The individuals or groups listed below are those having jurisdiction over various aspects of the functioning of the town in regard to planning, design and construction of roadways within the Town of Batavia. They shall be consulted for necessary approvals, as stipulated in the various portions of these specifications.
A. 
Town Board: the duly elected governing body of the Town of Batavia.
B. 
Town Planning Board: the appointed board with approval authority for all proposed developments, subdivisions, roadways, etc., within the Town of Batavia.
C. 
Town Superintendent of Highways: the duly elected Superintendent of the Town of Batavia Highway Department.
D. 
Town Engineer or Town Consulting Engineer: the appointed engineer, either an individual or corporation, licensed to practice professional engineering in the State of New York, representing the town, to be referred to as the "town's Engineer" throughout these specifications.
E. 
Town inspector: an individual designated by the Town Planning Board as having authority to inspect and regulate construction of roadways and infrastructure within the Town of Batavia, who may be the Town Highway Superintendent, Town Zoning Officer or the town's Engineer, or other town official.
F. 
Town Zoning Officer: the appointed Building and Zoning Officer of the Town of Batavia.
[Amended 4-18-2018 by L.L. No. 3-2018]
All Town roads shall be constructed in accordance with current Town standard details, which shall be on file in the offices of the Town Superintendent of Highways and Town Engineer. In planning, designing, or constructing a roadway within the Town of Batavia, the latest edition of the following publications shall be considered to be part of these specifications and shall be adhered to unless otherwise stated in these specifications or amended by the Town Planning Board with the approval of the Town Superintendent of Highways and/or the town's Engineer:
Title of Publication
Referred To As
A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials
AASHTO
Standard Specifications: Construction and Materials, by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) (see note)
Standard Specifications
Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices, by the New York State Department of Transportation
MUTCD
Standard Sheets, by the New York State Department of Transportation
Standard Sheets
Highway Capacity Manual, by the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council
HCM
New York State Guideline for Urban Erosion and Sedimentation Control, by the Empire State Chapter, Soil and Water Conservation Society
[Added 12-16-1998 by L.L. No. 2-1998]
NOTE: Where the town specifications refer to item numbers, such numbers shall be as contained in the Standard Specifications.
A. 
It shall also be understood that all roadway design and construction within the town shall conform to all required provisions of the state environmental quality review (SEQR) statutory authority, Environmental Conservation Law, 6 NYCRR 617, and other applicable federal, state, regional, county and local environmental legislation.
B. 
In situations where sidewalks and curbs are approved by the Town Planning Board, sidewalk ramps shall be provided in accordance with the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act, Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG).
A. 
Street systems shall be designed with due regard to the need for convenient traffic access and circulation; traffic control and safety; access for fire-fighting, snow removal and street maintenance equipment; and stormwater drainage and sewage disposal. Streets shall be designed to accommodate the prospective traffic and arranged to separate through traffic from neighborhood traffic, insofar as it is practicable.
B. 
All streets shall be coordinated to comprise a convenient system. Where a subdivision adjoins undeveloped land, the subdivision's streets shall be laid out to provide suitable future street connections with the adjoining land when the latter shall be subdivided. A street thus temporarily dead-ended shall be constructed to the property line and, if in excess of 200 feet in length, shall be provided with a temporary turnaround of the same dimensions as for permanent dead-end streets. A notation shall be made on the subdivision plat providing for temporary easements for the turnaround until such time as the street is extended. These same requirements shall apply at the discretion of the Town Planning Board in those cases where the adjoining land is another section of the same subdivision and which is not scheduled for development at the same time.
C. 
Streets shall be logically related to the topography, and all streets shall be arranged so as to obtain as many of the building sites as possible at or above the grades of the streets. Grade(s) of street(s) shall conform as closely as possible to the original topography. A combination of steep grades and sharp curves shall be avoided.
D. 
Where a subdivision abuts on or contains an existing or proposed major feeder or other existing town, county, or state road, the Town Planning Board may require marginal access streets, reverse frontage with screen planting contained in a nonaccess reservation along the rear property line, deep lots with or without rear service alleys, or such other configuration(s) as may be necessary for adequate protection of residential properties and to provide separation of through traffic and local traffic.
E. 
Where a subdivision borders on or contains an existing or proposed railroad right-of-way or controlled access highway right-of-way, the Town Planning Board may require a street approximately parallel to and on each side of such right-of-way, at a distance suitable for the appropriate use of the intervening lands, such as for parkland use in residential districts or for business, commercial, or industrial purpose in appropriate districts. Such distance shall also be determined with due regard for the requirements of approach grades and future grade separations.
