[Adopted 2-11-1975 by Ord. No. 481 (Ch. XXI, Part 1, of the 1975 Code of Ordinances)]
[Amended 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
A. 
Word usage. The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the same meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning. The word "shall" is always mandatory and not merely directory. Whenever in this article the words "directed," "required," "permitted," "ordered," "designated," "prescribed" or words of like importance are used, it shall be understood that the direction, requirement, permission, order, designation, or prescription of the Borough Engineer is intended, and similarly, the words "approved," "acceptable," "satisfactory" or words of like import shall mean approved by, acceptable to or satisfactory to the Borough Engineer.
B. 
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
APPLICATION FOR A PAVE CUT PERMIT
A form provided the utility by the Borough noting pertinent data for the purposes of inspection and control by the Borough and constituting a receipt for services performed by the Borough.
BOROUGH
The Borough of Derry.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT
Preplanned to improve or upgrade an existing system or to install a completely new system providing new or additional service.
EMERGENCY REPAIR
Work necessitated by the rupture or sudden malfunction of existing underground facilities.
FACILITIES
All the plant and equipment of a public utility, including all tangible, real and personal property, without limitation, and any and all means and instrumentalities in any manner owned, operated, leased, licensed, controlled, furnished or supplied for, by or in connection with the business of any public utility; provided, however, that no property owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or any municipal corporation thereof, at the date when this article becomes effective shall be subject to any of the terms of this article, except as elsewhere expressly provided herein.
INSPECTION
A careful or critical investigation not necessarily confined to optical observation, but is understood to embrace tests and examination for the purpose of ascertaining quality and compliance as prescribed in this article and discovering and correcting errors.
MUNICIPAL CORPORATION
All cities, boroughs, towns, townships, or counties of this commonwealth, and also any public corporation, authority or body whatsoever created or organized under any law of this commonwealth for the purpose of rendering any service similar to that of a public utility. For the purpose of this article, "municipal corporation" shall mean the Borough of Derry.
PAVE CUT LOG
A chronological record of pave cuts as reported to the Borough containing pertinent data as required by the Borough for the purposes of inspection and control.
PAVEMENTS
Roadway surfaces of machine-laid asphalt over a base of concrete, brick, Belgian block, crushed stone, bituminous concrete, or oil and stone.
PERSON
Individuals, partnerships or associations, other than corporations, and includes their lessees, assignees, trustees, receivers, executors, administrators or other successors in interest.
PUBLIC UTILITY
(1) 
Persons or corporations now or hereafter owning or operating in this commonwealth equipment or facilities for:
(a) 
Producing, generating, transmitting, distributing or furnishing natural or artificial gas, electricity or steam for the production of light, heat or power to or for the public for compensation.
(b) 
Diverting, developing, pumping, impounding, distributing or furnishing water to or for the public for compensation.
(c) 
Conveying or transmitting television or radio signals by cable to the public for compensation.
(d) 
Sewage collection, treatment or disposal for the public for compensation.
(2) 
The term "public utility" or "utility" shall not include:
(a) 
Any person or corporation, not otherwise a public utility, who or which furnishes services to only himself or itself.
(b) 
Any bona fide cooperative association which furnishes services only to its stockholders or members on a nonprofit basis.
(c) 
Any producer of natural gas not engaged in distributing such gas directly to the public for compensation.
SERVICE
Used in this article in its broadest and most inclusive sense and includes any and all acts done, rendered, or performed and any and all things furnished or supplied and any and all facilities used, furnished or supplied by public utilities in the performance of their duties under this article to their patrons, employees, other public utilities and the public, as well as the interchange of facilities between two or more of them.
SPECIAL PAVEMENT
Roadway surfaces of concrete, brick, Belgian block or cobblestone.
STREET
Includes any street, highway, road, land, court, alley or place of whatever nature, whether dedicated or not, open to the use of the public as a matter or right for purposes of vehicular travel.
UTILITY CORRIDOR
An area within any public right-of-way, usually underground, but not limited to same, reserved for and assigned to a specific utility by the Borough Engineer; the area to be used by the specified utility for placing and operating its facilities for transmitting and distributing its particular commodity or service.
UTILITY RELOCATION
Includes the adjustment, replacement or relocation of utility facilities as required by a street construction or repaving project, such as removing or reinstalling the facility, acquiring the necessary rights-of-way, moving or rearranging existing facilities, changing the type of facility and any necessary safety and protective measures. It shall also mean the construction of a replacement facility functionally equal to the existing facility, where necessary, for the continuous operation of the utility service, the project economy or sequence of street construction.
WORK
The furnishing of all materials, labor, equipment or other incidentals necessary or convenient to the successful completion of the project and fulfillment of all duties and obligations imposed by this article.
[Amended 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
A. 
