The creation of a private road shall meet the following standards.
(A) Right-of-way. All private roads shall have a minimum right-of-way easement width of at least 66 feet or the current County Road Commission’s designated right-of-way width, whichever is greater. While not required to be dedicated to the public, no structure or development activity shall be established within approved rights-of-way or easements.
(B) Cross-section. All private roads shall meet or exceed the County Road Commission’s cross- sectional construction standards for roads of similar traffic levels, including road and intersection grades, except that the following exceptions may be made.
(1) Paving. Private roads providing access to four or less lots need not be paved.
(2) Road width. Road width shall be to County Road Commission specifications.
(3) Dead-ends. Private roads that terminate at a dead-end shall terminate in such a manner as to permit emergency vehicles to safely and effectively turn around, according to the requirements of the County Road Commission.
(4) Curves. The centerline radius of a private road shall not be less than 100 feet.
(5) Grades. The maximum grade of a private road outside of an area within 100 feet of a road intersection shall not exceed 8%.
(6) Side swales. All private road side swales shall meet the requirements of the County Road Commission unless the applicant can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Township Board, that such requirements are not appropriate or necessary as applied to the proposed private road.
(C) Intersections. A private road shall only gain access from and intersect with a public road except where the intersection of two private roads is part of a single unified development such as a condominium, platted subdivision or planned unit development.
(1) All intersections shall be at a 90-degree angle. Where constrained by environmental features, the Township Board may allow a reduced angle of intersection but in no case shall the angle be less than 70 degrees.
(2) Construction authorization from the County Road Commission, in the form of a permit, is required for connection to a public road and all applicable County Road Commission standards shall be complied with.
(D) Drainage.
(1) The private road easement and road shall be adequately drained so as to prevent flooding or erosion of the roadway.
(2) Ditches shall be located within the private road easement. Drainage shall not be discharged upon the land of another property owner unless the water is following an established water course or drainage pattern.
(3) The Planning Commission or Township Board may require additional information of the applicant not enumerated in § 93.18 to ensure the provisions and requirements of this division (D) are met.
(4) All private road drainage provisions shall meet all applicable requirements of the County Drain Commissioner, including crossings over streams or other drainage courses and erosion control measures.
(5) A permit from the County Drain Commissioner is required unless the Drain Commissioner states, in writing, that no permit is required for the proposed road and drainage provisions.
(E) Signs. Regulatory signs (stop, yield and the like) shall be positioned and installed in accordance with the State Manual Traffic-Control Devices on all private roads where such roads intersect public streets. All signs within the private road or access easement shall be identified on the site plan and be in accordance with the State Manual of Uniform Traffic-Control Devices, unless the Township Board approves another type of design for consistency with the character of the development. Street name signs shall be provided at all intersections.
(F) Posting of private roads. All private roads shall be clearly posted with a clearly readable road name sign which can be easily seen in an emergency, and shall include the designation “private road” on such sign. The sign shall be paid for, posted and thereafter maintained by the property owner’s association or developer. The applicant shall provide written evidence to the Township Board, from the County Road Commission, that the proposed private road names do not duplicate existing street or road names elsewhere in the county.
(G) Maximum number of lots served. No more than 25 lots may gain access to a single private road if only one point of intersection is provided between the private road and a public road.
(Ord. 128, passed 8-10-1998; Ord. 128 A1, passed 12-8-2003) Penalty, see § 93.99