Village of River Hills
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Chapter 9 Section 6

Section 9.06    CONSTRUCTION DETAILS.

A.  General Conditions.   The following general conditions apply to all work done within the public rights-of-way such as utility line installation or repairs performed by any Permittee, contractor, utility or municipality, public or private.

1.  Protection of Existing Improvements

a.  The Permittee shall at all times take proper precautions and be responsible for the protection of existing street and alley surfaces, driveway culverts, street intersection culverts or aprons, irrigation systems, mail boxes, driveway approaches, curb, gutter, terraces, and sidewalks and all other identifiable installations that may be encountered during construction.

b.  The Permittee shall at all times take proper precautions for the protection of existing utilities, the presence of which are known or can be determined by field locations of the utility companies. The Permittee shall contact the Digger’s Hotline (currently 1-800-242-8511) for utility locates a minimum of three (3) working days prior to the proposed start of work.

c.  Existing improvements to adjacent property such as landscaping, fencing, utility services, driveway surfaces, etc., that are not to be removed shall be protected from injury or damage resulting from the Permittee ‘s operations.

d.  The Permittee shall at all times take proper precautions for the protection of property pins/corners and survey control monuments encountered during construction. Any damaged or disturbed survey markers shall be replaced by a registered land surveyor at the Permittee’s expense, and the Permittee shall promptly notify the permit agency.

e.  The repair of any damaged improvements as described above shall be the responsibility of the permit holder.

f.  The Permittee shall make adequate provisions to assure that traffic and adjacent property owners experience a minimum of inconvenience.

2.  Temporary Surfaces Required.  When the final surface is not immediately installed, it shall be necessary to place a temporary asphalt surface on any street cut opening. The temporary surface installation and maintenance shall be the responsibility of the Permittee until the permanent surface is completed and accepted. It shall be either a hot mix or cold mix paving material. Temporary surfaces shall be compacted, rolled smooth and sealed to prevent degradation of the repair and existing structures during the temporary period. Permanent patching shall occur within three (3) weeks except as outlined by the Village in the Permit.  All permanent street repairs delayed by winter weather shall be completed by May 15th of each year.

3.  Pavement Patches.  All permanent pavement patches and repairs shall be made with “in kind” materials. For example, concrete patches in concrete surfaces, full depth asphalt patches with full depth asphalt, concrete pavement with asphalt overlay patches will be expected in permanent “overlaid” concrete streets, etc. In no case is there to be an asphalt patch in concrete streets or concrete patch in asphalt streets. Any repair not meeting these requirements will be removed and replaced by the Permittee at his expense. Refer to Section 4 for details.

4.  Work to be Done in Expedient Manner.  All work shall be done in an expedient manner. Repairs shall be made as rapidly as is consistent with high quality workmanship and materials. Completion of the work including replacement of pavement and cleanup shall normally be accomplished within three (3) weeks after the repair work or activity involving the cut is done. Extension of time for completion shall be with the written approval of the permitting agency. If the repairs are not completed in the allotted time, the Village has the right to repair the street at the Permittee ‘s expense.

5.  Removal and Replacement of Unsatisfactory Work.  Removal and replacement of unsatisfactory work shall be completed within fifteen (15) days of written notification of the deficiency unless deemed an emergency requiring immediate action. In the event the replacement work has not been completed, the Village will take action upon the Permittee ‘s bond to cover all related costs.

B.  Excavation

1.  Excavation shall consist of removal of all material necessary for the construction of the roadway section to the subgrade elevation line and grade shown on the plans or as specified in the contract documents. Unacceptable material defined as any earthen material containing vegetable or organic silt, topsoil, frozen material, trees, stumps, certain man-made deposits, or industrial waste, sludge or landfill, or other undesirable materials will be categorized as “unclassified excavation” and removed from the site and disposed of in accordance with applicable Village, State and Federal requirements. All tree stumps and roots shall be removed to a minimum of two (2) feet below subgrade. Unclassified excavation includes any and all earthen materials encountered, including rocks and boulders measuring greater than 9” in diameter, during construction.