Applications for a pave cut permit shall be available from Derry Borough at the Municipal Building, 114 East 2nd Avenue, Derry, Pennsylvania 15627. An authorized agent of a utility or contractor shall complete the application at the Municipal Building within a minimum of 24 hours in advance of any planned excavation. A copy of the completed application, signed by the Borough's authorized representative, shall be in the hands of a competent person at the work site described in the application and shall constitute a permit.
B. 
The application for the permit shall state the name and address of the applicant, the nature, location and purpose of the excavation, the date of commencement and the expected date of completion of the excavation as well as the length and width of the cut and such other data as may reasonably be required by the municipality. When, in the sole opinion of the municipality, the excavation and/or construction planned is extensive, the municipality may require the application to be accompanied by plans showing the extent of the proposed excavation work and elevations of both the existing ground prior to said excavation and the elevated surfaces, the location of the excavation work and such other information as may be prescribed by the municipality.
C. 
The municipalty shall maintain a record of all permits so granted and, before granting the same, shall collect from the applicant a permit application fee equal to $2 per square foot of the area to be opened, or an amount of $100, whichever is greater.
D. 
The contractor or utility performing the work must notify the Borough before any backfill or permanent pavement is placed so that an inspector may be dispatched to the site to inspect the work. All backfill and permanent pavement work must be performed under the continuous observation of a Borough-designated inspector/testing agency.
E. 
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to make any opening, cut or excavation in or under any street, alley or other thoroughfare within the limits of the Borough of Derry unless and until a permit is secured for each separate undertaking. The police shall promptly prohibit any work to be done without a permit and shall halt any work in progress being performed without a permit. In the event of any emergency in which a main, conduit or utility facility in or under any street breaks, bursts or otherwise is in such condition as to immediately endanger the property, life, health or safety of any individual, the person owning or controlling such main, conduit or utility facility, without first applying for and obtaining an excavation permit hereunder, shall immediately take proper emergency measures to cure or remedy the dangerous conditions for the protection of property, life, health and safety of individuals. However, such person owning or controlling such facility shall apply for a pave cut permit no later than the end of the next succeeding day during which the Borough office is open for business. In addition, the utility shall immediately notify the municipality and inform them that an emergency exists as soon as they become aware of said emergency. An emergency contact number will be provided by the Borough so that an inspector can be dispatched to the site of the emergency repair. An inspector must be present to inspect the backfill and permanent pavement work for all emergency repair.
F. 
Pave cuts necessitated by Borough-sponsored public improvements shall be on a non-fee basis but limited to the specific contract area. Work done outside the project area will be handled as a normal permit and required permit fee. A list noting exact locations and dimensions of all such cuts shall be submitted to the Borough at the completion of work. Notification will be required for any pave cuts made in state highways located within the Borough for which a highway occupancy permit has been issued.
It shall be the duty of every person to whom a permit shall have been issued and of every person making emergency repairs in advance of issuance of a permit to provide and maintain adequate guards, barriers, and lights to prevent accidents, and such person shall assume all risks and liability for all damages by reason of the opening or excavation made by authority of such permit or in connection with such work, and by reason of any failure to fill the opening, hole, trench or excavation properly.
[Amended 6-11-1990 by Ord. No. 594]
A. 
No persons, corporations, business entity, or municipality shall open cut any road or right-of-way system in the Borough of Derry unless approved by the Borough of Derry Council or a representative of said Council.
B. 
All open cuts made within the Borough of Derry and its rights-of-way and the cuts or channel created thereby shall be backfilled with 2RC or 2A stone, and shall be compacted in twelve-inch levels and brought up to the original grade of the right-of-way. All cuts in roadway must be squared off and sealed.
[Amended 6-12-2014 by Ord. No. 762]
C. 
If a cut or channel is made through the cartway of the road system, the cut or channel shall be backfilled as provided above, and the cartway shall be reinstalled with the required material of the same thickness as has been removed.
[Amended 6-12-2014 by Ord. No. 762]
D. 
All borings under rights-of-way or roadways shall first be approved by Council of the Borough of Derry or a representative of said Council. The cavity created thereby shall be filled with concrete slurry or asphalt cement and completed so as to prevent settling of the rights-of-way or roadways.
E. 
All persons, corporations, business entities, or municipalities boring under or open cutting any road or right-of-way system as herein set forth shall remain responsible for the completion of all work. This work shall include backfilling and cartway reinstallation in a good and workmanlike manner and shall remain responsible for the maintenance and condition of said roadway or right-of-way where the same has been cut or bored for a period of two years after the completion of backfilling and reinstallation of the roadway or right-of-way.
F. 
During the period of cutting or boring and construction along or under said right-of-way or roadway, the contractor shall be responsible for all traffic routing, traffic safety and controls, and shall be responsible for the erection or installation of all necessary barriers or protective devices. Failure of the contractor to comply with the terms of these rules and regulations relating to traffic routing, safety and control shall be just cause for the Borough of Derry to revoke their approval for the cutting or boring of said right-of-way or roadway system.
