The purpose of this chapter is to set certain
standards for the design, location and construction of driveways and
driveway openings in order to promote the safety, public well-being,
convenience and general welfare of the township through, among other
things, the lessening of soil erosion, ensuring emergency vehicle
access, the promotion of traffic safety and the preservation of municipal
road structures.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following
words or terms shall mean:
DRIVEWAY
Any lane, way, opening, construction entrance or privately
owned road entering upon any public road within the Township of Bethlehem,
including access to farm buildings, except field openings to nonresidential
land used exclusively for farming purposes.
MODIFIED
An existing driveway is "modified," within the meaning of
this chapter, when it is paved, widened or narrowed, when its horizontal
location or vertical elevation is changed or when drainage facilities
are installed or replaced or when conditions exist which discharge
water, stone or silt onto the adjoining public road.
SITE IMPROVEMENTS
The dry wells and/or stormwater management systems required
in connection with a subdivision or driveway permit, as shown on development
plans, required by township ordinance, or as a matter of law or by
the Township Engineer.
UPHILL DRIVEWAY
A driveway whose grade rises in elevation from the existing
grade at the edge of the municipal roadway.
[Amended 11-6-2008 by Ord. No. 126-4-2008]
No driveway which connects with an existing or proposed Township road may be constructed or modified and no building constructed unless the owner first obtains a permit from the Township Zoning Officer. The applicant for a permit shall pay the Township a fee of $100 upon application. In addition, the applicant shall deposit with the Township an escrow deposit in the amount of $750 to cover the estimated cost of professional review of the application by the Township Engineer and other professionals. The escrow deposit shall be administered in accordance with Article
IX of Chapter
102, Land Use and Development, by the Planning Board Secretary. The Township may require replenishment of such escrow in accordance with said section.
[Amended 12-17-2009 by Ord. No. 126.5.2009]
All driveways to be constructed or modified
shall be done in accordance with the following minimum requirements,
unless determined not to be applicable by the Township Engineer:
A. Number.
(1) The maximum number of driveway openings permitted
from a commercial or industrial lot to any one road shall be limited
as follows:
Length in Lot Frontage
(fees)
|
Permitted Number of Driveway Openings
|
---|
200 or less
|
1
|
201 or more
|
2
|
(2) The maximum number of driveway openings permitted
from a residential lot shall be one.
B. Adjacent driveway openings. Within the right-of-way,
a minimum distance of 25 feet shall separate any two driveways (on
the same premises or on adjoining lots) entering upon a single municipal
roadway, as measured parallel to the right-of-way line.
C. Drainage facilities. Each driveway shall be constructed
with suitable and adequately designed drainage facilities. Wherever
possible, driveway drainage shall be directed into natural drainage
channels away from the public road. Driveway drainage may be connected
with existing drainage facilities within the municipal roadway, if
approved by the Township Engineer, provided that said connection does
not interfere with existing drainage or cause erosion or deposits
of sediment in the municipal drainage system. Driveway drainage systems
shall not discharge onto adjoining properties if erosion or sediment
damage or flooding would be caused and shall not discharge onto the
paved or traveled portion of any public right-of-way.
D. Sight distance required.
(1) All driveways shall be constructed in profile, grading
and location to conform to the following criteria:
Y
|
=
|
Sight distance along road, measured from Point
A to Point C or from Point D to Point C.
|
A and D
|
=
|
Point 4 1/4 feet above the road center
line.
|
B
|
=
|
Point 3 1/2 feet above driveway center
line, 20 feet from the road's edge of pavement.
|
C
|
=
|
Center of the intersection.
|
Road Design Speed
(mph)
|
Required Y
(feet)
|
---|
50
|
475
|
40
|
325
|
35
|
250
|
30
|
200
|
25
|
165
|
(2) The entire area of the sight triangle, described by
A-B-C or B-C-D, shall be cleared and kept cleared as required to provide
an unobstructed view across it, from Point B to all points 4 1/4
feet above the road center line between Points A and D.
E. Permitted slope at intersection. The portion of any
driveway within the road right-of-way shall be constructed so that
the grade at a point 25 feet from the road center line is not less
than three inches nor more than six inches above the edge of the existing
pavement or traveled way. From 25 feet from center line to 50 feet
from center line, the driveway grade shall not exceed 6%.
F. Depressed curb. On curbed roads, the existing curb
is to be removed to full depth and rebuilt to full depth from joint
to joint. Horizontal saw cuts to create a depression are not permitted.