2.  Any work on trees, including roots, must be reviewed by the Village.

3.  Excavation shall be performed in a careful and orderly manner with due consideration given to protection of adjoining property, the public and workmen. Any damage to streets, parking lots, utilities, irrigation systems, plants, trees, building or structures or private property, or the bench marks and construction staking due to the negligence of the Permittee, shall be repaired and restored to its original conditions by the Permittee at his expense. Those areas that are to be saved will be clearly fenced off by the Permittee per the owner’s instructions and it will be the Permittee ‘s responsibility to ensure that these areas are not damaged during the construction process. Following completion of construction, should any of these trees, shrubs or irrigation facilities, etc. require replacement, it shall be done at the Permittee ‘s expense.

4.  All materials determined acceptable by the permitting agency acquired from roadway excavations may be used for embankment fill and backfill as needed. The entire area in the vicinity of the construction where excavation and filling has been performed shall be raked clean of all trash, wood forms, and debris, after completion of the work with no additional cost to the Owner. Material removed in excavation and not acceptable or not required for embankment fill of backfill shall be disposed of by the Permittee. It shall not be wasted on private property without written permission of the property owner. Waste banks shall be left with reasonably smooth and regular surfaces.

5.  The construction of any repair activity within the street or alley rights-of-way shall be accomplished by open cut, jacking, boring, tunneling or a combination of these methods as approved by the permit.  The permitting agency shall approve any change from the approved permit.

6.  Trenches shall be excavated along the lines and grades established and in no case shall be more than two hundred (200) feet in length, or be trenched or backfilled in non-continuous sections unless approved by the permitting agency. Failure by the Permittee to comply with these requirements may result in an order to stop the excavation in progress until compliance has been achieved.

7.  All excavated material shall be stockpiled in a manner that does not endanger the work or workers and that does not obstruct sidewalks, streets and driveways. No stockpiled materials shall be allowed on the asphalt surface or adjacent walkways. The work shall be done in a manner that will minimize interference with traffic and/or drainage of the street. The Permittee at the end of each day shall barricade all excavations and ditch lines, remove excess material from travel ways, and thoroughly clean all streets, alleys and sidewalks affected by the excavation. If it becomes necessary to accomplish this, all streets, alleys (if asphalt or concrete) and sidewalks shall be swept or washed as required by the Village.

8.  Materials encountered during excavation such as rubbish, organic, or frozen material, and any other material that is not satisfactory for use as backfill in the opinion of the permitting agency, shall be removed from the site and disposed of daily by the Permittee at his expense. Stones, concrete or asphalt chunks larger than six (6) inches or frozen material shall be considered unsatisfactory backfill and removed by the Permittee.

9.  All excavation, shoring and trenching, and the like shall comply with OSHA’s “Construction Industry Standards” as well as all applicable Federal and State regulations.

10.  No tracked vehicles shall be allowed on asphalt or concrete unless approved by the permitting agency.

11.  Crossings under sidewalks or curbs may be made by tunneling only when approved. If the Permittee elects to remove a portion of the sidewalk or curb, the applicable Village standards shall be followed.

12.  Grading shall be done as necessary to prevent surface water from entering the excavation; any other water accumulation therein shall be promptly removed. Surface drainage, driveways, fire hydrants, manholes, water valves, etc. of adjoining areas shall be unobstructed.

13.  When soft or unstable material or rock is encountered in the trench subgrade that will not uniformly support the pipe, such material shall be excavated to additional depths and backfilled with approved material.

C.  Blasting.  The Permittee ‘s blasting procedures shall conform to Federal, State, and local ordinances. The Permittee shall acquire all required permits prior to the start of blasting.  Blasting for excavation will be permitted only after securing the approval of the permitting agency. The agency will fix the hours of blasting. The Permittee shall use the utmost care to protect life and property. All explosives shall be safely and securely stored in compliance with local laws and ordinances, and all storage places shall be clearly marker “Dangerous Explosives”. No explosives shall be left unprotected where they could endanger life or property.  When blasting in trenches, the Permittee shall cover the area to be shot with earth backfill or approved blasting mats. Prior to blasting, the Permittee shall station flaggers and provide signals of danger in suitable places to warn people and stop vehicles. The Permittee shall be responsible for all damage to property and injury to persons resulting from blasting or accidental explosions that may occur in connection with the use of explosives.