G. 
All sections and parts of these rules and regulations are severable and if any section or portion thereof shall be declared invalid, the same shall not affect the validity of any and all other sections and portions.
H. 
All street openings shall be inspected by Borough personnel prior to backfilling.
I. 
No road or street in the Borough of Derry may be completely closed to traffic at any time. One lane of traffic must be able to pass unobstructed at all times. Flagpersons shall be posted at work limits at all times to direct traffic through the work zones, and an established traffic pattern must be maintained at all times. If all other means of traffic control have been exhausted, the Borough may permit a road to be completely closed temporarily only upon the written consent of the Chief of Police and the Fire Chief. When an emergency exists, the Police and Fire Departments shall be notified. An application form for a permit to close a street will be available from the Borough. The complete application, bearing the signatures of the aforementioned officers, shall be returned to the applicant and shall constitute a permit. A penalty of $300 shall be imposed for failure to notify the Police and/or Fire Chief.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
J. 
All excavation shall be commenced and completed by the use of a reasonable and competent work force. In congested areas and the Central Business District, the Borough may limit work to other than normal daytime working hours. At the cessation of work, adequate steel plates shall be placed over excavations for safety and traffic control purposes. The maximum length of any continuous opening in the roadway shall be 100 feet. This pertains to the cartway, street, sidewalk, berm, or embankment. Prior to any additional digging, the previous trench shall be backfilled and completed as specified herein.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
K. 
Unless indicated otherwise by the Borough Engineer, all excavated materials are to be deemed unsuitable for backfilling and shall be removed from the project area immediately as they are generated and disposed of in a legal manner. All gutters, pipes, inlets and other drainage facilities shall be kept clean of all debris and excavated materials. At all times, fire hydrants adjacent to work shall be accessible to fire apparatus, and no materials or obstructions shall be placed within 15 feet of any hydrant. Excavations include any areas within the road right-of-way.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
L. 
Materials which are unsuitable and any surplus of excavated material shall be considered waste and shall be disposed of by the utility or contractor beyond the project limits. In no case shall waste material be left at the worksite.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
M. 
In all cases, the contractor shall blade and compact the roadway after the trench has been backfilled so that it shall be passable to traffic at all times. The contractor shall maintain the roadway in a condition acceptable to the Engineer or Street Commissioner at all times until final approval of the entire work by the municipality.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
N. 
The Derry Borough Public Works Department or designated testing/inspection agency must be notified in advance of placing any permanent pavement for inspection purposes. No pavement shall be placed without a Borough-designated inspector present. Where the excavation is in a paved surface, the pavement shall be restored. All materials and work shall meet the requirements of PennDOT Publication 408, Specifications (latest edition), Sections 350 and 409, respectively. Prior to replacement of the pavement, one foot outside of each edge of the opening shall be sawed the full depth of pavement and stone base in a neat straight line (one-foot cutback). The detached material shall be removed without damaging the adjacent pavement. The final pavement joint between new and existing pavement shall be sealed with sealant approved by the Derry Borough Public Works Department. In cases where pave cuts are made between December 1 and April 15, the pavement restoration shall consist of cold patch or similar temporary material. Final pavement restoration shall be completed as specified herein above during the next paving season, but in no event later than July 1. Maintenance of the temporary patch shall be the responsibility of the contractor. When a longitudinal opening is made in the pavement, the entire roadway width (curb to curb) shall be milled and overlaid with pavement approved by the Derry Borough Public Works Department. When one or more transverse openings are made within 25 linear feet of pavement, the entire roadway width (curb to curb) shall be milled and overlaid with approved pavement within the total opening length, including those areas unexcavated.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
O. 
The Derry Borough Street Department or designated testing/inspection agency must be notified in advance of placing any permanent pavement or concrete for sidewalks or curbing for inspection purposes. No pavement or concrete for sidewalks or curbing shall be placed without a Borough-designated inspector present. Stone curbs shall be replaced in kind. A minimum length of replaced curbs shall be four feet. Where curbing and/or sidewalks are composed of other materials (brick, pavers, granite, flagstone, etc.), every attempt should be made to save the original materials and replace them during restoration.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
P. 
Responsibility for damage to underground facilities. In the event a cut is made and, upon inspection, damage to another utility's underground facilities is discovered, it shall be the responsibility of the party making the cut to contact the Derry Borough Public Works Department or Borough Engineer and all concerned pertinent utilities to instruct them (it) to have representatives inspect the condition before any backfilling is begun.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
Q. 
The permanent restoration of special-type pavements, such as concrete, brick, Belgian block, cobblestone, gutters or tiles, shall consist of relating the original wearing course in accordance with the original installation specifications in such a manner as to prevent settlement or other determination.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
R. 
