Full Text
SECTION 1100 ACCESS REQUIREMENTS AND CRITERIA 1101.00 GENERAL 2 1120.00 CRITERIA FOR ACCESS ONTO ELBERT COUNTY ROADWAYS 2 1121.00 State Highways 2 1122.00 Freeways 2 1123.00 2 1123.01 Minor Arterial 3 1123.02 Spacing and Signalization Criteria: 3 1123.03 Collectors 3 1123.04 Local Streets 3 1130.00 BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR CURB OPENINGS AND DRIVEWAYS 4 1140.00 DEFINITION OF TERMS 5 1150.00 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 6 1151.00 Number of Openings 6 1152.00 Amount of Curb Opening Permitted 7 1153.00 Entrance 7 1154.00 Minimum Space Between Openings 7 1155.00 Joint Entrances 7 1156.00 Access Approaches 7 1160 CONTROL DIMENSIONS 8 1161.00 Width of Curb Opening 8 1162.00 Edge Clearance 8 1163.00 Corner Clearance © 8 1164.00 Sight Distance 8 1170 UNPERMITTED ACCESS 8 ---PAGE BREAK--- ACCESS REQUIRMENTS AND CRITERIA SECTION 1100 CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS & SPECIFICATIONS 2019 Edition PAGE-2 SECTION 1100 ACCESS REQUIREMENTS AND CRITERIA 1101.00 GENERAL Access to County roadways is approved through one of two mechanisms: For new developments, access is granted through BOCC approval of the final plat. To obtain access from existing developed property to County roads, the mechanism is dependent on the zoning: A. For Planned Unit Developments, new or altered access must be obtained through the Land Use Department. This involves applying through the Community Development Services Department to amend the property final PUD plan. The application should be accompanied by appropriate plans for the proposed access and technical justification, including justification for the extent of improvements proposed at the access point. B. For straight zoned property, application for access can be made using the Road and Bridge Department Submittal Form. This application should be accompanied by plans of the proposed access and technical justification for the access and associated public improvements. The Road and Bridge Department staff is available to provide advice on the extent of technical justification required for any access request. It is recommended that this advice be sought prior to submitting any application. 1120.00 CRITERIA FOR ACCESS ONTO ELBERT COUNTY ROADWAYS 1121.00 State Highways Access to State Highways is governed by the Colorado Department of Transportation, (CDOT), State Highway Access Code. 1122.00 Freeways All new freeway access in Elbert County shall meet the requirements of the Colorado Department of Transportation CDOT 1123.00 Arterials An Access Permit must be obtained from the County for any private access constructed to a minor arterial. ---PAGE BREAK--- ACCESS REQUIRMENTS AND CRITERIA SECTION 1100 CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS & SPECIFICATIONS 2019 Edition PAGE-3 1123.01 Minor Arterial Generally, no private direct access shall be allowed onto a minor arterial. Private direct access onto a minor arterial may be permitted if it: A. Does not have the potential for signalization as per the requirements of these Standards and Specifications. B. Does have the potential for signalization, if it meets the signal spacing requirements for intersecting public streets stated below and does not interfere with the location, planning, and operation of the general street system and access to nearby properties. Public direct access to a minor arterial, where left turns are to be permitted, must meet the signal spacing criteria following. Those that do not meet these requirements shall be limited to right turns only, unless they meet the requirements of these Standards and Specifications. 1123.02 Spacing and Signalization Criteria: A. In general terms, full access to minor arterials shall be limited to one-quarter mile intervals, plus or minus approximately 100 feet, in order to achieve good speed, capacity, and optional signal progression. B. However, to provide flexibility for both existing and future conditions, an approved engineering analysis of signal progression shall be made to properly locate any proposed access that may require signalization. The specifics of this analysis are detailed in the "Guidelines for Traffic Studies". 1123.03 Collectors Private access to collectors shall be governed by the curb opening and driveway criteria following. Single family residence access to collectors is not permitted unless access to a lower function category street is not available. Public streets shall intersect minor collectors not closer than 330 feet from each other (centerline to centerline) and shall intersect major collectors not closer than 660 feet from each other (centerline to centerline). On collectors with an ultimate projected traffic volume of less than 2500 V.P.D., intersection spacing may be 250 feet (centerline to centerline). 1123.04 Local Streets Private access to local streets shall be governed by the curb opening and driveway criteria following. ---PAGE BREAK--- ACCESS REQUIRMENTS AND CRITERIA SECTION 1100 CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS & SPECIFICATIONS 2019 Edition PAGE-4 Public streets should not intersect local roadways closer than 150 feet from each other (centerline to centerline). On a local street, the closest intersection to a collector street shall be at least 200 feet (centerline to centerline), and to an arterial street, the closest intersection shall be 200 feet (arterial right-of-way line to local street centerline). 