[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Meeting of the Town of Voluntown 2-8-2001. Amendments noted where applicable.]
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment 1 - Figure 1, Typical Street Cross-Section LayoutAttachment 2 - Figure 2, Typical Cul-de-Sac Layout
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
PERSON
Includes individuals, firms and corporations.
RIGHT-OF-WAY
Denotes land, property or an interest therein; usually a strip acquired for or devoted to a highway or road use.
STREET
An improved right-of-way accepted for public use by lawful procedure and suitable for two-way vehicular travel; or a proposed street shown on a subdivision plan under consideration by, or on a subdivision plan previously approved by, the Planning and Zoning Commission of the Town of Voluntown; or any abandoned or legally closed highway being reopened for use within the Town of Voluntown.
SUBDIVISION
The division of a tract or parcel of land in the Town of Voluntown into three or more parts or lots made subsequent to March 8, 1972, for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of sale or building development, expressly excluding development for municipal, conservation or agricultural purposes, and includes resubdivision.
The below-listed documents shall be considered part of this chapter as referenced. Engineers and contractors working on projects in the Town of Voluntown shall be expected to have copies available for their reference.
A. 
Standard Specifications for Roads, Bridges and Incidental Construction, Form 814A, State of Connecticut Department of Transportation (latest edition and any subsequent amendments or issues).
B. 
Public Improvement Specifications, 1988 Edition, Northeastern Connecticut Council of Governments.
C. 
A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (latest edition), American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.
D. 
Drainage Manual 2000, State of Connecticut Department of Transportation, dated October 2000, and any subsequent amendments or issues.
All street improvements shall be designed and constructed in accordance with this chapter. No subdivision of land, requiring the layout and establishment of new streets, shall be made, unless the proposed layout of new streets is in harmony with existing or proposed streets, particularly in regard to safe intersections, and so arranged as to provide an adequate, safe and convenient system for present and future traffic and access needs. The proposed layout of streets will be approved by the Board of Selectmen, acting as the local traffic authority.
A. 
All proposed streets shall connect with one or more approved Town streets or state highways, except that any part of a subdivision containing more than 20 residential lots shall be accessible from at least two directions.
B. 
Streets shall be laid out to provide connections with existing streets on adjacent properties, where possible. Consideration shall be given to connecting with future streets on adjacent property where future subdivision appears probable.
C. 
All new streets shall have a minimum right-of-way width of 50 feet, which shall be deeded to the Town of Voluntown in fee simple by warranty deed free of all encumbrances and certified by an attorney. The paved wearing surface shall be 30 feet as measured between the face of curbs.
D. 
A dead-end street shall be provided with a circular turnaround area at the closed end having a radius of at least 50 feet, of which a radius of 40 feet is paved. Such streets will be permitted only where an alternative street layout is deemed by the Board of Selectmen and/or Planning and Zoning Commission to be impractical because of the dimensions, shape or physical conditions of the property. A dead-end street shall not exceed 1,000 feet in length unless it is of a temporary nature and is planned for extension and can reasonably be expected to connect with an existing or proposed road on adjoining land. See Figure 1.[1]
E. 
Curvilinear street arrangements which follow the contour of the natural terrain shall be used where practicable in preference to street patterns which follow the slope, in order to improve the control of stormwater runoff and to facilitate bad weather driving conditions.
F. 
The tangent distance between reverse curves shall not be less than 100 feet. Except for intersections and turnarounds on dead-end streets, no curve shall have a radius of less than 100 feet, as measured on the curbline.
G. 
Intersections.
(1) 
Angle of intersection. Wherever possible, roads shall intersect at a 90° angle, or as close thereto as is practical. In no event, however, shall an intersection be allowed where the angle of the intersection is less than 75° within 100 feet of the intersection.
(2) 
Spacing of intersections. Intersections of subcollector, local and minor roads shall be spaced a minimum of 150 feet apart, measured from the points of intersection of the center lines. Intersections of arterial and collector streets shall be spaced as deemed necessary by the Board of Selectmen. Streets intersecting on opposite sides of a street shall intersect exactly opposite one another or shall have the minimum spacing required above.
(3) 
Sight distance. Adequate sight distance for streets and intersections shall be required in accordance with the following publication: A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets (latest edition) by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Vertical and horizontal design controls shall also be in accordance with the above publication. Wherever a proposed street intersects with a state highway, adequate sight distance shall be required in each direction along the state highway in accordance with the above policy or CT DOT requirements. The Board of Selectmen may require that a strip of land adequate to maintain the sight distance along a state highway or Town road be deeded to the Town.
H. 
Where a proposed subdivision contains lots fronting on an existing street that does not meet the dimensional and improvement requirements of this chapter, the applicant shall be required to deed sufficient land to the Town of Voluntown to permit widening of the street and shall be required to make such improvements within the right-of-way of the street, as deemed appropriate by the Board of Selectmen to maintain public safety.
