Approved type of curbs meeting ADA requirements shall be required
on all streets and/or at other locations deemed necessary by the Board.
Rolled concrete curb and gutters or battered face curbs shall be constructed
in accordance with the following:
A. Curbing shall be rolled curb-and-gutter type (except on streets where
grade exceeds 6%) for all residential, collector, and single-access
streets. For any street with grades exceeding 6%, an 180-inch vertical
curb with a seven-inch reveal shall be formed in place. No precast
curbing shall be permitted. The transition from one type of curb to
another shall be made only at a street intersection.
B. Concrete for curb construction shall be plant mix certified to 3,000
pounds per square inch at 28 days.
C. Depressed curbs at driveways shall be 1 1/2 inches above the
finished street surface. Pipes, grates, wood planks or other materials
shall not be placed in the gutter to form a driveway ramp.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
D. Where it is necessary to replace existing vertical curbs with depressed
curbing, two ten-foot-long sections of existing curb shall be removed
down to the subgrade without disturbing the adjacent cartway paving.
The depressed curb shall then be formed and poured in place. Any portions
of the cartway disturbed during curbing removal or installation shall
be repaired to new condition.
E. When curbing must be cut for depressed curb installation, the length
of the remaining section shall be no less than four feet between expansion
joints and the cut shall be made in a neat manner with a power saw
equipped with a proper masonry cutting blade.
F. Any depressed curb sections that are unused when a subdivision or
land development or phase of a subdivision or land development is
completed shall be completely removed and replaced with full section
upright curbing to line and grade of adjacent curbing. Forming and
pouring vertical curbing on top of an existing curb depression shall
not be permitted.
Bridges and culverts and other water obstructions shall be designed
in accordance with the regulations of West Nantmeal Township and shall
meet the requirements and approval of the Township Engineer with regard
to adequacy and location. Whenever required, a permit for such bridges,
culverts and other water obstructions shall be obtained from the Pennsylvania
Department of Environmental Protection and submitted to the Board
who shall make appropriate notation of receipt of same upon and prior
to approval of the final plan. In no case shall a bridge, culvert
or other water obstruction reduce the effective width of the cartway.
To minimize traffic congestion and hazard, control street access
and encourage orderly development of street or highway frontage, the
following regulations shall apply:
A. General.
(1) Lots which abut two or more streets shall have direct access only
to a street of lesser functional classification.
(2) All vehicular access points to any street shall be located at least
100 feet from any intersection of a street, measured from center line
to center line, except for commercial uses on corner lots as provided
for in this section.
(3) Driveways on residential corner lots shall be no closer than 40 feet
to the point of radius of the curb at the corner.
(4) Each proposed nonresidential use with less than 100 feet of frontage
on any one street shall have only one access to that street; and no
nonresidential use with 100 feet or more of frontage on any one street
shall have more than two accessways to that street for each 400 feet
of street frontage.
(5) A common access point for two or more commercial or industrial uses
is encouraged where practical to minimize vehicular access points
along streets other than rural and residential streets. Common access
points, where permitted, shall be in accordance with this chapter.
(6) Provision shall be made for safe and efficient ingress and egress
to and from public streets, without undue congestion or interference
with normal traffic flow within the Township.
(7) The applicant shall be responsible for the design and construction,
including costs thereof, of any necessary traffic control devices
and highway modifications required by the Board or the Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation.
(8) All driveways shall be paved for the first 20 feet from the right-of-way.
B. Access design for multifamily, commercial and industrial uses. Where
any proposed subdivision or land development for multifamily dwellings,
townhouses, mobile home park, shopping center, or industrial or commercial
uses propose vehicular access to and from an arterial or collector
street, all vehicular entrances and exits shall be provided with deceleration
and acceleration lanes as approved by the Board and/or the Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation. In no event shall vehicles be permitted
to back directly into any street from an off-street parking area.
Interior drives for such uses shall be in accordance with this chapter.
C. Access design for single-family use.
(1) Driveways for single-family residences.
(a)
Private driveways on corner lots shall be located at least 40
feet from the point of intersection of the nearest street right-of-way
lines.