D.  Equipment.  The use of trench digging equipment will be permitted in places where its operation will not cause damage to existing structures or features, in which case hand methods shall be employed.

1.  No tracked vehicles shall be permitted on streets unless approved by the permitting agency. When tracked vehicles are allowed, existing facilities will be restored to original condition at the Permittee’s expense.

2.  Construction equipment and material delivery routing will be made a condition of the Permit.

E.  Dewatering.  Where ground water is encountered in the excavation, it shall be removed to avoid interfering with the work. It is the Permittee’s responsibility to comply with any Federal, State and local permitting requirements prior to beginning any dewatering operations.

F.  Removals

1.  Streets, Paved. Bituminous pavement shall be saw cut to clean, straight lines and should be perpendicular or parallel to the flow of traffic.  In existing pavement, all excavations within 36″ of the edge of the asphalt shall require removal and replacement from the edge of asphalt to the excavation edge.  Concrete pavement, cross pans, driveways, streets and alleys shall be removed to neatly sawed edges cut to full depth.

2.  Streets, Gravel.  When trenches are excavated in streets or alleys which have only a gravel surface, the Permittee shall replace such surfacing on a satisfactorily compacted backfill with gravel conforming to the aggregate base course standard adopted by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.  Gravel replacement shall be one (1) inch greater in depth than which originally existed, but not less than four (4) inches. The surface shall conform to the original street grade. Where the completed surface settles, additional gravel base shall be placed and compacted by the Permittee immediately after being notified by the Village, to restore the roadbed surface to finished grade.  Some streets may have been treated with a special surface treatment to control dust and/or bind the aggregates together. In these cases the Permittee is responsible for installing the gravel surface in the same manner as what existed. Such surface treatments shall be of the same chemical composition as what existed prior to the excavation work. The permitting agency shall note on the permit the surface treatment that will be required.

3.  Concrete Curb, Gutter and Sidewalk.  Concrete shall be removed to neatly sawed edges to full depth for sidewalks and curb and gutter and shall be saw cut in straight lines either parallel to the curb or perpendicular to the alignment of the sidewalk or curb. Any removal shall be done to the nearest joint. Replaced sections may require doweling connections if required by the permitting agency.

G.  Backfill.

1.  Flowable-Fill (Aggregate slurry).  Flowable-Fill will be required as utility trench backfill for all trenches unless otherwise approved.  [There is no section 5 in this document] This requirement applies to all pavement and gravel locations and shall extend five (5) feet beyond paved area. Flowable-fill vibration may be required. The recommended mix for flowable-fill is shown below. Concrete backfill will not be allowed within the public right-of-way. Flash-fill may be used if approved. Refer to Section 6.43.8 or 6.43.9 of the Standard Specifications for Sewer and Water Construction in Wisconsin.  Aggregate slurry or flash-fill shall be prohibited as a permanent street surface. Trenches shall initially be backfilled to the level of the original surface. After the flowable-fill has cured, the top surface of the flowable-fill shall be removed and the temporary or permanent surface shall be placed.  Bridging and cutback requirements as described in these standards may still be required if the street failures indicate a clear need.  Repair of failed trenches will be the responsibility of the Permittee.

2.  Conventional Backfill (Other Than Flowable Fill).  When “non flowable-fill” backfill material has been pre-approved by the permitting agency, backfill in existing or proposed streets, curbs, gutters, sidewalks and alleys shall comply with the standards contained within Chapter 6.43.0, Bedding, Cover, Foundation, and Backfill materials of Standard Specifications for Sewer and Water Construction in Wisconsin.

3.  Compaction Testing Requirements.  See Testing section.

4.  Embankment and Slopes.

a.  The permitting agency shall approve all fill material.

b.  All cut slopes shall conform to OSHA standards.

