12.20A.120 Provisions for, and restoration of, pavement and paved shoulder, path and sidewalk cuts.

The purpose of this section is to present the provisions for and the restoration of pavement cuts in order that the structural integrity and ride quality of paved surfaces can be maintained following the installation of utilities within Clark County rights-of-way. While structural integrity and ride quality are of prime importance, the aesthetics of a newly paved surface is also a factor that must be considered.

The following provisions are used to determine the restoration requirements when cutting any pavement, traveled way, driveway, walkway and shoulder on county-maintained roads. Restoration made under these provisions will be guaranteed by the utility until such time as the county reconstructs or structurally rehabilitates the road. Periodic seal coats or overlays less than one and one-half (1 1/2) inch in thickness do not constitute reconstruction or structural rehabilitation.

Utilities may apply for deviations from these guidelines by providing a written request to the county outlining justification for the requested deviation.

A.    Cutting Prohibition.

The county’s basic policy is that no pavements shall be cut for a period of five (5) years after the pavement has been constructed, overlaid or seal-coated and that cutting of any paved road is discouraged. Untrenched construction methods such as pushing, boring or bore-pulling must be explored on all paved road crossings regardless of the condition of the road pavement. A current list of road segments affected by this prohibition will be supplied to the utilities upon request.

All pavement cuts will require a variance from the county. Provisions for pavement cuts shall be evaluated by the county on a case-by-case basis. Situations in which pavement cuts may be allowed include:

(1)    Cutting of a roadway that is scheduled to be overlaid within the next two (2) years;

(2)    Cutting adjacent to an existing pavement patch; or

(3)    Longitudinal utility installations that must connect to existing facilities that are within the existing pavement.

B.    Alternatives to Pavement Cutting.

Every alternative engineering plan shall be exhausted prior to requesting permission to open-cut pavement on county-maintained paved roads. It is the intent of the county to document the quality of county roadways; until this is completed, roadways will be evaluated individually. Utilities will make every effort to use untrenched crossings where three (3) or less conduits are required at the road crossing. Wherever an open cut is required, the utility requiring the cut shall contact all other utilities in the area to inquire about their need to use the trench while it is open.

Where cutting of the pavement is not allowed, pushing, boring and bore-pulling shall be at minimum depth of thirty-six (36) inches for all methods of untrenched construction. The county may grant a variance based on ground conditions and depth conflicts with existing utilities.

C.    Pavement Restoration Requirements—Non-Intersection.

The provisions for pavement cutting are a function of the pavement type, pavement (or resurfacing) age, functional classification and orientation (transverse or longitudinal). Appendix A of the ordinance codified in this chapter—a copy of which is available in the office of the department of public works—contains the standard drawings as referenced below.

(1)    Pavement Type.

a.    Cement Concrete (PCC) Pavements.

All concrete pavement cuts, regardless of age, functional classification or orientation, will be backfilled and restored in accordance with the requirements shown in the “Concrete Roadway” detail in Appendix A of the ordinance codified in this chapter—a copy of which is available in the office of the department of public works. PCC pavements that are overlaid with ACP may be restored as PCC pavements or as ACP/BST pavements. Unless otherwise approved by the county, full panels must be removed and replaced. In no case will any approved cut be greater than one-half a full panel in size without full panel replacement. Dowel bars and tie bars will also be required.

b.    Asphalt Concrete (ACP) and Bituminous Surface Treatment (BST) Pavements.

The backfill and surfacing restoration requirements will vary depending upon the age, functional classification and orientation as specified in the following sections.

(2)    Pavement Age (ACP and BST only).

When cutting of asphalt concrete (ACP) or bituminous surface treatment (BST) pavements greater than five (5) years old and which are not urban arterials or rural collectors is permitted, the restoration requirements shown in the “Open Cut Utility Trench Backfill Detail Existing Asphalt Concrete Paved Roadway (Granular Fill)” detail in Appendix A of the ordinance codified in this chapter—a copy of which is available in the office of the department of public works—will be required. Restoration of paved urban arterials and rural collectors, regardless of the age of the pavement, will require the use of the controlled density backfill method as shown in the “Open Cut Utility Trench Backfill Detail Existing Asphalt Concrete Paved Roadway (Control Density Fill)” detail. The use of CDF will only apply to transverse cuts; granular fill as per the “Open Cut Utility Trench Backfill Detail Existing Asphalt Concrete Paved Roadway (Granular Backfill)” detail will be permitted on longitudinal cuts.

For all ACP or BST pavements less than five (5) years old and for all urban arterials and rural collectors, a full lane width including turn lanes overlay will be required. For multi-lane roads, all lanes in the same direction be overlayed, unless the full lane affected is grinded and repaved to match the existing grade. For both transverse and longitudinal cuts, the overlay will extend no less than five (5) feet beyond the maximum longitudinal extent of the pavement cut and then taper to a butt joint that has been planed into the existing pavement. The overlay requirements are shown on the “Butt Joint Planing and Overlay Detail” drawing in Appendix A of the ordinance codified in this chapter—a copy of which is available in the office of the department of public works.

