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Rev. 5 Page 1 of 5 CITY OF SALEM Engineering Department 98 Washington Street, 2nd floor Salem, MA 01970 Phone: (978) 619-5673 Updated March 16, 2023 Robert McCarthy Acting Mayor David H. Knowlton, P.E. City Engineer/DPS Director Street Opening Rules & Regulations **Disclaimer: Please note this document is subject to change at the City’s discretion and even though every effort has been made to create a comprehensive list of requirements; the Engineering Department may require additional information or services not included in this document 1. Permits will only be issued to City of Salem Licensed Drainlayers except in the case of private utilities and work on private property. 2. A Municipal utility markout request shall be submitted online after notifying dig safe, at least 72 hours prior to the start of work and before applying for a permit. 3. Complete permit application shall be submitted online, www.salemma.viewpointcloud.com, a minimum of 7 days prior to scheduled work but only if the work is ready to move forward, except in case of an emergency. Include all permits necessary to start work with application (environmental, state, etc.). A petition for grant of location through the City Council is required for all relocations, size increase or new electrical and telecommunications conduits within the City right-of-way. 4. Permit applications may be denied and a new application, with fee, will be required. 5. Permit work shall commence within 30 days from date of issuance. The City requires confirmation that work is completed prior to permit expiration or a new permit will be required. Applicants will be charged the same fee when renewing permits unless determined otherwise by City Engineer. 6. A copy of the permit issued shall be available on site at all time. 7. Any work that will take 3 or more days to be completed, shall submit a weekly 2-week look ahead to the Engineering Department. 8. While working in downtown Salem, staging of material or equipment on City right of way may be limited and other locations may need to be found. Also, when no parking is necessary to complete the work and those affected spaced are metered, the contractor shall contact the Parking Department to have the meters bagged for the duration of the project and pay the daily rate for the spaces affected by this work. 9. Except in emergencies, work shall be limited to the hours of 7:00 AM to 3:00 PM, unless approved by the City Engineer. No noise-making activities are allowed before 7:00 AM. 10. For emergency repairs - contact Giovanna Recinos (cell [PHONE REDACTED]) during regular business hours; and the Salem Police Department after hours, Salem PD will contact DPS; a permit application for the work is required by the next business day, at the latest. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Salem Engineering Department Updated 3/16/2023 Rev. 5 Page 2 of 5 11. Without prior approval of City Engineer, no work shall be allowed on Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. In addition, no new work associated with city utilities shall commence on Fridays. 12. No street opening permits shall be issued between December 1 and April 1, except in case of emergency, or as determined by the City Engineer. 13. Provide catch basin silt sacks in the catch basins adjacent to/receiving runoff from the work area, at a minimum the first catch basin(s) from the work area. 14. Plan locations of City utilities are frequently approximate. Contractors should be prepared to perform exploratory test pits at the discretion of the Engineering Department and/or the Department of Public Services. Test pits, where required, are to be performed, at a minimum, one day prior to any service shutdown request. 15. If the proposed work requires a water shutdown, the contractor shall prepare a notice, to be reviewed by the Engineering Department, prior to distributing the notice. Contractor shall coordinate with DPS to determine the area to be affected by the shutdown. Contractor will be responsible to hand-deliver the reviewed notice to the abutters impacted at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled shutdown. If the shutdown will affect any food establishment, the notice shall be hand-delivered at least 48 hours prior to shutdown. 16. Note that operation of all valves connected to the City water system are to be performed by DPS personnel ONLY, any violations could result in fines or suspension of the Drainlayer license. 17. Permit application for new fire suppression services shall include the fire sprinkler design to confirm the appropriate service size required for the system is as proposed in the application. 18. Water pipe material shall be copper Type K (1 to 2 inch services) or CLDI class 52 (4 inch and above) 19. All water gate valves shall be open right. 20. Any proposed fire hydrants shall be Darling B62B open right. 21. Hydrants must be located no more than 600' from any building or structure and no more than 800' from another hydrant. 22. Water taps shall be completed using a saddle to ensure a tight connection. 23. A minimum of 4 feet separation shall be maintained between domestic and fire services. 