1130.00 BASIC PRINCIPLES FOR CURB OPENINGS AND DRIVEWAYS Certain control values for curb openings and driveways require minimum dimensions in some instances and maximum values for other dimensions. The design of curb openings and driveways within the range of these dimensions will provide for good service on the part of the motorist using the driveway while at the same time minimizing the interference to the traffic using the street. By controlling the location and width of openings or driveways along the street, it will be possible to avoid or eliminate long open stretches where motorists can indiscriminately drive onto the street. The width of opening established in these Design Standards are based on studies which indicate that the various width openings will accommodate vehicles of maximum size authorized on County streets and highways. In case of conflict between requirements in the various sections of this chapter, the more restrictive condition will normally apply. The opening or driveway width should be adequate to handle properly the anticipated traffic volume and character of traffic, as well as being within the limits specified for the type of property development. The controls established for curb openings and driveways shall apply to existing streets as well as new streets that may be developed in the future. To the greatest extent possible all openings for driveways shall be located at the point of optimum sight distance along the street. For openings and driveways to commercial establishments and service stations there shall be sufficient space reasonably cleared of any obstructions such that drivers entering the property will give sufficient sight distance to enable them to make proper and safe movements. The profile of a driveway approach and the grading of the adjacent area shall be such that when a vehicle is located on the driveway outside the traveled portion of the street the driver can see a sufficient distance in both directions so as to enable him to enter the street without creating a hazardous traffic situation. The driveway profile grade within public right-of-way shall not exceed four percent. Any adjustments which must be made to utility poles, streetlight standards, fire hydrants, catch basins or intakes, traffic signs and signals, or other public improvements or installations which are necessary as the result of the curb openings or driveways shall be accomplished without any cost to Elbert County. Also, any curb opening or driveway which has been abandoned shall be restored by the property owner except where such abandonment has been made at the request of, or for the convenience of the County. Driveway approaches, whereby the driveway is to serve as an entrance only or as an exit only, shall be appropriately signed by, and at the expense of, the property owner. The ---PAGE BREAK--- ACCESS REQUIRMENTS AND CRITERIA SECTION 1100 CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS & SPECIFICATIONS 2019 Edition PAGE-5 property owner will be required to provide some means of ensuring that the motorists will use the driveway either as an entrance only or an exit only, but not both. New driveway accesses from private property to an existing graveled County road shall be required to install a minimum of six inches of compacted class 6 aggregate base course or equivalent material from the right-of-way line to the edge of the traveled roadway. The width of the driveway within the RIGHT-OF-WAY shall be 24 feet and a minimum 18" diameter corrugated metal pipe (CMP) culvert or equivalent volume, shall be required at the established ditch flow line. A sketch plan of the installation must be submitted with the access permit application. Private drive access to local, collector or arterial roadways that have no curb and/or gutter improvements shall be constructed to meet the following requirements: Drive shall extend from right-of-way line to edge of existing driving surface and shall be constructed of:1. County Maintained gravel roadway - A 6" thick compacted class 6 aggregate base material., 2. County maintained paved roadway - A minimum 4" thick asphalt pavement over 6" thick class 6 aggregate base material, i.e. minimum acceptable roadway pavement design. The drive shall be minimum of 16' wide (Maximum 22') in the County right-of-way. An 18" diameter CMP culvert or equivalent volume, shall be installed at the established roadside ditch flowline beneath the private drive access. 1140.00 DEFINITION OF TERMS Several terms are used herein which have a somewhat distinct meaning. For the purpose of clarity, the definition of some of these terms are listed below: WIDTH OF CURB OPENING - The width of curb opening measured at the curb line. For commercial and industrial driveways. (See Table 11.1.) EDGE CLEARANCE The distance measured along curb line from the nearest edge of the curb opening to a point where the property line extended intersects the curb line. CORNER CLEARANCE © - At an intersecting street the distance measured along the curb line from the projection of the intersecting street flow line to the nearest edge of the curb opening. DISTANCE BETWEEN DOUBLE DRIVEWAYS - The distance measured along the curb line between the inside edges of two adjacent curb openings. ---PAGE BREAK--- ACCESS REQUIRMENTS AND CRITERIA SECTION 1100 CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS & SPECIFICATIONS 2019 Edition PAGE-6 SETBACK - The lateral distance measured perpendicular to the street RIGHT-OF-WAY line and extending from the RIGHT-OF-WAY line to the closest point of a building or gasoline service pump island. FRONTAGE - The distance along the street RIGHT-OF-WAY line of a single property or development within the property lines. Corner property at an intersection would have a separate frontage along each street. RESIDENTIAL - Property used primarily for residential purposes such as single family, two-family and multi-family units. Single family - Residential - Single, detached family dwelling units or double bungalows or duplexes. Multi Family - Residential - Three or more attached dwelling units including townhouses, condominiums and apartments. COMMERCIAL - Establishments where the buying and selling of commodities, entertainment or services is carried on. Included are such uses as service stations, office buildings, restaurants, hotels, motels, banks, grocery stores, theaters, parking lots, trailer courts and public buildings. SERVICE STATION - Any property where flammable liquids used as motor vehicle fuel are stored and dispensed from fixed equipment into fuel tanks of motor vehicles. INDUSTRIAL OR WAREHOUSE - Any establishment that manufactures or stores an article or product. 