1. No openings in the streets, alleys, sidewalks or public ways shall be permitted between November 15th and April 15th except where it is determined by the Director of Public Services or their designee to be an emergency excavation.
2. In the process of location, construction, reconstruction, replacement or repair of any system component, the excavation or obstruction made or placed in public property at any time or for any purpose by the utility business or permittee shall, protect the public and to assure the safe and efficient movement of traffic, be properly barricaded to comply, at a minimum, with requirements set forth in the Uniform Manual for Traffic Control. Sufficient warning lights shall be kept on from sunrise to sunset. No open flame warning devices shall be used. Except by special permission for the Director of Public Services, no trench shall be excavated more than two hundred fifty (250) feet in advance of pope or conduit laying nor left unfilled more than five hundred (500) feet from where pipe or conduit has been laid. All pavement removed or damaged shall be properly and speedily replaced in accordance with the City’s specifications, which may be obtained at the Public Works Department.
3. Upon request, a licensee agrees to assist in locating underground facilities which are part of its system prior to excavation. As a condition of this chapter, a licensee shall enroll as a member of the “Iowa One-Call System” and shall respond to all requests and notifications placed to the toll free “One-Call” number.
4. All necessary precautions shall be taken to guard the public effectively from accidents or damage to persons or property through the period of work. Each permittee making such openings shall be held liable for all damages, including costs incurred by the City in defending any action brought against it for damages, as well as cost of any appeal, that may result from the neglect by such person or their employees of any necessary precaution against injury or damage to persons, vehicles or property of any kind.
5. Unless otherwise approved, a minimum of one (1) lane of traffic in each direction shall be provided. Every effort shall be made on the part of the permittee to provide reasonable access to all properties adjacent to their project. In the event traffic is limited to less than one (1) lane in each direction, a flagman or temporary traffic control signal shall be provided so as to safely cycle traffic in each direction past the work area and the City must be notified regarding the dates/times applicable.
6. Removal of existing pavement shall be to neat, straight lines. The permittee shall make a final saw cut in the existing pavement after backfilling. Excavations shall be kept to the minimum possible and acceptable for the convenience and safe performance of the permittee’s work and in accordance with all applicable codes and regulations.
7. If the pavement is damaged during excavation beyond the original saw cut lines, it shall be saw cut again along neat, straight lines. The finished saw cut shall leave a regular rectangular section for pavement replacement. Should the street opening occur within adjacent or close to an existing patch or require more than one (1) opening within a short distance, the permittee shall identify and locate the existing patches or additional openings on the permit application form. The Director of Public Services or their designee shall, on the basis of an on-site inspection, approximate the boundaries of the pavement replacement area.
8. Pavement replacement areas with the long dimension in the direction of travel shall have the long dimension parallel with the curb line or the direction of travel. Pavement replacement areas in concrete pavements shall be parallel with or at right angles to the direction of travel.
9. The Director of Public Services or their designee may order the permittee to remove and replace up to one (1) full lane width of pavement along the patched or excavated area. Special care shall be taken with concrete pavement to produce a vertical face on the existing concrete at the point of the saw cut to insure a full depth of concrete at the joint.
10. All excavated material shall be piled in a manner such that pedestrian and motor traffic is not unnecessarily disrupted. Gutters shall be kept clear or other satisfactory provisions made for street drainage, and natural watercourses shall not be obstructed. As little as possible of the trench must be dug until the slant of junction-piece of the sewer, water, gas main, electric cables, telephone lines or fuel line is found. Where the confines of the area being excavated are too narrow to permit the piling of excavated material beside the trench, the City shall have the authority to require the permittee to haul the excavated material to a storage site and then re-haul it to the trench site at the time of backfilling.
11. All conduits, sewers, pipes, wires or other means of transmission of utility services within the City, if to be placed underground, shall, in addition to all of the requirements of this Section, be dug at least thirty (30) inches below the normal ground level whenever said utility service will cross under a highway, City street, sidewalk, alley or other public right-of-way within the City of Windsor Heights.
12. Excavated material to be used for backfilling of the trench must be so handled and placed as to be of as little inconvenience as practical to public travel and adjoining tenants.
13. All backfill material shall be free from cinders, hot mix fragments, ashes, refuse, vegetable or organic matter, boulders, rocks or stones greater than eight (8) inches in their greatest dimension, frozen lumps or other material which in, in the opinion of the Director of Public Services or their designee, is unsuitable. All non-compactable material will be placed, upon excavation, in an area where removal from site will be made readily possible.
14. In refilling the excavation, if there is not sufficient material excavated suitable for refilling, the deficiency shall be made up with material, approved prior to use by the Director of Public Services or their designee, hauled in, or refilled by the City.
15. Wherever an excavation crosses an existing utility, pipe or other structure, backfill shall be carefully compacted in stages from the bottom of the excavation. Any sanitary sewer, storm sewer, water, telephone, natural gas or other service shall not be interrupted by the permittee. It shall be the permittee’s responsibility to have the various utilities locate and mark their facilities prior to excavation.
16. Mechanical compaction or puddling shall be used on all materials used for trench backfill. Each layer (12-inch maximum) shall be uniformly compacted. Compaction or consolidation by flooding shall not be permitted. Earth must be puddled or laid in layers not more than twelve (12) inches in depth and each layer rammed and tamped to prevent settling. The Public Works Department will test the fill to meet the City’s specifications. Contractors will be instructed by the City’s inspector, if they meet the specifications, to proceed to fill the opening.
17. All excavations shall be subject to testing by the City. Backfilled material not achieving the above compaction requirements shall be removed and re-compacted by the permittee. The cost of any retesting shall be paid by the permittee.
18. When the sides of the trench will not stand perpendicular, sheathing and braces shall be used to prevent caving. No timber, bracing, lagging, sheathing or other lumber shall be left in any trench. At no time shall any street pavements, be permitted to overhang the excavation. When caving occurs, all the street support thus disturbed must be restored to the same or better condition prior as though it was an excavation or a trench.
19. Concrete pavement shall be placed to the full depth of the existing pavement or seven (7) inches, whichever is greater. Concrete used shall not contain calcium chloride. The surface shall be given a light broom finish. The edges shall be tooled to prevent spalling at the saw cut edge. The surface shall be evenly and completely sealed with a white pigmented curing compound. The surface shall be protected from traffic for a minimum of three (3) days. Tie bars shall be installed as directed by the Director of Public Services or their designee.
20. All permanent restoration of street, curb and gutter shall be of the same type and thickness as the curb and gutter which abuts. The grade of the restored curb and gutter shall conform with the grade of the existing adjacent curb and gutter.
21. All permanent restoration of driveways and sidewalks shall conform to the manner of construction as originally placed and to the lines and grades as given by the City Engineer. No patching of concrete driveway areas will be allowed between joints or dummy joints.