G. Emergency services approval. Emergency services may
require, in certain circumstances, additional work related to driveway
construction such as, but not limited to, pull-offs, graded areas
for turnarounds or parking, graded areas for storage tank drop-off,
guiderails, additional driveway width, etc. The Zoning Officer or
Township Engineer may refer any application to emergency services,
and conditions imposed thereby will be binding upon the applicant.
In any event, a level area shall be graded at the driveway and immediately
adjacent to the public road right-of-way measuring 25 feet by 50 feet
for use by emergency services. This graded area may be moved closer
to the road if approved by the Township Engineer and where such grading
does not interfere with drainage or access. The graded area may be
deleted only if written approval is obtained from the responding fire
company.
All driveways constructed or modified shall
intersect perpendicular to the existing road pavement or traveled
way. Any curved or angular approach of the driveway for aesthetic
or topographical reasons shall be accomplished outside of the road
right-of-way or beyond 25 feet from the center line of the existing
pavement, whichever is greater.
To assure adequate access for motor vehicles,
any vertical curve on a driveway shall be flat enough to prevent the
dragging of any vehicle undercarriage. Six inches of vertical curve
length shall be provided for every 1% change in grade for a crest.
Nine inches of vertical curve length shall be provided for every 1%
change in grade for a sag. In no case shall the vertical curve be
less than five feet.
No new driveway shall be constructed at a profile
grade exceeding 15% at any point. If a proposed uphill driveway will
exceed a profile grade of 8% anywhere within the first 200 feet, as
measured from the road right-of-way line along the driveway center
line, then that portion of the driveway which exceeds 8% within the
first 200 feet shall be paved with a bituminous concrete macadam or
portland cement concrete surface.
All driveways shall be constructed so as not
to block or interfere with the drainage within gutters or along the
existing road pavement or traveled way. Under no circumstances shall
the driveway be allowed to extend beyond the edge of the existing
ditch line at an elevation creating an uneven flow line in the gutter
or ditch or beyond the existing edge of pavement creating a hump or
uneven driving surface.
A. Paved gutter. The construction of a properly sized
dish-type gutter may be permitted, provided that the existing water
flow will not be blocked, altered or changed in any manner. Paved
gutters will be permitted only for minimal [less than five cubic feet
per second (cfs)] flows in the ditch or gutter.
B. Culvert or piping. The installation of suitably sized
reinforced concrete pipe or culvert will be required in the event
that the existing flow line or ditch cannot be crossed with a shallow
dish-type gutter. The size of the pipe or culvert required shall be
approved by the Township Engineer and shall be a minimum of 30 feet
in length. In any event, any pipe must be at least 15 inches in diameter.
C. Drainage calculation. The applicant shall submit drainage
calculations to justify proposed pipe size.
D. Stormwater management. Stormwater control devices
shall be installed to decrease the rate of runoff from driveways.
When a site or lot occupies a corner formed
by two intersecting roads, no driveway entrance or exit shall be located
within 25 feet of the point of tangency of the existing or proposed
curb radius or either road.
No entrance or exit driveway shall be located
on the following portions of a road: within acceleration or deceleration
lanes or their transitions, a rotary, a ramp or interchange or within
25 feet of the beginning of any ramp or other portion of an interchange.
Driveways located on cul-de-sac road turnarounds are permitted so
long as they meet all criteria of this chapter.
Any person or persons, firm or corporation violating
any provision of this chapter which results in damage to or obstruction
of any public road, gutter, storm drain, ditch, basin, inlet or culvert
during or following construction shall be responsible for all expenses
incurred by the township in repairing said damage or removing said
obstruction, in addition to the penalty herein provided.
Any person or persons, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be subject to the penalties provided by §
1-15 of Chapter
1, General Provisions. Each and every day that a violation continues after notification thereof shall constitute an additional, separate and specific violation.
Before a driveway construction permit is issued,
the applicant shall deposit with the appropriate official the sum
of $500 for a street opening and completion bond, conditional upon
the performance by the applicant or his successor(s) of the following
requirements:
A. The restoration of the street or roadbed, its surface
and paving to the original conditions prior to openings for utilities,
connections or for other purposes, in accordance with construction
operation.
B. Restoration of any sidewalk or curbing construction
to the extent before such construction operation began and the repair
of all damage arriving from such construction.
C. Refilling or backfilling or any excavating so as to
restore its original condition in the event of any secession or abandonment
of the driveway operation leaving the property in a dangerous or unsanitary
condition constituting a menace to public health and safety.
The Township Zoning Officer shall certify that
the driveway is constructed in conformance with this chapter prior
to the release of the aforesaid bond.