TOWN OF GRAND ISLE

ORDINANCE REGARDING CONSTRUCTION

AND ACCEPTANCE OF HIGHWAYS

The Board of Selectmen of the Town of Grand Isle hereby ordain:

1.      Policy

It is the policy of the Town of Grand Isle that highways constructed or reconstructed in the town are designed and constructed to allow their safe use by the traveling public, ensure their stability over time and allow their reasonable maintenance. It is the further policy of the town to consider requests for the dedication of private highways to the town and to accept such dedications when it is in the best interest of and will best serve the public welfare, the safety and the convenience of the inhabitants of the Town.

2.      Highway Construction Standards

All roads/highways constructed or reconstructed subsequent to the date of this Ordinance in the Town of Grand Isle that are intended to qualify for maintenance by the Town, must meet the following standards. All roads proposed as part of a development plat must have  Right of Way width of 60 feet.   

a)      Width of right-of-way: 60 feet. (Must be surveyed and recorded)

b)      Width of roadway: 20 feet traveled way with two foot shoulders either side.

c)      Location of traveled way: To be located where necessary to retain less than 9% grade.

d)      Preparation of Subgrade and Sub-base conditions: Roadway sub-base will be excavated to the extent required by the fabric and stone system.  All boulders, organic material, soft clay, spongy material and  any other objectionable and unsuitable material shall be removed and replaced with approved material according to the Engineering Plan. Approval of the Road Foreman is required prior to placing of stone course

e)      Base conditions: At least 15" of accepted and approved fabric and stone base will be placed the entire width of roadway and shoulders.  This item shall consist of a base course composed stone and fabric as approved by the Road Foreman and constructed on a prepared subgrade in accordance with the sections as shown on the accepted drawings. All materials shall be secured from approved sources. Such material shall consist of hard, durable stones which show uniform resistance to abrasion and which are intermixed with clean sand. The stone shall be 3" minus in size. All bottom course material shall be deposited so as to distribute the material and compacted at optimum water content.  

f)        Roads will be covered with 6" of approved surface material. This item shall consist of an upper course of crushed quarry material to be placed over the bottom course of stone/fabric which will have been prepared in accordance with these specifications. This upper course shall be placed in accordance with the lines, grades, and typical cross sections as shown in the Engineering Plan. The upper course of crushed quarry material shall be deposited and spread in a uniform layer, and compacted at optimum water content.  

g)      Drainage - Drainage must be placed so that there will be no ponding of water within the highway right-of-way. Minimum culvert size will be 18" diameter. Larger may be required in some cases. Drainage ditches adjacent to roads shall be provided where necessary and shall be a minimum of 18" below the finished grade.

h)      Grades: All final grades must be approved. (It is suggested that the center line elevations be plotted and presented at time of application for acceptance) Any road which the Town may accept into the Town Highway system must meet the Selectboard’s approval for grade and design.

i)        Approaches: All approaches to State Highways must be approved by the District Highway Engineer. Approaches to State Aid and Town Highways must be approved by the Selectmen or their agent.

j)        Highways are to be paved within a year after construction with hot bituminous concrete mix or a double tack coat with chipseal, meeting all of Vermont State Highway specifications.

1)      Bituminous  Concrete Pavement: This type of pavement shall be composed of mineral aggregate, mineral filler if required, and bituminous material, plant mixed and laid hot. This pavement shall be constructed in two (2) courses of the prepared or existing base in accordance with these specifications and in conformity with the lines, grades, thickness, and typical cross-sections shown on the accepted drawings. The coarse aggregate shall consist of clean, hard crushed rock or screened crushed gravel free from dirt or foreign matter. It shall be reasonably free from soft and elongated pieces.  The fine mineral aggregate shall consist of sand or a mixture of sand and stone screenings of which at least fifty percent (50%) by weight shall be sand. The sand shall consist of clean, hard, durable grains, free from injurious amounts of vegetable matter or other harmful substances. The asphalt cement shall conform to all the requirements as set forth by the State of Vermont Department of Highways Specifications for Highway construction. The bituminous concrete is to be laid and rolled by experienced crews, in two layers. The first, the binder course, to a depth compacted to 1 ½". The second application compacted to a depth of 1 ” of hot bituminous concrete, surface mix. All work to be done in a professional manner and must be approved by the Road Foreman. Equipment for spreading and finishing the mixture shall be a mechanical spreading and finishing machine provided with an activated screen and heated as required. The machine shall be capable of spreading the mixture without segregation and shall be approved by the Road Foreman before being used. The base coat will stand a minimum of twelve months before application of the finish coat of pavement.