For all ACP or BST pavements more than five (5) years old which are not urban arterials or rural collectors, an overlay in addition to the “Open Cut Utility Trench Backfill Detail Existing Asphalt Concrete Paved Roadway (Granular Fill)” requirements will not be necessary.

(3)    Orientation.

a.    Transverse Cuts.

All transverse cuts in ACP or BST pavements less than a single lane width will be restored as specified in subsection (C)(2) of this section as if they were a full or multiple lane width.

b.    Longitudinal Cuts.

For all longitudinal cuts in ACP or BST pavements more than five (5) years old and which are not urban arterial or rural collectors, special requirements regarding pavement removal are added. On all roads where four (4) feet or less of pavement remains between the outside of a longitudinal trench and the edge of pavement or the curb, the pavement shall be removed and the restoration shall be from the cut nearest the roadway center line to the curb or edge of pavement. When any construction damages the edge of an existing pavement, a minimum of a three (3) foot wide section of pavement will be removed and replaced for the full length of the damaged section.

For all longitudinal cuts in ACP or BST pavements less than five (5) years old or are urban arterials or rural collectors, the full-length restoration and the full lane (or multi-lane) butt joint planing and overlay will be required.

D.    Paved Shoulder Restoration Requirements.

If a paved shoulder is cut in conjunction with a pavement cut, the shoulder shall be restored in the same manner as the pavement as specified above. For PCC shoulders, dowel bars and tie bars shall be required.

If only the paved shoulder is cut, the restoration shall be done in the same manner as if the pavement was cut, however, there will be no requirement for an overlay regardless of the pavement age or the functional class and the required replacement pavement thickness shall be the same or greater than the existing shoulder thickness.

E.    Pavement Restoration Requirements—Intersections.

In the event a pavement cut falls within the intersection area boundary of any public or private road intersection as shown on the standard plan “Intersection Overlay Detail For All Intersection Roads” (see Appendix A of the ordinance codified in this chapter—a copy of which is available in the office of the department of public works), the entire intersection area boundary area may be required to be overlaid by the utility with a one and one-half (1 1/2) inch Class B asphalt concrete pavement. The utility will also be responsible for the cost to restore all existing pavement markings and adjustment and repair of all traffic control signal loops if affected by the utility cut.

F.    Restoration of Sidewalks, Paths, Curbs and Gutters.

Should a utility project involve the cutting of any sidewalk, path, curb or gutter, the utility shall be responsible for the complete restoration in kind. For PCC sidewalks, paths, curbs and gutters, dowel bars and tie bars will not be required unless the original sidewalk, path, curb or gutter was so constructed.

G.    Other General Restoration Requirements.

The following general requirements are applicable to all utility cuts in paved roads and paved shoulders:

(1)    The minimum width of the pavement cutback during construction shall be that of the widest portion of the trench.

(2)    During excavation, the utility shall not allow the trench to slough away during excavation to a width exceeding the depth of the trench. During backfill and compaction, the utility shall cut the pavement back to meet the width of the sloughing.

(3)    At the time the patching is done, the utility shall cut back the pavement an additional one (1) foot on each side of the trench prior to making the permanent patch.

(4)    Wherever there is any part of an existing patch within five (5) feet of the new cut, the utility shall incorporate the old patch into the new pavement restoration.

(5)    To minimize the time that traffic control will be necessary for utility work, all utility cuts in paved roads and shoulders shall be permanently patched immediately upon completion of the backfill work. The utility work shall be scheduled and accomplished by the utility in such a manner as to provide sufficient time in the workday to accomplish the permanent patch during daylight hours. In cases of inclement weather, the permanent patching may be delayed for up to five (5) days as long as steel plates are used. If controlled density fill is used, the utility shall provide steel plates to span the utility trenches and prevent traffic contact for at least twenty-four (24) hours after placement or until the controlled density fill is hard enough to prevent rutting by construction equipment or traffic. If the utility work requires more than one (1) day to accomplish, the completed portion of the work each day may be patched with a temporary patch at the option of the utility. At the completion of the work, all temporary patches shall be removed and the entire area permanently patched at that time. If an overlay of the patch is required, the overlay shall be accomplished within ten (10) working days of the permanent patching.

(6)    Failed patches shall be repaired immediately with a temporary patch upon telephone, fax or personal notification to the utility by the county. If the patch failure is noted by the county during a holiday, weekend or after normal business hours, the county will immediately establish and maintain, or arrange for the establishment and maintenance of, appropriate traffic control devices no later than 9:00 A.M. of the next regular business day at which time the utility shall construct a temporary repair patch or a permanent patch. All costs of the appropriate traffic control devices, including flagpersons, pilot vehicles or any other methods that the county deems necessary for the safety of the traveling public, will be billed to the utility.

(7)    All temporary repair patches will be reconstructed to county permanent patching standards. For urban arterials and rural collectors, the permanent patch must be completed within one (1) working day of completion of a temporary repair patch. For other roads and streets, the permanent patch must be completed within ten (10) working days of completion of a temporary repair patch.

(8)    If necessary, unsatisfactory restoration work may be redone by the county by its own forces or by a private contractor and the cost of the repair billed to the utility. (Sec. 1 of Ord. 1999-11-15)