I. 
Street names. No duplication of street names is permitted except where a proposed street extends an existing street. The Board of Selectmen shall approve all street names.
J. 
Design speed. The minimum design speed for a street within a subdivision is 25 miles per hour. A street deemed to be a collector street by the Board of Selectmen may require a higher design speed.
K. 
Minimum curve radius. For roads, a minimum center line curve radius of 300 feet is required.
L. 
Grades approaching intersection or culs-de-sac. Grades shall not exceed 3% for a distance of not less than 75 feet from the center line of an intersection or cul-de-sac.
M. 
Construction methods for pavement structures. Any construction methods for pavement structures that are not specifically stated in these regulations shall be in accordance with applicable sections of CT DOT Form 814A (as amended).
N. 
Side slopes.
(1) 
Sloping grading. Streets in cut or fill sections shall be provided with slopes not steeper than two feet horizontal to one foot vertical, unless other structural measures are provided to retain the slope. Steeper (6 to 1) slopes may be permitted in rock cuts. At intersections, banks shall be cut back to maintain the minimum sight distance for intersections as required by these regulations.
(2) 
Slope rights. Where new streets abut private property, necessary slope rights must be obtained by the applicant when in cut or fill, and these slope rights shall be shown on the final layout and on the land records. The developer shall address the effects of fills and cuts on adjacent private property within the slope right area.
(3) 
Drainage. The applicant shall provide the Board of Selectmen with evidence that no drainage problems will arise on adjacent property due to cut or fill operations.
O. 
Driveways. Access drives shall be constructed such that the flow of road drainage is not impeded, water from the lot is not directed onto the road and safe sight line distances are achieved. Driveways shall be installed in accordance with Chapter 238, Driveway Construction, of the Town Code.
All streets shall be located in conformity with the contour of the land, with a grade not less than 1% or greater than 10%. There shall be no abrupt change of grade of such streets, and all side slopes shall be seeded to grass and have an angle of cut sufficiently shallow to permit maintenance. All roads shall be completely graded for the full fifty-foot right-of-way.
A. 
All ledge rock must be removed to a depth of 24 inches below subgrade surface and then backfilled with suitable bank run or processed gravel passed through a four-inch sieve; provided, however, that the Board of Selectmen may upon request approve a substitute gravel. All loam shall be scraped and stripped and backfilled with gravel. All trees and roots shall be removed from the full 50 feet of right-of-way, except as otherwise herein specifically provided. Soft spots, peat and organic material shall be excavated to solid bottom and backfilled with stone, bank run or processed gravel.
B. 
Any such roadbed shall be inspected by the First Selectman of the Town or his/her designated representative before any gravel is placed, and a certificate setting forth such inspection shall be a prerequisite to the release of any bond posted in connection with subdivision improvements. If ordered by the First Selectman or his/her designated representative upon such inspection, the above subgrade shall be rolled with a ten-ton roller before the placing of the gravel subbase. The subgrade shall be graded to a cross-section with a cross-slope of one inch per foot.
Twenty-four inches of bank run or processed gravel passed through a four-inch sieve shall be installed over the subgrade. Street subbase shall consist of bank gravel conforming to Article M-2.02 of the CT DOT Form 814A (as amended). Before the base is added, the subbase shall be inspected by the First Selectman or his/her designated representative.
The base course shall be laid over the subbase and shall be four inches thick after compaction. This material shall consist of gravel conforming to Article M.02.03 of CT DOT Form 814A (as amended). The surface shall be constructed to a cross-section whose cross slope is 1/4 inch per foot. Before any wearing surface is placed, the base course shall be inspected by the First Selectman or his/her designated representative, and grades checked to ensure that the full four-inch required base course shall be placed. A certificate of such inspection shall be a prerequisite to the release of any bond.
All street wearing surfaces shall be paved. The materials and construction methods for paved streets shall conform to the requirements of the current issue of the Connecticut Department of Transportation Standard Specifications for Roads, Bridges and Incidental Construction. Such paved wearing surface shall be constructed in two courses over the base course and shall be of bituminous concrete, four inches thick after compaction with a ten-ton roller.
Curbs are to be of granite or Portland cement and installed on all streets on the outside edge of the paved wearing surface, and shall be six inches in height above the wearing surface and a minimum of six inches in width, and extending at least 14 inches below the level of the wearing surface.
Guide rails shall be placed along all streets as deemed necessary by the Board of Selectmen or its designated agent as it shall direct. Materials and construction methods for guide rails shall conform to CT DOT Form 814A (as amended) for metal beam rails.
Street name signs are required at all intersections and are the responsibility of the applicant. One sign shall be located at each T intersection and two signs at each four-way intersection, located on diagonally opposite corners. Stop signs, "no outlet" signs and pavement markings are the responsibility of the applicant.