Whenever any utility or contractor shall make cuts in new pavement for purposes of replacing a main line on a street or part thereof or for purposes of making any capital improvements or improving or upgrading an existing system, or when any utility or contractor shall for any purposes, except emergency purposes, make a cut or cuts in new pavement totaling 90 square feet or more within any block in the Borough, then the utility shall be required to backfill and permanently restore, refinish, mill and repave the entire width of said street from curb to curb for the entire length of the block or blocks of said street or streets where there is located any pave cut or cuts or parts thereof with said backfilling and restoring, refinishing, milling, and repaving to be done in accordance with the provisions of this article. (The purpose of this provision is to encourage utilities to replace their main lines and make capital improvements or improve or upgrade their system prior to new repaving so as to prevent subsequent cutting of new pavement.)
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
S. 
The utility shall be required to notify the Derry Borough Public Works Department or designated testing/inspection agency prior to commencement of permanent restoration. Such permanent restoration must be commenced and completed promptly. Any delay or failure of restoration will be reported to the pertinent utility, and such work shall commence by the utility within 25 hours after notification. Upon failure of the utility to restore the street in a satisfactory manner, the municipality shall have the option to do the work or to contract to complete the work and bill the utility for the costs of permanent restoration, plus 20%. In addition, penalties for noncompliance shall be levied against the utility or contractor.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
T. 
The utility and/or its contractor must replace, in kind, all pavement markings damaged or removed by pave cuts and work incident thereto. All markings must be replaced within five days after permanent restoration. Should the contractor fail to replace the same, the municipality shall contract to have the necessary repairs made and bill the utility for the costs of the work, plus a 25% penalty.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
U. 
Electronic traffic control devices and ancillary equipment damaged or removed because of pavement excavation or work incident thereto must be replaced by the utility or its contractor, in kind, in whole or in part, as required by the Derry Borough Public Works Department or designated testing/inspection agency. The municipality shall contract to have the necessary repairs made and bill the utility.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
V. 
All property pins or survey control monuments damaged or altered as a result of the contractor's work shall be replaced at the contractor's expense by a registered Pennsylvania professional land surveyor.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
If the work of opening or of filling any opening or excavation, and of the replacing of the surface in a street shall not be completed on or before the date of expiration of the permit therefor, the holder of such permit shall be guilty of a violation of this article.
If any work of filling any excavation or replacing the street surface shall not be done on or before the date of expiration of the permit, or if any part of such work shall be unskillfully or improperly done, the Borough may cause the work to be done in such manner as it shall deem proper, and the expense thereof, including any overhead expense, and an additional amount of 10% shall be charged against and collected by the Borough from such permit holder in the manner prescribed by law.
In no case shall any opening or excavation made by any person be considered in the charge or care of the Borough or any officer or employee of the Borough, and no officer or employee of the Borough shall be authorized in any way to take or assume any jurisdiction over any such opening or excavation. Provided, however: If any person causing any opening to be made shall deem it to his advantage to employ the same workmen as do similar work for the Borough, he may do so.
Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this article shall, for each and every such violation, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 and costs of prosecution, and, in default of payment of such fine and costs, to imprisonment for not more than 30 days.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
At the time that the street opening has been refilled, backtamped and replaced in accordance with the provisions of this article and to the satisfaction of the Street Commissioner, the cash bond filed with the Borough of Derry as provided in § 358-13 shall be returned; provided, however, that the Borough shall retain from the cash bond the sum of $15 as a fee to cover of inspection and supervision for all openings having an area of nine square feet or less; for all openings of more than nine square feet, an additional $10 shall be paid for each additional 50 square feet, or part thereof, to cover the cost of inspection and supervision.
[Added 5-11-2020 by Ord. No. 788]
A. 
The applicant shall protect, defend, indemnify, and save harmless the Borough, its officers and/or agents thereof from all claims, suits, actions and proceedings of every nature and description which may be brought against the Borough, its officers, or agents thereof, for or on account of any injuries or damages to persons or public or private property because of any materials or appurtenances used in the work, by or on account of improper materials or workmanship, or for or on account of any accident or any other act, negligence, or omission of said applicant, his agents, servants, or employees, and the Borough shall not, in any way, be liable therefor during the period the work progress and the one-and-one-half-year guarantee period following completion and acceptance of work by the Borough.
B. 
Minimum insurance shall be:
(1) 
Liability per individual: $500,000, with a limit of $1,000,000 for each occurrence per bodily injury.
(2) 
Liability for property damage: $500,000.
(3) 
Evidence of insurance in the form of a certificate or letter executed by a duly authorized representative of the applicant's insurance carrier shall be submitted to the Borough each January 15; said evidence of insurance must include the provisions that the Borough be given at least 30 days' advance notice of any cancellation or any material alteration in the applicant's policy.