Township of Allen, PA CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS

General Construction Season. The installation of all improvements shall begin on March 15th and shall end on December 31st, of any year, except with written permission of the Township Engineer.

Placement of Paving Mixtures. Bituminous paving mixtures shall not be placed between October 31st and April 1st, of any year, except with written permission of the Township Engineer. Also, bituminous paving mixtures shall not be placed when prohibited by weather as specified in PennDOT Publication 408, § 401.3.

Cement Concrete Structures. All poured in place concrete structures shall be cured and protected as specified in PennDOT Publication 408, § 1001.3.

Improvements. Any and all improvements required to be installed by the Township or offered for dedication to the Township shall be completed in a first class condition in accordance with the Township's specifications. The Township shall not approve said required improvements nor accept dedication of any improvements unless and until the Township Engineer certifies that the same have been completed in accordance with those specifications.

Sinkholes. All sinkholes which exist within any easement or any area being dedicated to the Township shall be repaired to the satisfaction of the Township Engineer. Sinkholes may not be filled with construction waste materials or any other type of debris.

Limit of Open Trench. Not more than 100 feet of trench shall be excavated in advance of pipe or utility installation and backfilling. All trenches shall be closed at the end of each working day or appropriate safety precautions shall be taken to guard against accidents or collapse of trench walls.

Safety. Compliance with all State and Federal and/or local regulations and rules regarding the safety of all the workers and citizens and the construction site is the developer's responsibility.

Control of the Work. The Township, its agents, employees and consultants have reviewed any plans and/or documents submitted as part of the approval process for the sole purpose of determining compliance with applicable Township ordinance and regulations. Any construction methods and procedures, safety issues surrounding the installation of any improvements are the sole responsibility of the property owner and/or developer.

Observation of Work and Approvals.

Township and/or its Inspectors shall have a right to make observations of the work in progress and perform or observe performance of tests as necessary to record compliance or noncompliance of construction of improvements for use in making decisions as to whether or not the developer is in compliance with approved development plans, specifications and/or local ordinances. The Township remedies for noncompliance or ordinance violation include but may not be limited to:

Non-release of construction security.

Request for additional construction security.

(c)

Non-acceptance of improvements.

(d)

Remedies specified in a developer's agreement.

Observation of the construction and/or performance or observation of tests can be conducted by the Township and/or its Inspectors or, (as appropriate) by the Public Utility Authority or Public Utility Company responsible for a particular required service utility.

Maintenance of Improvements. After construction and dedication of improvements, the developer is responsible for maintenance of improvements for a period of 18 months and to post financial security to secure their structural integrity and functioning. After the expiration of the developer's responsibilities for installation, the maintenance responsibilities for improvements shall be as follows:

For any public utility such as water service, sanitary service, electric or gas, the maintenance by the Utility Authority or Company shall extend to the limit of a public right-of-way line or public easement line or a shut-off valve or terminal connecting manhole or other similar private line connection point, unless otherwise regulated in the utility owners rates, rules and regulations, or other specific ordinances or agreements either currently in effect or which may be approved in the future.

For public streets rights-of-way, the Township or State maintenance responsibility shall extend to the limit of the traveled cartway and shoulders. In the case of a curbed road, the Township or State maintenance responsibility shall extend to the curb face. The Township, along Township Roads and the State, along State roads have a right to take on additional maintenance beyond the curb or shoulder limits as they might determine necessary or desirable, on a case by case basis. The curb, sidewalk and street trees and planting screens and grass located in or along the edge of the roadway is the maintenance responsibility of the abutting private property owner, unless otherwise specifically defined by existing or future ordinances or amendments.

Public parks or dedicated and accepted open space, recreation areas, or stormwater management areas accepted by Fee Simple Deed and by Township resolution as public lands, shall be maintained by the Township to the limits of the lands so accepted.