1150.00 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 1151.00 Number of Openings SF Residential - In general, each SF residential property shall be limited to one access point. MF Residential - In general, access shall be determined by information provided by the owner/developer in the Traffic Impact Study and by comments generated during Elbert County's review and acceptance of that study. Commercial - In general, commercial property having less than 150 feet of frontage and located mid-block shall be limited to one access point to the street. An exception to this rule may be where a building is constructed in the middle of a lot and parking is provided for on each side of the building. A second access point may be allowed for commercial property and service stations having more than 150 feet of frontage where there is sufficient frontage to provide for minimum and maximum requirements. For commercial property and service stations located on a corner, one access to each street may be permitted. ---PAGE BREAK--- ACCESS REQUIRMENTS AND CRITERIA SECTION 1100 CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS & SPECIFICATIONS 2019 Edition PAGE-7 Industrial - Access shall be determined on a case-by-case basis. The County shall consider good traffic engineering practice and the information provided by the applicant in the Traffic Impact Study accompanying his submittal. 1152.00 Amount of Curb Opening Permitted The total length of curb opening on a street for access to a commercial property or service station shall not exceed 40% of the property frontage. This requirement does not apply to residential type curb openings. 1153.00 Entrance Angle In general, the entrance angle for all driveway approaches shall be as near 90 degrees to the centerline of the street as possible. The minimum angle which will be permitted is 90 degrees plus or minus 10 degrees. 1154.00 Minimum Space Between Openings The minimum spacing between curb openings shall be 35 feet measured at the curb line. This spacing will apply to the distance between drives serving adjoining properties. This does not apply to residential projects using mountable curb, gutter, and sidewalks. A 50-foot spacing applies to commercial openings. 1155.00 Joint Entrances Whenever possible and feasible, joint entrances will be provided to serve two adjacent properties. Joint entrances are to be centered on the common property line. 1156.00 Access Approaches Access approaches shall not be approved for parking or loading areas that require backing maneuvers within County right-of-way. All off-street parking areas must include on-site maneuvering areas and aisles to permit user vehicles to enter and exit the site in forward drive without hesitation. If a parcel of land with direct access has been in a state of non-use for more than four years, recommencement of access use shall be considered a change in use. If the use of the access exceeds the design limitations of the access or is non-conforming with the present code, a new permit may be required. If the use of an existing access to County right-of-way changes, or there is a change in the use of the property, a new access permit may be required. Change in access or property use may include, but not limited to, change in the amount or type of traffic, structural modifications, remodeling, change in type of business, expansion in existing business, change in zoning, change in property division creating new parcels, etc. ---PAGE BREAK--- ACCESS REQUIRMENTS AND CRITERIA SECTION 1100 CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS & SPECIFICATIONS 2019 Edition PAGE-8 1160 CONTROL DIMENSIONS To accomplish the objectives of the basic principles stated earlier, certain control dimensions are necessary. There are many variables which affect these control dimensions. Some of the variables are as follows: type of street classification, type of private property development, volume and type of `traffic and width of right-of-way. 1161.00 Width of Curb Opening The total width of curb opening for properties on various Functional Street Classifications shall be in conformance with Table 11.1. 1162.00 Edge Clearance Residential Arterial - None (May not exceed the property line extended) Local - None (May not exceed the property line extended) Commercial and Service Stations Arterial - 25 feet minimum Local - 25 feet minimum Note: Joint access with adjoining property is encouraged. Joint access shall be the only justification for reducing the minimum edge clearance dimension. 1163.00 Corner Clearance © It is important to locate driveways away from major intersections. This constraint is as much for the ability to enter and leave the property as for the benefit of intersection safety and operations. Exiting a driveway during peak-hour conditions at traffic signals is difficult where the queue of standing or slow-moving vehicles never allows a sufficient gap for entry from the driveway. 1164.00 Sight Distance Sight distance for curb openings to private property shall consist of a sight triangle conforming to the requirements of these Roadway Standards. This does not apply to driveways in single family residential projects using mountable curb, gutter, and sidewalks. 1170 UNPERMITTED ACCESS Any access, driveway, or curb-cut which is constructed within public right-of-way without an access permit issued by Elbert County shall be subject to a "Stop Work" order and shall be removed immediately. Failure to remove the unpermitted access may result in the removal of said access by the County (the cost for removal shall be charged to the property owner from ---PAGE BREAK--- ACCESS REQUIRMENTS AND CRITERIA SECTION 1100 CONSTRUCTION STANDARDS & SPECIFICATIONS 2019 Edition PAGE-9 which the access originate). Failure to obey the "Stop Work" order may result in the prosecution of the violators. TABLE 11.1 WIDTH OF CURB OPENINGS Residential Single-Family Multi-Family Commercial Station Industrial Freeway N/A N/A N/A N/A Major Arterial If Allowed Design as Collector Minor Arterial If Allowed Design as Collector Major Collector N/A 30-35 30-40 30-40 Minor Collector N/A 30-35 30-40 30-40 Local 30-35 30-40 30-40 **NOTE: 1. Curb opening of thirty feet (30’) or more must be constructed as a radius curb return. 2. If a radius curb return is used, the width of the allowed driveway is measured by not counting the two twenty-foot (20’) radii, or in other words, it is measured at the throat extended to flowline.