24. Length of water service connection shall be minimized and connected directly from the main to the building perpendicularly. 25. Horizontal Separation: Whenever possible sewers shall be laid at a minimum of at least 10 feet, horizontally, from any existing or proposed water main and services. Should local conditions prevent a lateral separation of 10 feet, a sewer may be laid closer than 10 feet to a water main and/ or service if: i. It is laid in a separate trench, or if; ii. It is laid in the same trench with the water mains and/or services located at one side on a bench of undisturbed earth, and if; iii. In either case the elevation of the top (crown) of the sewer is at least 18-inches below the bottom (invert) of the water main and/or service. 26. Vertical Separation: Whenever sewers must cross under water mains and/or services, the sewer shall be laid at such an elevation that the top of the sewer is at least l8-inches below the bottom of the water main. When the elevation of the sewer cannot be varied to meet the above requirements, ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Salem Engineering Department Updated 3/16/2023 Rev. 5 Page 3 of 5 the water main shall be relocated to provide this separation or re-constructed with mechanical- joint pipe for a distance of 10 feet on each side of the sewer. One full length (18-feet) of water main and/or services should be centered over the sewer crossing so that both joints will be as far from the sewer as possible. 27. When it is impossible to obtain horizontal and/or vertical separation as stipulated above, both the water main and sewer shall be constructed of mechanical-joint cement lined ductile iron pipe or other equivalent based on water-tightness and structural soundness. Both pipes shall be pressure tested by an approved method to assure water-tightness. 28. Sewer pipe material shall be PVC SDR 35 for gravity mains and PVC SDR 21 for force mains. 29. Individual domestic water, fire sprinkler and sewer services per building are required and shall be connected to the City mains directly. 30. Illicit connections of sewer to drain system not allowed. 31. Sump pump or roof drain connections to the sewer are not allowed. 32. All work associated with City utilities (water/sewer/drain) must be inspected by the City DPS personnel before backfilling the trench, including emergency work. Inspections shall be scheduled through the online permitting system at least 24 hours in advance, but not later than noon the day before, unless it is an emergency. 33. All structures to be installed in public right of way (including sidewalks) shall be H-20 rated. 34. Any trench more than 100 feet measured longitudinally shall require a rodent control plan for the duration of the work. A letter from the rodent control company, stating that they have been contacted for the project, shall be submitted with the permit application. Once the trench permit is issued, a signed contract and plan showing the control area shall be submitted to the City from the rodent control company. The rodent control contractor shall conduct initial baiting/extermination prior to beginning any excavation. Frequency of reporting is determined by the City’s Health Department. 35. For public tree removal - tree ordinance requirements Chapter 43, Article III. 36. Excavation within the drip line of the canopy of a public shade tree requires a permit. Refer to City Ordinance Chapter 43: Trees. Additionally, refer to City Ordinance Chapter 43: Trees, Article IV. – Protected Tree Preservation for “Protected Tree” definition and permitting requirements associated with this classification of tree. Tree permits application is available online at www.salemma.viewpointcloud.com, under the Department of Public Service section. 37. City Engineer may require a MUTCD Traffic Management Plan (TMP) for any work. If unsure whether a TMP is required, contact the Engineering Department prior to submitting the permit application. TMP will be required for any work in downtown Salem, on a main road or when a street closure is required. 38. Street Paving Restrictions: a. No permanent street paving after December 1 or before April 1. Trench patching is allowed. b. At the time of installation, pavement surface or base shall be free of signs of free moisture (film of water). c. Temperature shall be 40 degrees Fahrenheit & rising. 39. Trenches shall be backfilled and paved before the end of each working day or protected with pinned plates. No gravel trenches shall be left unpaved for more than 24 hours. No plates are ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Salem Engineering Department Updated 3/16/2023 Rev. 5 Page 4 of 5 allowed on the road during winter months, unless recessed in pavement and approved by City Engineer. 40. For long-duration projects, temporary paving and striping shall be installed at the end of the work week, every week. 41. Trench backfill shall be compacted in six-inch lifts. 95% compaction is required. 42. All existing pavement surfaces shall be swept clean of dirt, dust, and debris prior to patching. The existing vertical pavement surfaces shall be tack coated with an appropriate asphalt tacking material after cleaning and prior to patching. 