(4)

Storm drainage easements or rights-of-way, emergency access easements or rights-of-way, and/or pedestrian easements or rights-of-way located on a private property shall be maintained by the owner of the private property. The owner of the private property shall maintain the easement or right-of-way in grassed or improved condition in accordance with the elevations, grades and designs shown on the Approved Development Plans. These easements or rights-of-way shall be maintained free of obstructions such as fill, temporary or permanent structures, and plants, except as may be shown on approved development plans. The Township shall, however, have the right to maintain, alter or improve these easements or rights-of-way or amend the approved development plans for these areas.

Reference to Other Specifications. Throughout this Part references will be made to various industry standard specifications. When such standards are referenced, they are to be considered as being fully incorporated and repeated into and as part of this Part. These document references, in part, refer to "PennDOT Publication 408." This document is the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Standard Specification Publication 408, as amended.

§ 21-303 General Road Requirements.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 3.0]

The elements of street and road right-of-way construction shall consist of road grading to the full right-of-way, concrete curbing, paving and concrete sidewalk as required in this Section.

Arterial roads shall have an eighty-foot design right-of-way minimum and at least two twelve-foot traffic lanes and two paved ten-foot pull off lanes/shoulders. Curbs and sidewalks are required.

Collector roads shall have a sixty-foot design right-of-way minimum, and at least two twelve-foot traffic lanes and two eight-foot paved shoulders. Curbs and sidewalks are required in all developments except single-family detached residential developments with densities of less than one dwelling unit per acre. Further, by special permission of the Board of Supervisors sidewalk requirements can be waived in residential subdivisions with densities of less than three dwelling units per acre, if the Board finds that they would not be needed for convenient access or pedestrian safety of the area.

Local Streets.

In nonresidential developments and residential developments with a density of three dwelling units per acre or more, the local street right-of-way shall be 60 feet and shall consist of at least:

Two ten-foot traffic lanes.

Two eight-foot parking/gutter lanes.

(c)

Concrete curb and concrete sidewalk.

In residential subdivisions with a density of less than three dwelling units per acre but more than one dwelling unit per acre, the local street right-of-way shall be 50 feet and shall consist of at least:

Two twelve-foot traffic lanes.

Two four-foot paved shoulders/gutters.

(c)

Concrete curbing and sidewalk.

In residential subdivisions with a density of less than one dwelling unit per acre, the local street right-of way shall be 50 feet and shall consist of at least:

Two ten-foot traffic lanes.

Two four-foot paved shoulders.

All paved shoulders, pull-off lanes, gutters and widened portions of road are to be constructed to the same standard as required for the abutting road.

Culs-de-sac shall be provided with a fifty-two-foot radius right-of-way and a forty-foot radius paved area. The maximum length of a permanent cul-de-sac shall be 600 feet, measured from the center of the intersecting road to the center of the cul-de-sac.

Residential density shall be interpreted as being the number of dwelling units in the total development divided by the area of the development, excluding dedicated street rights-of-way and dedicated park or open space areas.

§ 21-304 Specific Road Requirements.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 4]

All roads and streets shall be constructed and built in accordance with current Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Specifications Form 408 and with the following standards:

Width and grading of streets shall be as shown on Exhibit A.[1]

[1]

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

Subgrade shall be compacted and crowned with the required street crown and shall be prepared to PennDOT Form 408 § 210 Requirements.

Subbase shall be provided and installed in accordance with PennDOT Form 408 § 350, to a compacted depth of three inches for collectors and arterials and two inches for local streets. 2A coarse aggregate may be utilized.

Base shall be provided and installed in accordance with PennDOT Form 408 to the following Specification Section: (Note — All depths are measured after compaction.)

	Section 305. Bituminous Concrete Base Course.
	Six inches in depth for Arterials.
	Five inches in depth for Collectors and Local Streets.

Prime coat material shall be required just prior to the construction of the surface course. Such prime coat shall be applied to the base in accordance with PennDOT Form 408 § 461 at a rate of 0.15 to 0.25 gallons per square yard.