Where a street does not extend to the boundary of the subdivision and its continuation is not needed for access to adjoining property, it shall be separated from such boundary by a distance sufficient to accommodate a lot meeting the requirements of Chapter 235, Zoning, of this Code. Reserve strips of land shall not be left between the end of a proposed street and an adjacent piece of property. However, the Town Planning Board may require the reservation of an easement for pedestrian traffic or utilities. A cul-de-sac of a minimum right-of-way radius of 70 feet shall be provided at the end of any permanent dead-end street and may be limited to six times the minimum lot width for the zoning district, such length to be measured to the center point of the cul-de-sac.
In addition to the provisions of § 183-2 of these specifications, all streets shall be designed and constructed to conform to the requirements set forth in the following table titled "Standards for Town Roadway Design."
Standards for Town Roadway Design1
Design Parameter
Minor Streets
Collector4 Streets
Major Feeders
Minimum width of right-of-way (feet)
[Amended 10-18-1995 by L.L. No. 1-1995]
50-66
66
As required, but not less than 66
Minimum width of pavement5 (feet)
[Amended 12-16-1998 by L.L. No. 2-1998]
22
24
As required, but not less than 24
Minimum radius of horizontal curves2 (feet)
[Amended 12-16-1998 by L.L. No. 2-1998]
100
300
500
Minimum length of vertical curves (feet)
100, but in no case less than 20 for each 1% difference in grade
200, but in no case less than 30 for each 1% difference in grade
300, but in no case less than 100 for each 1% difference in grade
Minimum length of tangents between horizontal curves (feet)
100
200
200
Maximum grade
7%
5%
3%
Minimum grade
0.5%
0.5%
0.5%
Maximum algebraic difference in grade
10%
8%
6%
Minimum sight distance3 (feet)
200
300
300
NOTES:
1
Where strict imposition of these standards could result in excessive demands upon the subdivider, they may be modified by the Town Planning Board, subject to the approval of the Town Superintendent of Highways and/or the town's Engineer, and necessary changes in the assumed operating conditions of the vehicles shall be posted to the degree necessary to ensure safe vehicular operation. Standards of the AASHTO shall govern in determining safe operating speeds, and signing requirements shall be as required by the MUTCD. Sizes of roadways (i.e., the number of lanes required) shall be as required by the HCM.
2
Radius of horizontal curves shall be measured to the center line of the street.
3
Sight distance shall be measured between two points along the center line of the street on a straight line entirely within the street right-of-way and clear of obstructions, one of the points to be six inches above the surface of the street and the other three feet six inches above the surface.
4
Collector streets which do not service an area containing at least 150 dwelling units, under ultimate area development, may be considered as minor streets for purposes of design standards. The service area of a collector includes those dwelling units on minor streets which feed into the collector.
5
"Pavement width" refers to driving lanes; this quantity does not include paved or unpaved shoulders.
A. 
Intersections involving a major feeder shall be held to a minimum and spaced at least 800 feet apart.
B. 
Intersections involving a collector street shall be a minimum of 800 feet apart.
C. 
Intersections involving two minor streets shall be a minimum of 150 feet apart and shall not be cross (four-cornered) intersections insofar as possible.
D. 
Within 50 feet of an intersection, streets shall be approximately at right angles, and in no case shall the angle of intersection be less than 60° without additional channelization. Minimum curb radii shall conform to AASHTO design procedures and shall be based on the type(s) of expected vehicle use. Curb radii proposed shall be subject to the approval of the town's Engineer.
E. 
Access streets into a subdivision shall have minimum curb radii of 20 feet. All property corners at street intersections shall be rounded with a minimum radius of 20 feet or have comparable cutoffs or chords, as the Town Planning Board sees fit. Within triangular areas formed by the intersecting street lines, for a distance of 75 feet from their intersection and the diagonals connecting the end points of these lines, visibility for traffic safety shall be provided by exclusion of plantings or structures and regrading as necessary.
F. 
Grades within the intersection should not exceed 2%. From 50 to 100 feet from the center of the intersection, the grades should not exceed 3%.
G. 
Triangles, circles, or other traffic channeling islands may be required at intersections where present or anticipated traffic conditions indicate their advisability for traffic control or safety.
[Amended 12-16-1998 by L.L. No. 2-1998; 4-18-2018 by L.L. No. 3-2018]
Areas within street rights-of-way shall be graded as necessary to eliminate any slopes steeper than one foot vertical in three feet of horizontal distance. Street shoulders shall not exceed a slope of 3/4 inch per foot (6%) at right angle to the street center line. Shoulder widths shall be as shown on typical section diagrams shown in the Town standard details.
All streets shall be named and such names shall be subject to the approval of the Town Planning Board. Street names in the Town shall be sufficiently different in sound and spelling from other street names in the town and those of municipalities and post offices contiguous to the town so as to avoid confusion. A street which is a continuation of an existing street shall bear the same name. Relating street names to features of local historical, topographical, or other natural interest(s) is encouraged. All street name signs, stop signs, yield signs, and other required permanent signs shall be installed by the Town Highway Department and paid for by the developer, prior to dedication.
