(a) No person shall construct or maintain, any permanent opening in any sidewalk, unless the same be constructed and maintained in the manner required by this section.
Every such opening in any sidewalk shall be covered with metal trap doors. The sides or ends of any such door nearest the curb shall not be less than four (4) feet from the outer edge of such curb and no such door shall be more than five (5) feet in width; provided however, that the provisions of this section regulating the width of any such door and its distance from the curb shall not apply to any such door erected, constructed or maintained prior to the passage of Ordinance No. 20,449 (N.S.), approved June 16, 1910. Metal guards of the kind herein described shall be provided and maintained at each such opening. Each such metal guard shall reach to the height of such doors when the same are open and shall be constructed of wire mesh, the meshes of which shall not exceed three inches in the greatest dimension.
In addition to the opening hereinbefore described, an opening through a sidewalk not more than thirty inches in its greatest dimension, may be maintained for the admittance of fuel to the cellar or basement of the building fronting on such portion of such sidewalk. Every such opening shall have a metal cover flush with the surface of the sidewalk, and its upper surface shall be roughened.
All structural parts of sidewalks, including such doors and covers, shall be capable of sustaining a uniform live load of 300 pounds per square foot. (Amended by Ord. No. 113,043, Eff. 4/23/59.)
(b) No person shall open any such door, unless a metal guard is placed along the edge of and on each side of such opening and so maintained during such time as such door shall remain open; provided, however, that such metal guard need not be placed or maintained along the side of such opening on which goods, wares, merchandise or other articles are being removed from or taken into the space beneath such opening, if a person is stationed on the sides of such opening for the purpose of warning passers-by and of preventing accidents.
(c) No person shall keep open any door or cover of any opening mentioned in this section, except during such time as goods, wares, merchandise or other articles are actually being removed from or taken into the space beneath such opening.
(d) No person shall construct or maintain, in any sidewalk, any opening covered with a grating of any description, or any permanent uncovered opening provided however the Board of Public Works may grant permits for such in conjunction with the construction of rapid transit facilities/stations subject to compliance with such terms and conditions imposed by the Board, including, but not limited to, providing general liability insurance and agreeing to indemnify the City. Any grating so installed in the sidewalk and any metal exit doors shall be designed, installed and maintained to the satisfaction of the City Engineer. (Amended by Ord. No 162,778, Eff. 10/11/87.)