(b)
In order to provide a safe and convenient means of access, grades
on private driveways should not exceed 6%, unless specifically authorized
by the Board, and in no case shall the grade exceed 4% for the first
30 feet of driveway as measured from the road cartway.
(c)
Safe sight stopping distance must be measured from a point on
the driveway 10 feet from the edge of the public road cartway upon
which the driveway opens and meet the standards in this chapter.
(d)
In order to provide safe and convenient ingress and egress,
private driveway entrances shall be rounded at a minimum radius of
five feet, or shall have a flare constructed that is equivalent to
this radius, at the point of intersection with the cartway edge (curbline).
(2) Driveways for multiple residences.
(a)
Privately owned (undedicated) driveways shall be permitted to
provide access to not more than two single-family dwellings. However,
in unusual circumstances, the Board may approve, in writing, the design
of a portion of a subdivision in which up to four single-family dwellings
may be served by a private driveway. In such event, the paving width,
thickness and intersection details must be approved by the Township
Engineer.
(b)
Driveways for two or more residences will require a recorded
access easement and maintenance agreement to be reviewed and approved
by the Township.
(3) Private streets. The Board shall have the sole authority in unusual
circumstances to approve private streets intended for the use of more
than two families in a subdivision or land development, or in a commercial
development where usage by the occupants requires a private street.
Such driveways shall be privately owned, and the Township shall have
no maintenance obligation with respect thereto; maintenance in such
case shall be the responsibility of a single person or entity, such
as the landlord, or a homeowners' association or similar large association.
Such responsibility shall not be fragmented among co-owners or easement
right owners.
(4) Construction specifications for private streets shall conform to
the same standards for public streets.
The following regulations shall apply to all uses except single-family
detached dwellings, unless otherwise specified:
A. Design of access aisles and drives.
(1) Interior drives shall be designed to prevent blockage of vehicles
entering or leaving the site. Drives may be one-way or two-way. Areas
designed for loading and unloading, refuse collection, fuel delivery,
and other service vehicles, and areas for the use of automobile parking
or pedestrianways shall be arranged as to prevent blocking or interfering
with accessways and shall have adequate turnaround surface so egress
to the street is in a forward direction.
(2) Accessways, parking areas and loading areas shall have clearly defined
parking bays and traffic circulation lanes designated by markings,
curbs, barriers, and landscaped islands so that operators of vehicles
intending to use such accessway areas and loading areas shall not
impede traffic as a result of any confusion as to the location of
entrances and exits and manner of reaching them.
(a)
To assist in traffic channelization, islands shall be placed
at the ends of parking bays so that the end of the bay adjacent to
a driving aisle or ring road is clearly delineated. Such islands shall
be landscaped, but shall be designed so as not to impair visibility
needed for traffic flow and turning movements.
(b)
Traffic channelization shall be planned in such a way that a
main driving aisle, from which vehicles can flow off the street and
into the site and parking bays, is remote from the primary building(s)
so as to avoid traffic conflicts in front of the primary building(s).
(c)
Parking areas shall be designed so that a vehicle within a parking
area will not have to enter a street to move from one location to
any other location within a parking lot. Adequate turnaround surface
shall be provided so that egress to the street is in a forward direction.
(3) All interior drives and accessways shall be paved with an approved
all-weather surface and shall be graded, properly drained and maintained
in good condition. Interior drives shall have a maximum grade of 4%,
measured along the center line, for a distance of not less than 50
feet from the street right-of-way. Beyond that point, interior roads
and drives shall have a maximum grade of 6%.
(4) Minimum interior drive cartway widths (with no abutting parking).
Use
|
Two-Lane Two-Way Drives
(feet)
|
One-Lane One-Way Drives
(feet)
|
---|
Multifamily
|
24
|
15
|
Commercial/office
|
24
|
15
|
Industrial
|
24
|
15
|
(5) Common or shared access driveways to parking and loading areas are
encouraged for commercial, office and industrial uses, provided that
the landowners involved submit a site plan and agreement that designates
an access easement for all parcels involved and which specifies shares
of ownership and maintenance responsibilities corresponding to each
lot.