[HISTORY: Adopted 6-13-1988 by the Board of Selectmen of
the Town of Somers, effective 7-9-1988. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A.
To promote traffic safety and prevent or minimize
drainage and icing problems, all new driveways and driveway cuts shall
be designed and constructed in conformance with the minimum provisions
of this chapter, unless requirements are waived as per the provisions
noted below.
B.
To verify compliance, all proposals requiring the
installation of a driveway shall depict driveway locations, proposed
grading, tree and brush removal, drainage improvements and, as appropriate,
other construction details.
C.
Proposed lots which cannot be served by a driveway
conforming to required standards shall not be approved.
A.
All driveways shall comply with the following standards:
(1)
Driveways shall conform with the curb cut and driveway
standards established by this chapter and, as appropriate, the Connecticut
State Highway Department.
(2)
Driveways shall be designed, constructed and maintained
to prevent stormwater or melt water flows from entering a Town or
state roadway and, wherever possible, the Town right-of-way. Conversely,
no stormwater discharge from a public roadway should be allowed to
flow into a private driveway. Privately owned and maintained drainage
diversion swales, detention areas and/or dry wells shall be utilized
to the greatest extent possible. Culverts, 15 inches in diameter at
a minimum, shall be used when crossing Town drainageways.
(3)
Whenever a private drainage swale or private detention
area is utilized in diverting driveway water from the Town right-of-way,
the owner of the subject lot(s) shall be responsible for maintaining
the depicted swale or detention area and any culverts in accordance
with the approved design. To ensure proper maintenance, no certificate
of occupancy shall be issued on the subject lot until a deed restriction
is filed on the land records. Said deed restriction shall clearly
note the maintenance responsibility and, subject to proper notification
by the Town, it shall allow the Town to undertake any necessary maintenance
activity and bill the property owner for expenses.
(4)
Driveways shall intersect roadways at an angle of
not less than 75°. This angle should be maintained for a distance
of not less than 20 feet. Where driveways bend around, suitable curves
for the intended use shall be provided
(5)
All driveways shall be located and designed with satisfactory
sight lines along the subject state or Town road. A two-hundred-foot
minimum sight line shall be provided for a driveway intersecting the
lightest classified residential street. For driveways of the lightest
classified residential use, the sight distance shall be measured from
a height of eye of 3.5 feet to an object height of five inches. The
eye position shall be 10 feet back of the edge of pavement. Driveways
on streets with a high use classification shall provide a sight line
based on State of Connecticut standards. Along state roads, the minimum
state recommended sight distance for the established speed limit shall
be complied with.
(6)
The maximum grade for a driveway shall not exceed
15% if paved and 10% if unpaved.
(7)
Driveway side slopes shall not exceed a slope of 3
to 1 unless retaining walls or other suitable stabilizing provisions
are utilized. Guardrails, guide posts, headwalls, flared ends or wider
driveway widths shall be used when steep side slopes or culvert crossings
present a safety hazard or future maintenance problem. Driveway culverts
in the Town right-of-way shall be maintained by the private property
owner.
(8)
All driveways shall be constructed at a grade of plus
three percent (+3%) for a fifteen-foot distance from the street line
of the road.
(9)
Vertical grade changes shall not exceed 12% in 10
feet of length. It is desirable that this change be limited to 8%
in 10 feet of length.
(10)
All driveways shall be paved for the first 20 feet,
as measured from the edge of the gutter line. This paving shall consist
of two-inch bituminous concrete on a six-inch processed aggregate
base.
(11)
The minimum width for a driveway shall be 10 feet;
the maximum width for a driveway shall be 20 feet. A five-foot radius
shall be provided at each edge of the driveway at its intersection
with the gutter line of the existing road.
(12)
Driveway openings shall be located as far as possible
from roadway intersections and no closer than 75 feet from any roadway
intersection.
(13)
Adequate controls to prevent erosion of gravel or
other sediment during and after construction must be provided.
(14)
All areas of disturbed soil should be stabilized after
construction.
B.
No curb cuts or driveways are allowed without the
issuance of a driveway permit from the office of the Town Planner.
[Amended 4-29-1996 by the Board of Selectmen, effective 5-23-1996]
