
includes clearing the grubbing, stripping and stockpiling of topsoil,
the excavation of subsoil and placement and compaction of fill, and
rough grading to subgrade.
A.
B.
Clearing and grubbing.
(1)
This item shall consist of the removal of all
objectionable material within the limits of grading, including trees,
stumps, brush, roots, fences, rubbish and any vegetation. It shall
also include the removal of designated buildings, foundations, culverts
and drainage structures, curbs, sidewalks, old paving and all other
obstructions interfering with the proposed work. Unless specifically
marked for salvage, all materials shall be disposed of by the contractor
outside the limits of work.
(2)
Within areas where fill is to be made five feet
or more in depth, trees and stumps shall be cut off as close to the
ground as is practicable, but not to exceed 12 inches above the ground
surface. Where fill is less than five feet in depth, tree root masses
shall be removed.
C.
Topsoil. After clearing and grubbing is completed,
all topsoil within the limits of grading, except as hereinafter provided
shall be stripped and stockpiled at locations to be designated by
the Township Engineer. Stockpiles shall be confined to such designated
areas and kept neat. Material other than topsoil which is unsuitable
for fill, will be known as waste, and shall be removed and disposed
of outside the limits of grading. Where fill is to be placed at a
depth in excess of five feet, removal of topsoil will not be required.
D.
Site excavation and fill.
(1)
This item consists of the excavation of subsoil
and placement and compaction of fill to the required density, and
rough grading to within two inches of proper subgrade.
(2)
All fill required shall be made from suitable
material excavated from cut areas within the site, unless a specific
item for borrow excavation or foreign borrow excavation is included
in the proposal. Suitable material shall include subsoil, granular
material, shale, and rock or inorganic random material, all of which
can be readily incorporated into an eight-inch loose layer. Rock,
boulders, old concrete, etc., which cannot be incorporated into an
eight-inch loose layer may, upon specific approval of the Engineer,
be incorporated into the bottom layer of fill, provided care is taken
by the contractor to insure the proper fulfilling of voids, and provided
such material is not placed where future utilities or building excavation
will take place. Frozen material shall not be placed in fill, nor
shall fill be placed on material frozen to a depth of over eight inches.
Frozen or wet material, which will be suitable when dry, may be thawed
and/or dried and then used in fill.
(3)
After removal of topsoil, areas to receive fill
shall be thoroughly rolled, and any soft spots disclosed by rolling
shall be excavated and the unsuitable material replaced and rerolled.
Suitable fill material shall be spread in horizontal layers of not
more than eight inches loose over the full area of fill, and compacted
to the required density by the use of tamping or pneumatic-tired or
smooth-wheel rollers, or by tractor and scoop. Unless otherwise specified,
compaction density in areas to receive flexible-type pavement shall
not be less than 90%, and in building areas, not less than 95%, of
the maximum dry density as determined by the standard compaction test,
ASTM Designation D698-66T. Fill materials which do not contain sufficient
moisture to obtain the required compaction density will require the
incorporation of additional water; material containing an excess of
moisture shall not be used for fill until it has been allowed to dry
prior to compaction to proper moisture content.
(4)
After all necessary excavation and fills have
been made, the entire graded area shall be brought to within two inches
of proper subgrade.
E.
Protection of public and adjoining lands. The contractor
shall take special care in excavation along and within the right-of-way
of adjacent streets and state highways and along property lines to
prevent the spilling of any excavated material onto the slopes or
shoulders of the highway or onto adjoining property. Loose material
which may wash or slide down upon highway areas shall not be permitted
to remain overnight. No power equipment shall be operated beyond the
limits of the property, nor within street or highway right-of-way.
F.
Erosion and sedimentation control plan.
(1)
All earthmoving activities shall be conducted
in such a manner as to prevent accelerated erosion and the resulting
sedimentation. To accomplish this, the contractor shall implement
and maintain the erosion and sedimentation control measures shown
on the contract drawings and/or described elsewhere within these specifications.
(2)
The contractor shall comply with all applicable
provisions of Chapter 102 of Title 25; Rules and Regulations, Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection.
(3)
It shall be the contractor's responsibility
to have a copy of the erosion control plan available at all times
on the site. In the event that a permit is required for the subject
earthmoving activity, it shall be the owner's responsibility to obtain
said permit.
G.
Blasting.
(1)
The use of explosives shall be governed by the
"Regulations for the Storage, Handling and Use of Explosives" of the
Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry and "Blasting and Use
of Explosives" of the "Safety and Health Regulations for Construction"
by the U.S. Department of Labor. If blasting is required, the contractor
shall place such operations in charge of experienced persons only
and they shall be carried out in strict accordance with the existing
federal, state, county or municipal laws or regulations governing
the same. Care shall be taken to protect from injury all persons,
new pipes, railway tracks, all underground structures encountered,
and all structures and highways along the lines of the work. The qualification
of personnel charged with the use, handling, transportation and storage
of explosives; the selection of type of explosives and detonating
devices; the use, handling, transportation and storage of explosive
including, but limited to, drilling patterns, depths and sizes of
charges, adequacy of protective cover (mats) and warning devices,
seismographic monitoring, precautions against accidental and unauthorized
detonation; and adequacy of storage facilities are the sole responsibility
of the contractor. Blasting is a technique of construction which is
the contractor's responsibility as a function of control and direction
of the work. The Township Engineer and/or resident project representative
in their on-site observation of the progress and quality of the executed
work may recommend that blasting operations be stopped when deemed
necessary for the public safety, for the safety of the workmen, for
protection of public and private property and of the work or for any
reason deemed to be in the best interest of the owner, but the Township
Engineer and/or resident project representatives shall have no responsibility
to stop or require the alteration of blasting operations.
(2)
When blasting is anticipated within 100 feet
of a structure within a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation
highway right-of-way, the contractor shall furnish the owner and state
District Engineer a detailed plan of excavation, shoring, blasting
and backfilling procedures. It is advisable that this submission be
made as early as possible, so that it may be reviewed and returned
before construction in these areas will be permitted to begin. Highway
structures are defined on Page 11, Paragraph 101.62, Form 408, published
by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
H.
Borrow and foreign borrow excavation. This item consists
of excavation, placement and compaction in fill areas of satisfactory
material obtained from sources on the site, called "borrow excavation,"
or the furnishing, excavation, hauling, and placement and compaction
of satisfactory material obtained from sources outside the site, called
"foreign borrow excavation," where the amount of the fill exceeds
the amount of excavation within the limits of work. Sources of borrow
material and material itself shall be approved by the Township Engineer
before incorporating it into the work.