Surface Course shall be provided and constructed in accordance with PennDOT Form 408 to the following Specification Section: (Note — All depths are measured after compaction)

	Section 420 and 421.
	ID 2 binder and wearing laid as individual courses.
	Two-inch binder 1 1/2 inch wearing for Arterials and Collectors.
	One and one-half-inch wearing for local streets.

Repairs shall be made to the same specification as new paving. Repairs shall be done neatly and shall be sealed at the joint with hot bituminous material. The seal is to be at least 12 inches wide and is to be coated with sand or screenings.

Crown is to be 1/4 inch per foot minimum and 3/8 inch per foot maximum unless the street has a designed super elevation.

Any fill or embankment material placed in the street right-of-way or adjacent thereto, for street construction purposes, shall be placed in accordance with PennDOT Form 408 § 206.

Trench backfill shall be done in accordance with the requirements of PennDOT Form 408 § 601. For street areas being paved, backfill must be made with 2A coarse aggregate meeting the requirements of Form 408 § 350.2.

§ 21-305 Parking Lots or Private Roads.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 5.0]

All parking lots or private road specifications subject to approval by the Board of Supervisors by other ordinances shall meet or exceed the width requirements for local streets and shall be constructed of paving or concrete to a depth as recommended by the design engineer.

§ 21-306 Concrete Curb and Sidewalk.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 6.0]

Concrete curbing and sidewalk shall be provided when required as shown on Exhibit B.[1]

Concrete material and placement and curing shall be provided as required by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Specification Form 408 (current edition) for Type A concrete 3,300 psi twenty-eight-day strength, in § 704.

All exposed surfaces are to be finished.

Expansion joints of 1/2 inch premolded bituminous expansion joint material are to be provided at intervals of 30 feet or less and against all structures.

Contraction joints shall be provided at equal intervals of five feet or less for sidewalks and 10 feet or less for curb.

Sidewalk and curb depressions are to be provided at intersections for handicap access. A maximum slope of sidewalk of 1:12 and a maximum exposure of curb of 1/2 inch will be allowed. The access ramp shall be at least four feet wide.

Subgrade or base must be tamped and stable prior to placement of concrete.

Radius curb forms shall be used on all returns, on all culs-de-sac, and on all road curves with a center line radius of 500 feet or less.

Curb cut sheets shall be submitted to the Township Engineer for his review a minimum of three working days prior to forming the curb. The stake out for the curb shall have stakes at a maximum of 10 feet on all curve and 20 feet on all straight or tangent sections. Stakes shall be set at all points on curve and points on tangent of all curves and their station numbers shall be provided.

Sidewalk thickness: residential four inches; other — five inches; at residential driveways — six inches with minimum No. 6, six by six mesh; at industrial driveways — eight inches with minimum No. 6, six by six mesh. The sidewalk shall be placed upon a four inches thick compacted 2A stone base.

[1]

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

§ 21-307 Street Trees.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 7.0]

No trees, shrubbery, or structures shall be permitted to be planted, placed, or constructed within the right-of-way width of a road regardless of the classification of the same. The within restrictions shall not be applied to prevent the planting of flowers or the placement of mailboxes of a type approved by the U.S. Postal Service, within said right-of-way width.

§ 21-308 Water Systems.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 8.0]

When proposed or required, water systems for community or public needs shall be provided, installed, and maintained in conformance with the following regulations:

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Standards.

Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission Standards for systems under their jurisdiction.

Regulations or specifications of the water service company or Authority providing the water service.

Specifications to be provided by the developer at the time of Preliminary Plan review must meet or exceed the minimum standards and specifications of the water company and which are subject to review and approval by the Township and its Authority.

Fire Service must be provided for residential developments containing 100 dwelling units or more and for all developments in existing areas of community or public water supply. Such fire service must provide for at least 500 GPM at each fire hydrant for two hours with at least 20 psi residual pressure. Fire hydrants shall be located no more than 500 feet from any proposed structure. Fire hydrant threading must be compatible with the local fire department.

