Minimum Road Specifications

You may download a copy of our Minimum Road Specifications if you plan to request that the Town take over road maintenance of a private roadway. These road specifications must be followed as dictated and all work must be inspected by the Highway Superintendent before any approvals may be considered.

Typical Road Section

General:

No Road within the Town of Catskill, other than a municipally owned road, shall be constructed or improved until approved by the Planning Board of the Town of Catskill in accordance with the following standards and specifications: No road within the Town of Catskill, hereafter constructed or improved, will be accepted by the Town Board of the Town of Catskill as a town road or for the maintenance with the town funds until six (6) months have elapsed since the completion thereof as certified by the resolution of the Planning Board and unless the construction is in accordance with the following standards and specifications; and also at the time of dedication, is on a state of repair acceptable to the Town Board. The Town Board will refer all applications for the dedication to the Planning Board and/or Town Superintendent of Highways fir a report thereon.

Where roads are to be constructed or improved, no work shall be undertaken until a plan showing such road and the construction details has been approved by the Planning Board.

Width of the Right-of-Way:

The right –of-way for all roads shall be a minimum of fifty (50) feet in width at all points. Dead-end roads shall have a turnaround at the extreme end thereof with a minimum radius of fifty (50) feet for the right-of-way and a minimum radius of forty (40) feet for the paved area, such a paved area shall be constructed in accordance with the specifications herein provided. Dead end roads shall be longer than 800 feet. 

Width of Pavement:

Any paved section of any road shall be no les than thirty (30) feet in width at all points and shall be centered within the right-of-way.

Clearing:

All trees, stumps and brush shall be cleared within the entire fifty (50) foot right-of-way width. On curves, and additional amount shall be cleared on the inside of the curve wherever necessary to maintain a minimum visibility of one-hundred-fifty (150) feet at the paving edge. On roads where curbs, catch basins and storm drains have been installed, specimen trees and shrubs may remain within the right-of-way for a distance of ten (10) feet from the right-of-way line. All stumps shall be removed to a depth of one (1) foot of finished grade.

Stripping and Spreading of Topsoil:

All topsoil shall be stripped from areas to be paved, excavated or filled. Topsoil shall be stored in stockpiles during construction and replaced in planting areas between drainage ditches and the right-of-way.

Road Grades:

Grades of all roads shall conform to the general terrain and shall be no less than one-half of one percent, nor more than 7%. Residential and other minor roads may have a maximum grade of up to 10%.

Sub grade:

Soft areas in sub grade shall be removed and replaced with crushed stone or gravel. Rough sub grades, including slopes and ditches, shall be formed and maintained to provide proper drainage. Shaping and compacting of sub grade shall be done with blade graders and with an 8-10 ton roller. Compaction must be such that no creeping or weaving appears ahead of the roller. Finished surface shall be smooth and even and true to grade within ½ inch of finished grade. 

Gravel Base:

The gravel base shall consist of two compacted layers, each five inches thick, to a compacted finish thickness of ten (10) inches. Gravel shall meet the approval of the Superintendent of Highways and contain not more than 10% soil binder. Each layer shall be compacted by a roller weighing from 8-10 tons.

Prime Coat:

After the top layer of the gravel base has been shaped, compacted and cleaned of all dust, loose material and debris, and approved by the Superintendent of Highways it shall receive a prime coat treatment consisting of medium curing cut-back asphalt (MC-0) applied at the rate of one-half gallon per square yard and uniformly covered with one-half inch crushed stone (#1A), and broom swept and rolled.

Wearing Surface:

Approximately two days after application of prime coat, the paved area shall receive an application of rapid curing cut-back asphalt (RC-3) at the rate of one-half gallon per square yard and uniformly covered with three-fourths inch crushed stone (#1), and broom swept and rolled. The slope away from the crown of the road shall be three-eighths inch per foot.

Shoulders:

The same gravel and soil binder used for the gravel base shall be used to construct a gravel shoulder compacted to a four (4) inch thickness and firm against the pavement. Shoulders shall be five feet wide and have a uniform slope of one-half inch per foot.

Drainage:

A complete system of surface drainage shall be installed to dispose of storm water. When discharge of storm water shall be into, upon or through private property, property easements shall convey the perpetual right to discharge storm water run-off from the highway and from the surrounding area on to and over the affected premises by means of pipes, culverts or ditches, or a combination thereof, together with the right to enter said premises for purposes of making such installations and doing such maintenance work as the Town may deem necessary to adequately drain the roadway and the surrounding area. Where a drainage easement discharges on to or terminates at property of a third party, the consent of such third party must be obtained by the owner of the road. Hollows or depressions within the drainage system that would preclude positive drainage shall not be permitted.

Drainage ditches to a minimum depth of one foot shall be formed on either side of the paved roadway. Side slopes of ditches shall be thoroughly compacted and not exceed one and one-half (1-1/2) horizontal to one (1) vertical. Bottom of the ditch shall be a minimum of one foot in width and formed by a compacted layer of gravel four (4) inches thick and oiled in the same manner as the gravel base. On streets and ditches having a grade in excess of 5%, the ditch and side slopes shall have a two inch blacktop paving applied to the gravel base.

Drainage Structures:

Where headwalls, culverts, curbs, catch basins, storm drains, etc. are required or elected to be installed by the owner, all plans and details shall have the approval of the Superintendent of Highways prior to construction.

Finish Grading and Seeding:

Finish grade all non-paved surfaces within the right-of-way with a minimum of four (4) inches of topsoil and sow with an approved grass seed. A good stand of permanent grass shall be required to acceptance of the deed of the road by the Town Board.