A. 
Permanent survey monuments shall be set (only by a land surveyor licensed in the State of New York) in the boundary of rights-of-way at intersecting streets, centers of culs-de-sac, and point of curvature and point of tangency of horizontal curves (though the point of intersection of short curves may be used instead), where such is practical, at the discretion of the Town Superintendent of Highways and/or the town's Engineer. Monuments shall be placed on one side of the street only and at only one corner of intersecting streets. Adjacent monumented points shall be inter-visible.
B. 
Monument locations shall be shown on the subdivision plat. Field notes of ties to monuments or a tie sheet shall be submitted to both the Town Planning Board and Town Highway Superintendent after installation of the monuments.
C. 
Monuments shall be of stone or concrete and not less than four inches in diameter or square, and not less than 42 inches long or from the top of underlying rock. Concrete monuments shall be reinforced with steel rods, and a plug, brass plate, or pin shall serve as the point of reference. If stone, a drilled hole shall serve as the point of reference and a magnetic rod or other suitable (ferrous) metal shall be placed adjacent to the monument to assist field location.
In addition to the required improvements specifically referred to elsewhere in these specifications, subdivision plats shall include provisions for all other customary elements of street construction and utility service which may be appropriate in each locality, as determined by the Town Planning Board upon consultation with the town's Engineer. Such elements may include, but shall not be limited to, street pavement, signalization, gutters, storm sewers, stormwater inlets, manholes, curbs, sidewalks, streetlighting standards, water mains, fire hydrants, fire alarm signal devices, and sanitary sewers. Underground utilities within the street right-of-way shall be located as required by the Town Superintendent of Highways and/or town's Engineer; underground service connections to the property line of each lot shall be installed before the street is paved. All street improvements and other construction features of the subdivision shall conform to town specifications (this specification and others) which may be established from time to time and shall be subject to approval of design drawings, specifications, and construction by the Town Highway Superintendent and the town's Engineer.
Where a subdivision adjoins an existing street which does not conform to the right-of-way standards given in the table titled "Standards for Town Roadway Design" (see § 183-6 of these specifications), the subdivider shall dedicate additional right-of-way width necessary to provide, on the subdivision side of the normal center line, a width which is equal to at least 1/2 of the minimum standard width for the respective type of street.
[Amended 4-18-2018 by L.L. No. 3-2018]
One of the typical road sections (and typical details, where appropriate or where required) shown in the Town standard details shall be required for roadways which are intended for dedication to the town. Alternative typical sections will be allowed to fit special conditions only if approved by both the Town Planning Board and Town Highway Superintendent, following consultation with the town's Engineer.
[Amended 12-16-1998 by L.L. No. 2-1998]
A. 
Residential driveways. These specifications do not cover construction of private residential driveways. Anyone wishing to make a curb cut on a town road will be required to obtain a driveway permit from the Town Highway Superintendent, who will stipulate the design criteria and conditions under which the curb cut construction will be performed.
B. 
Commercial/industrial driveways. All driveways of this type shall conform to the detail for commercial/industrial driveways included in the standard details.[1] Any submittal for a curb cut of this type shall include a design conforming to this standard detail with a culvert or storm drainage design as appropriate. This design shall be subject to review by the Town Highway Superintendent and Town Engineer.
[1]
Editor's Note: See the diagrams included at the end of this chapter.
[Amended 12-16-1998 by L.L. No. 2-1998]
A. 
General. Storm drainage systems shall be provided to convey stormwater runoff from within developments and from the upland watershed area along the natural direction of drainage.
B. 
Design standards. Design of drainage facilities shall conform to the following standards, supplemented and superseded by additional requirements as listed:
(1) 
ASCE Manual of Engineering Practice No. 37, Design and Construction of Sanitary and Storm Sewers, by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
(2) 
Urban Hydrology for Small Watersheds, Technical Release No. 55, by the Soil Conservation Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).
(3) 
New York Guidelines for Urban Erosion and Sediment Control by USDA Soil Conservation Service.
(4) 
Manholes shall be spaced at intervals not greater than 300 feet.
(5) 
Minimum size of storm sewers shall be twelve-inch diameter pipe, except as otherwise permitted by these standards.
(6) 
Minimum velocity in storm sewers shall be three feet per second when flowing full.
(7) 
Storm sewers shall be designed with uniform grade and straight alignment between manholes, outlets, and drop inlets.
(8) 
Drop inlets shall be located at intervals not greater than 300 feet, at low points, and at street intersections.
(9) 
Drop inlet connections may be eight-inch diameter pipe and shall be connected to manholes.