H.  Restoration

1.  Bore Holes – Vertical and Horizontal

a.  For openings less than or equal to 6″ in diameter, bore holes shall be filled with patching material (cold mix is not acceptable) to prevent entry of moisture. Patching material used shall be in all cases compatible with the existing surface. Subgrade shall be replaced with flowable fill (aggregate slurry) to provide necessary support to the surface. The sealing of bore holes is the responsibility of the Permittee.

b.  For openings greater than 6″ in diameter, the limits of repair shall be identified in the permit.

c.  The completed job shall be flush with the surrounding pavement and have no indentations, pockets, or recesses that may trap and hold water.

2.  Subgrade.  The subgrade for the pavement structure shall be graded to conform to the cross sections and profile required by the construction plans. Prior to the placement of aggregate base course or sub-course, the subgrade should be properly prepared. The subgrade should be scarified to a minimum depth of six (6) inches, moisture adjusted as necessary, and recompacted to not less than the following:

a.  For cohesive soils, 90% maximum Modified Proctor dry density at 2% of optimum moisture content, or 95% maximum Standard Proctor dry density at 2% of optimum moisture content.

b.  For non-cohesive soils, 92% maximum Modified Proctor dry density at 2% of optimum moisture content, or 97% maximum Standard Proctor dry density at 2% of optimum moisture content.

c.  For expansive soils, 88% maximum Modified Proctor dry density at 3% or greater above optimum moisture content, or 93% maximum Standard Proctor dry density at 1% or greater above optimum moisture content. For highly expansive soils (swell potential 2% under 200 psf surcharge pressure), paving will not be permitted without a subgrade treatment approved by the permitting agency.

d.  Prior to approval to place the base or sub-base course, all utility main and service trenches shall be compacted to not less than the above referenced densities required for the given soil classification. This density requirement also applies to all utility trenches within the public rights-of-way from a point five (5) feet beyond the edge of asphalt and descending at 1:1 outward.

3.  Asphalt Surfacing.  Any damage, even superficial, to the existing asphalt surface in the vicinity of the work shall be repaired at the expense of the Permittee, including but not limited to gouges, scrapes, outrigger marks, backhoe bucket marks, etc. A slurry seal type covering will be considered the minimum repair. Patching may be required, at the discretion of the Village.

a.  The depth of asphalt patches in asphalt streets shall typically be the depth of the existing asphalt surface as specified by the permitting agency.

b.  The asphalt patch area for street excavations that fall within the wheel path of the vehicular travel lane shall be increased in size to the center of the lane or adjacent lane. In no circumstance will the edge of a patch area be allowed to fall within the wheel path.

c.  All street cuts shall be patched as per the guidelines of Section 4 below.  In streets that are less than five (5) years old the Department reserves the right to deny any street excavation or require repairs that are over and above these specifications.

4.  Concrete Surfacing and Patching.  The concrete pavement shall be replaced with 4,000 psi concrete to match the finish and thickness of the existing pavement, but not less than eight (8) inches thick. All concrete construction shall be protected from vehicular traffic, including contractor vehicles, until the concrete has achieved eighty (80) percent of its ultimate strength. Concrete shall be coated and sealed with a uniform application of membrane curing compound applied in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations.  The use of high early strength concrete (3000 psi strength within 48 hours) shall be used on all arterial and collector streets when repair areas are less than 500 square feet or when temperatures are below 40° F. Quick curing concrete repairs may be opened to traffic within two (2) days or when the concrete has achieved eighty (80) percent of its ultimate strength.  Where existing cracks or damage are adjacent to the area being repaired the repair area shall include the cracked or damaged concrete. Pavement repairs shall include all areas of damage, including leak test holes, potholes, equipment and/or material scaring of the exiting surface.  When repairing concrete, removal perimeter shall be sawcut and replacement concrete shall be doweled into the old concrete as directed by the permitting agency.

5.  Joint Filling

a.  Asphalt.  Following placement of the asphalt surface, the joints where the new asphalt abuts the old shall be sealed with an approved elastic type joint filler (hot-pour) as more fully described in the next paragraph.

b.  Concrete.  Joints shall be thoroughly cleaned of all foreign material then filled with a hot-poured elastic type joint filler conforming to Wisconsin Standard Specifications for Road and Bridges Section 415.2.5 or silicone sealants or others as approved by the permitting agency. Joint material shall be filled to within 1/2 inch of the surface. Excess material shall be scraped off to provide a smooth riding surface.