A. 
Street name signs shall be clearly legible and durable and shall be securely mounted in an appropriate manner, subject to the approval of the Board of Selectmen and compatible with the prevailing standards for street markers in the Town of Voluntown.
B. 
Materials and construction methods for stop signs, "no outlet" signs and pavement markings shall be in accordance with applicable sections of CT DOT Form 814A (as amended).
The construction of the drainage system, including methods of construction and quality of materials used, shall be in conformity with the final plan and the details shall conform with the Connecticut State Department of Transportation's Drainage Manual, the Public Health Code of the State of Connecticut and this chapter. Drainage system design shall be approved by the Board of Selectmen of the Town of Voluntown prior to final approval of any subdivision plan by the Voluntown Planning and Zoning Commission.
A. 
An adequate system of stormwater drainage shall be provided, and no natural watercourse shall be altered or obstructed in such a way as to reduce the natural runoff capacity unless substitute means of runoff are provided. The developer shall provide additional capacity in adjacent culverts and other drainage features for accommodating increased runoff from the proposed development should it be deemed necessary by the Board of Selectman and the Planning and Zoning Commission. All existing and proposed drainage systems shall indicate material, size and location on plans and profile sheets.
B. 
Catch basins shall be located at least every 300 feet or at intervals determined by the Board of Selectmen and the Planning and Zoning Commission based on conditions in the area, and at all corners of intersections. All drainage rights and easements which are considered necessary in the opinion of the Board of Selectmen and the Planning and Zoning Commission shall be procured by the subdivider requesting acceptance of any street and conveyed at no cost to the Town of Voluntown by warranty deed in fee simple.
C. 
Drainage rights-of-way through lots shall be at least 20 feet wide and follow property lines wherever possible. The Board of Selectmen may require culverts and other stormwater drainage installations, where it deems necessary, to connect with one or more natural watercourse(s). All necessary easements for drainage shall be provided prior to plan approval.
A. 
Sidewalks shall be installed, as stipulated by this section, by the applicant along one of the outer edges of each street right-of-way within any subdivision constructing a new street or streets, unless the Board of Selectmen and the Planning and Zoning Commission determine that such a requirement would be detrimental to public safety due to characteristics of the site and/or surrounding properties as per § 316-7 of this chapter.
B. 
Sidewalks, where required, shall be a minimum of four feet in width and, when provided in connection with a road, shall be located within the street right-of-way lines as shown on the typical cross-section. The sidewalk shall be constructed in accordance with one of the following standards as approved by the Board of Selectmen:
(1) 
Concrete. Cement concrete sidewalks shall be laid on a six-inch gravel base, mechanically compacted, and shall be constructed of reinforced concrete four inches thick having expansion joints with premolded fillers spaced every 20 feet and suitable weakened plain joints.
(2) 
Driveways. Sidewalks crossing driveways that are subject to heavy vehicular traffic shall be laid on a gravel base 12 inches thick.
(3) 
Handicapped access. All sidewalks shall be constructed with handicapped access as required by State of Connecticut building codes and/or other applicable codes and regulations.
(4) 
Sidewalks unrelated to new roads may be required by the Planning and Zoning Commission during the issuance of a zoning permit for nonresidential activities such as a commercial site plan review, where pedestrian access to schools, shopping or employment is possible. Any such required sidewalks shall be constructed in accordance with this chapter.
A. 
Any resident or developer who desires to cut into any existing Town road shall first obtain the authorization of the Board of Selectmen. Application shall be made to the Board of Selectmen on forms provided by the Board and shall include an engineering drawing, signed and sealed by an engineer licensed by the State of Connecticut, which provides repair details of the Town road upon completion of the project.
B. 
Prior to authorizing the resident or developer to make said cut, the Board of Selectmen shall receive a cash bond in the amount of $1,000. The cash bond shall be returned to the resident or developer upon acceptance of road repairs by the Board of Selectmen and/or its designated representative.
A. 
Any resident, developer or other party who desires to perform work of any type within a Town right-of-way shall first obtain the authorization of the Board of Selectmen.
B. 
Prior to authorizing the resident, developer or other party to perform work within a Town right-of-way, the Board of Selectmen shall receive a cash bond in the amount of $1,000. The cash bond shall be returned to the resident, developer or other party upon acceptance of completed work within the Town right-of-way by the Board of Selectmen and/or its designated representative.
A. 
The work of constructing any street or any stormwater or surface water drainage installation shall be subject in all respects to the inspection and approval of the authorized officials of the Town of Voluntown having proper jurisdiction.
B. 
Prior to any actual construction work undertaken on the installation of any required improvement, the applicant shall notify the Board of Selectmen.
All costs of surveying, excavating, grading, filling with gravel, installment of drainage pipes and general preparation of said street shall be borne by the person requesting acceptance.