2)      An alternative to bituminous concrete pavement is the use of a double tack coat with Chipseal composed of a ¾ and ½ inch stone base with a 3/8 inch stone surface layer combined with a water based emulsion binder meeting all of Vermont State Highway specifications. This material must be applied by experienced Construction crews using equipment which has been approved by the Road Foreman before use.

k)      Trees and Foliage: All trees and shrubs will be removed for a distance of 20 feet from the center line of the roadway. (In some circumstances, these requirements may be waived.)

l)        Sewer and Water Service: In areas adjacent to sewer service, sewer mains will be installed. Sewer service mains will be installed under the supervision of the Selectboard or their representative and will meet all specifications of the Department concerned.

m)    Drainage must be approved where located within the jurisdiction of the District Highway Engineer by their Department

n)      Guard rails are to be placed wherever the safety of the users of the highway is concerned. This will be at the discretion of the Selectmen

o)      Bridges and Other Highway Accessory Structures:  Unless specifically covered in this Ordinance, any such structures shall conform to the most recently adopted State of Vermont Standard Specification for Highway and Bridge Construction. 

p)      Cul-de-sacs and Turn Arounds:  Designs of cul-de-sacs and turn arounds must be reviewed with the Road Foreman and the Selectboard

q)      State Standards:  See Specification A76 attached.

3.      Dedication and Acceptance of Public Roads/Streets/Highways:

a)      Construction Standards: Any road/street/highway which is proposed for dedication to the Town must be constructed in accordance with the standards set forth in Section 2, above. 

b)      Inspection:  Any person proposing to have a new road, street or highway accepted by the Town shall notify the Selectmen of the proposed construction schedule of that road, prior to commencing construction.  Inspections by the Town, through its Selectmen or other dully authorized person, shall be made prior to base course application, after base course application, and after final course application. Also, an inspection is required before any paved surface treatment.  The Town may require that the roadway be inspected by a registered professional engineer or other such qualified individual. All costs associated with this inspection shall be born by the developer.  The Town may require the developer to provide any evidence of testing of compaction of sub-base. If this evidence is not available the Town may require a new compaction test by a competent person with costs to be paid by the developer. 

If a road which is in existence as of the date of this Ordinance is proposed for acceptance by the Town as a result of a petition of the property owners abutting the road, the road must be brought into compliance with this ordinance excepting that said road is only required to have its Right of Way width surveyed and recorded.  The cost of Engineering studies to determine the current condition of the road and the work necessary to bring the road into compliance as well as the cost of construction to bring the road into compliance must be paid by these property owners.  

4.      Bonding Requirement:  Prior to commencement of construction of a proposed  public roadway or reconstruction of an existing public roadway within the Town of Grand Isle, the  person proposing such construction must post a bond or other such surety with the Town of Grand Isle for the full amount of the cost of a proposed roadway and public improvements to be constructed . Bonding may be required to secure road improvements which are required to be performed at future times or upon future contingencies. Permits may be withheld pending tender of proper performance bonds.

5.      Compliance with other regulations:  An applicant must secure all other necessary governmental permits for a land subdivision or for a road construction as a condition precedent to the acceptance of a highway hereunder. 

6.      Public Highways:  No road shall be accepted as a public road by the Selectboard until the completion of a public hearing pursuant to 19 V.S.A. Ch. 7, Subchapter 2, and a determination that the public good requires acceptance and dedication of the road as a public way.  In making such determination, the Selectboard shall consider whether the public good, necessity, and convenience of the inhabitants of the Town of Grand Isle require the road to be formally accepted as a public road.  No road will be considered for acceptance as a public road, by the Selectboard, unless it conforms to the standards of this Ordinance.

7.      Applications:  An application for the acceptance of the highway shall be accompanied by a survey in a form acceptable to the Selectmen for accuracy, thoroughness and legibility and a proposed warranty deed of the land to be conveyed for highway purposes, said warranty deed to be in form acceptable to the Selectmen and the Town Attorney. 

8.      Acceptance of Highways:  In determining whether to accept a road as a Town Highway, the Selectboard shall determine whether acceptance of the highway is in the best interest of and will best serve the public welfare, the safety and the convenience of the inhabitants of the Town of Grand Isle.  In making this determination, the board shall consider all relevant factors, including without limitation, the following:

a)      The number of dwelling or business structures served by the road

b)      Potential extension of the road

c)      Current or potential future impact on the Town road network

d)      Current or potential future impact on Town traffic patterns

e)      Impact on Town Road Maintenance resources

9.      For the purpose of this Ordinance, a highway, road or street is defined as a travel way intended for public or private use by motor vehicles that serves at least 3 dwellings or businesses. If a road, street or highway is accepted by the Town of Grand Isle, it will receive a Town Highway designation number to be assigned by the Road Foreman.