(A) Cuts through bituminous wearing surfaces shall be scored on a neat, straight line to the full trench width, using either a pneumatic spade or a concrete saw. Cuts through Portland cement concrete shall be sawed to a sufficient depth to enable removal of concrete with a clean, straight break.
(B) Excavated material shall be removed immediately or laid compactly off the roadway surface to cause as little inconvenience as possible to public travel. Pedestrian sidewalks shall be kept clean and free of obstructions, and, where necessary, temporary bridging or plank walkways shall be provided. Excavated material not suitable for backfill shall be immediately removed as excavation is in progress. Construction material shall not be stored in the public street except immediately in advance of installation. Loose earth and stone shall be promptly cleaned from the streets and sidewalks, and dust shall be regularly swept up and removed.
(C) Sidewalls of a trench under four feet in depth shall be kept as nearly vertical as possible. When over four feet in depth, the trench shall comply with the requirements established by Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards.
(D) Backfilling. An opening shall be backfilled by the permittee in accordance with the following:
(1) The opening may first be backfilled with fine aggregate materials, meeting the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as detailed within Publication 408, or granular material to protect the facility, placed to a height not to exceed one foot over the top of the facility, if the material is compacted in not more than four-inch loose layers or as authorized under Publications 408. To help protect its facility from future excavations, the permittee is required to place a permanent ribbon colored under this division at least one foot above its facility. If the facility is nonmetallic, the permittee is also required to place a metallic ribbon at a depth from which the ribbon can be sensed by typical metal locating instruments.
(2) The opening shall then be backfilled with select granular material, unless retained suitable materials, as defined within the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 408, is authorized or other coarse aggregate material meeting the requirements of Publication 408 is specified in the permit. Select granular material or other aggregate material will be required for use as backfill of openings in pavements, paved shoulders and improved (for example, oil and chip) shoulders as well as unimproved (for example, stabilized or earth surface) shoulders within three feet of the edge of pavement. Retained suitable material will normally be authorized for use as backfill of openings outside shoulders and in unimproved shoulders more than three feet outside the edge of pavement and up to within three feet of the surface.
(3) Backfill shall be compacted as follows:
(a) General rule. Except as provided in division (b) below, backfill material shall be placed in loose layers not to exceed eight inches if vibratory compaction equipment is used or as authorized under Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Publication 408. Each layer shall be thoroughly compacted to preclude subsidence, under Publication 408.
(b) Compaction outside pavement and shoulders. At least 15 days prior to the start of work, the applicant may submit its written compaction plan to the borough requesting backfill in an opening outside the pavement and shoulder to be placed in layers thicker than eight inches prior to compaction. The compaction plan shall include full details of equipment, materials and work methods as well as the permittee's acknowledgment of its obligation and commitment to regularly monitor the restored surface until two years after the acknowledged completion of the permitted work and to promptly correct failure or subsidence of the highway.
(c) Existing pavement elevation. Compaction shall be completed to the bottom elevation of the existing pavement.
(4) The borough may require the permittee to have material proposed for use as backfill and compacted material tested, at the expense of the permittee, for conformance to the applicable gradation and compaction requirements of Publication 408.
(5) Test holes shall be backfilled, as soon as safely possible, with existing type material or other material authorized by the Department, and sealed under subsection (o) of Publication 408. The borough may authorize test holes in the pavement or shoulder to be restored without a one-foot cutback of the surrounding surface.
(E) All cuts, excavation and backfill shall be performed to the satisfaction of the inspector, who may in consultation with the borough develop additional work standards.
(Ord. 1484, passed 4-18-2022, § 2)