43. Completed pavement repairs shall not deviate more than 0.25 inches from the existing street surface. 44. When the pavement remaining between an excavation and the edge of the roadway is less than two feet, the remaining area shall be removed and replaced in conjunction with the permanent pavement repair. 45. All leak detection holes (i.e. Bar holes) shall be filled to refusal with an appropriate asphalt filler to a depth equal to the surrounding pavement depth. 46. ALL work on City sidewalks requires a Curb Cut/Sidewalk Modification permit unless the work is associated with a trench excavation as part of a Street Opening Permit. 47. Sidewalks that have been affected by any excavation shall be replaced in kind. For concrete sidewalks, full panel replacement is required and shall be installed between April 1st and November 30th, any sidewalk repairs completed during the winter moratorium (December 1st to March 31st), shall be paved with asphalt as a temporary repair and full panel replaced once the winter moratorium is over. 48. Except in emergencies or allowed otherwise by City Engineer, no street openings shall be allowed during first full year on newly constructed/paved roads. A hardship letter may be required to allow the work. 49. If a street opening permit is requested after the first full year but within 2-5 years of a newly constructed/paved road, at a minimum, the following items will be required: a. Temporary trench patch shall match existing Pavement Thickness (see attached detail D-1). b. Trench shall be allowed to settle for 90 days. c. After 90 days, complete curb to curb 2” pavement mill and overlay one foot beyond the width of the trench on either side, unless allowed otherwise by City Engineer. d. Special paving conditions may still apply to roads older than 5 years (up to 10 years) at the discretion of the City Engineer. e. After 90 days, all permanent paving markings, damaged or removed, shall be replaced in kind. 50. On all other roadways, the following items will be required: a. Contractor shall repair with a temporary trench patch. b. Trench shall be allowed to settle for 90 days. c. After 90 days, the contractor shall inspect all excavations. Pavements that deviate more than 0.25 inches from the existing street surface shall be repaired with permanent patch (see attached detail D-2). Surface or joint cracking 0.25 inches wide or greater shall be repaired utilizing a modified asphalt pavement sealant. ---PAGE BREAK--- City of Salem Engineering Department Updated 3/16/2023 Rev. 5 Page 5 of 5 d. After 90 days, all permanent paving markings, damaged or removed, shall be replaced in kind. 51. If the road patch starts to fail, the contractor must respond and repair the pavement within twenty- four (24) hours of notification, unless a safety hazard exists. If a safety hazard exists, the contractor must respond within four hours of notification. If the contractor fails to respond within the required time, the Department of Public Services may repair the trench and bill the contractor for such repair. Failure to adhere to these time frames may be grounds for revocation of Drainlayer license. If failure occurs when asphalt plants are not accessible, other means to mitigate the hazard will be allowed with approval of City Engineer. 52. Should the City Engineer determine that work of an emergency nature must be accomplished by the Department of Public Services personnel, the total cost of labor and materials shall be charged to the permit holder. 53. All existing drainage facilities including, brooks, streams, canals, channels, ditches, culverts, catch basins, and piping, shall be adequately safeguarded so as not to impede drainage or to cause siltation of city infrastructure or areas. Damages or impacts to any public utilities shall be repaired within the same day by a licensed drainlayer. City can provide record plans upon request and if plans are available. 54. Access to private driveways and fire hydrants must be maintained during construction operations at all times. If access cannot be maintained, residents impacted must be notified a minimum 24 hours in advance. 55. The contractor shall be responsible for obtaining all permits required for equipment, work force, or particular operations (such as blasting) in the performance of the work. 56. In granting any permit, the City Engineer may attach such other conditions thereto as may be reasonably necessary to prevent damage to public or private property or to prevent operation from being conducted in a manner hazardous to life or property or in a manner likely to create a nuisance. Such conditions may include but shall not be limited to: a. limitations on the time of the day, or time of year, in which the work may be performed; b. restrictions to the size and type of equipment, which work within the right of way; c. routes upon which materials and equipment may be transported; d. location and manner of disposal of excavated materials; e. requirements for dust control, street cleaning, noise prevention, or other activities that may be considered a nuisance; and f. regulation as to the use of streets during the course of the work. David H. Knowlton, P.E. City Engineer/ DPS Director ---PAGE BREAK--- FOR 90 DAYS ---PAGE BREAK--- CURB TO CURB