§ 21-309 Sanitary Sewer Systems.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 9.0]

When proposed or required sewer systems for community or public needs shall be provided, installed and maintained in conformance with the following regulations:

Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Standards.

Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission Standards for systems under their jurisdiction.

Regulations or specifications of the sewer company or authority providing the service.

Specifications to be provided by the developer at the time of Preliminary Plan review must meet or exceed the minimum standards of the Allen Township Municipal Authority and which are subject to review and approval of the Township and its Authority.

§ 21-310 Storm Sewer Systems.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 10.0]

Storm sewer facilities shall be provided, installed and maintained in accordance with the specifications of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Form 408 (current revision) and Standard Construction Drawing Standards (current revision). The design and specifications for all facilities shall be presented at Preliminary Plan stage during a subdivision or development plan submission and review, and shall be subject to the review and approval of the Township and must conform with the requirements of the Allen Township Stormwater Management Ordinance.

All storm facilities shall be designed by a Registered Professional Engineer and three copies of all computations shall be forwarded to the Township for review and approval.

§ 21-311 Streetlighting.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 11.0]

Complete streetlighting facilities shall be provided by the developer, at his expense, at each park, fire hydrant, street intersection and between intersections, if necessary, at a maximum distance of 250 feet from any lot within the subdivision. Streetlights shall be separated by at least 100 feet from each other. Plans for the placement shall be prepared in cooperation with appropriate public utility and by the Township. The subdivider shall have the right to select public utility approved wood or metal poles, however, the type selected shall be the only type installed in the entire development.

§ 21-312 Survey Monuments.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 12.0]

Concrete survey monuments shall be provided along one side of each proposed or existing street on the right-of-way line at each point of curve or change in direction, and at every tract boundary corner unless existing monumentation is found for that corner. The location of all monuments shall be shown on the Final Plan. The concrete monuments shall be 36 inches long and eight inches square or in diameter at the base and four inches square or in diameter at the top with a steel cap top, unless otherwise approved by the Township. The top of the monument or bar shall be set flush with the final grade of the property.

Lot pins shall be 3/4 inch steel pins or iron pipes at least 30 inches in length.

§ 21-313 Subdrains.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 13.0]

Subdrains may be required adjacent to concrete curb during construction of roads, if it is determined by the Township that such drains are necessary to preserve road integrity in high water table conditions. Such subdrains shall be installed in accordance with Exhibit B.[1] The developer must provide a suitable outlet for each subdrain outside the Township right-of-way or into a storm piping system.

[1]

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

§ 21-314 Dedication.

[Ord. 98-7, 11/12/1998, § 14.0]

Upon completion and approval by the Township Engineer, of any improvements in areas required or intended for dedication to the Township (or Township Authority) the developer shall execute a Deed of Dedication, in a form satisfactory to the Township Solicitor, for the land being dedicated and the improvements thereon and the developer shall deliver such Deed to the Township (or Township Authority) within 60 days of the approval of the installation of the same by the Township Engineer. The developer shall have no more than two years to complete the improvements from the date of the approval of the Final Plan.

The Deed of Dedication should include:

One original executed deed and three copies.

Only one street or parcel of ground for each deed.

A legal description of the property being dedicated with references to the Subdivision or Land Development Plan which shows the land to be dedicated, and with a reference to the date the plan was recorded and the map book and page number of the recorded plan.

(4)

An engineering drawing of the land being dedicated on 8 1/2 inches by 11 inches or 8 1/2 inches by 14 inches paper. If the land being dedicated is a street the plan should show the width of the right-of-way, width of paving, length of street in feet and length of street in miles.

Upon review of all documents and upon a specific finding that:

The developer has satisfactorily completed required improvements in the area being dedicated.

The developer has entered into an eighteen-month maintenance agreement and posted maintenance security in an amount equal to 15% of the improvements construction security.