(10) 
The minimum inside diameter of manholes shall be 48 inches for twelve-inch through eighteen-inch sewers, 60 inches for twenty-one-inch through thirty-inch sewers, and 72 inches for thirty-three-inch through forty-two-inch sewers.
(11) 
All three-way manholes shall be sixty-inch inside diameter or greater depending on the size of storm sewers.
(12) 
Swales and turf-lined channels shall be designed with slopes of not less than 1.0%.
C. 
Hydrologic design. Storm sewers and other drainage facilities for drainage areas up to 1,000 acres shall be based on a design flow with a minimum return interval of 25 years. The design of drainage facilities for larger natural watercourse channels shall be based according to the following:
Drainage Area
Return Interval
1,000 acres to 4 square miles
25 years
4 square miles to 20 square miles
50 years
20 square miles and above
100 years
D. 
Storm sewers and channels. Storm sewers and channels shall be designed to convey the anticipated runoff from within the development as well as all future development from the upstream or upland watershed area.
(1) 
For all drainage areas and major channels or piping systems conveying stormwater, the design of conveyance systems shall be based on one of the following runoff calculation methods: Soil Conservation Service Technical Release 55 (TR55), Soil Conservation Service Technical Release 20 (TR20) or Rational Method or Modified Rational Method. Other methodologies may be acceptable upon approval by Town Engineer.
(2) 
Calculations for all stormwater conveyance systems shall be provided to the Town Highway Superintendent and shall be subject to review by the Town Engineer.
E. 
Open channels. Only natural drainage channels may be continued as open channels. The Planning Board, after review of topographic conditions with the Highway Superintendent and Town Engineer, shall make a determination whether storm sewers will be required for a development. Unless otherwise allowed by the Planning Board, street drainage systems for subdivisions shall be designed with storm sewers.
F. 
Details of hydraulic structures. Complete and sufficient details of hydraulic structures shall be submitted as part of the plans. This includes, but is not limited to, cross sections of drainage channels, erosion control facilities, special manholes, and all such other items as may be necessary to establish fully the methods and materials to be followed in construction.
G. 
Surcharging of drainage facilities. Storm drainage systems shall be designed so that surcharging will not cause backup or flooding of basements. The effect of a twenty-five-year storm shall be studied by calculating the high water elevation and evaluating the operation of the storm drainage and detention facilities under such flows.
[Added 12-16-1998 by L.L. No. 2-1998]
Detention or retention ponds, sedimentation basins and related control measures shall be provided where in the judgment of the town such facilities may be required for proper drainage control. Detention or retention facilities shall be designed to control the runoff from the developed project site to a rate not to exceed the runoff from the natural, undeveloped site for all flow conditions. The town reserves the right to establish more restrictive requirements if the proposed development site caused downstream flooding even in its natural, undeveloped condition. The town may require an impoundment area and storm sewers and culverts of sufficient size and type to correct the existing downstream flooding conditions.
A. 
Detention and retention pond requirements.
(1) 
The pond shall be designed to accept runoff from the design storm of appropriate return interval based on the project site drainage area and to provide the required detention or retention volume.
(2) 
Minimum freeboard above (design high water level to the top of embankment) shall be two feet.
(3) 
Controlled overflow structures shall be provided for flows in excess of the maximum design flow.
(4) 
Temporary settling basins or sediment sinks shall be provided as required by the Highway Superintendent and Town Engineer.
(5) 
The outlet structure shall be designed to discharge flow as a continuous function of head at a rate not to exceed runoff from the natural, undeveloped site for all flow conditions, with maximum allowable flow occurring at maximum pond depth.
(6) 
Trickle tube outlets shall include anti-vortex devices and trash racks.
(7) 
Controlled overflows using emergency spillways shall be with spillway crest not less than two feet below top embankment and one foot above design high water level.
(8) 
Pond embankments shall be designed with minimum side slopes of one on three.
(9) 
Seepage control collars shall be provided on piping passing through embankments.
(10) 
The bottom of ponds shall be designed with a minimum longitudinal slope of 0.5% to drain completely between storms.
B. 
Stormwater ground recharge.
(1) 
In areas where positive surface stormwater disposal is not feasible, the town may allow stormwater ground recharge. The developer shall retain a geotechnical engineer to provide a detailed report and plan documenting the ability of the aquifer to receive ground recharge. The report shall include soil permeability data, geologic features, and soil sampling and exploration data. Test pits and test borings shall be provided to define the limits of the aquifer where recharge is proposed.
(2) 
The ground recharge facility shall include a retention facility to provide for settling of sediment and for storage. Discharge to the recharge area shall use a trickle tube or other discharge control. Additional information, including details of infiltration piping and other facilities, useful life of system, and operation and maintenance costs shall be provided by the developer.