Driveway installation

[yak651]

The wife and I purchased some land last year (farm land). We've been planting trees, mowing etc. using access from the farm, but want to begin installing our own driveway. I obtained a permit from the town for the culvert and they also gave me the application for a driveway permit. The driveway will be quite long, around 600-700 feet. There's a statement in the driveway permit that I don't understand so thought I would ask your opinon on what it means:

Driveways over 150 feet in length shall provide for a segment of road at least 50 feet in length and 20 feet in width of road surface for each 300 feet of driveway length.

What would be "road surface"? Does it just mean if I have a 600 ft driveway I would need 100' of 20' wide driveway? Can this just be of same "base" as rest of the driveway. Just thought I would ask some opinions before making some phone calls.

Thanks!

 

[jamieac]

I think what they mean by that is that every 300 ft they want you to make the driveway at least 20ft wide for 50' in order to make it so 2 cars could pass one another without one of them having to back up 300+ feet

 

[BillCroasmun]

That's how I read it as well. So for a 600' drive you'll need two 50' sections if you go to the 700' you'll need to put a third 50' section in. By "road surface" I am assuming they want the wider area to be drivable not just clearing some grass and calling it a drive. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

So your drive may look like this: (a dash is a single width lane and an equal sign is double width)

Road
|
|----------=====---------300'----------=====---------600'-----=====-----House
|

With the way they worded it though it gives you the option of not centering the wide sections within the 300' spans like in the illustration above. So if it works out better due to culverts, etc. you can place each one anywhere within the 300' spans.

 

[Soundguy]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Does it just mean if I have a 600 ft driveway I would need 100' of 20' wide driveway )</font>

Yep.. starting at the apron where you join the public road.. makes for safer entry/egress from the droveway to the public road..

Soundguy

 

[Highbeam]

Yep, they want a turnout/pullout so people can pass. Same base and construction as the rest of the road. After you pass inspection, they will likely not come out to tell you that the turnouts are becoming overgrown.

 

[Eric_Phillips]

You should feel lucky all you need is turn outs. Around here with a dirve that long they require the base to be the same a the public road and a turn around at the end for the fire truck. When I found that out I started paying attention to any land we were looking at and where the house would sit.

Eric

 

[LBrown59]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You should feel lucky all you need is turn outs. Around here with a dirve that long they require the base to be the same a the public road and a turn around at the end for the fire truck. When I found that out I started paying attention to any land we were looking at and where the house would sit.

Eric )</font>

My area don't require a driveway permit just a permit to put in a culvert.The Specs for the driveway on my property is entirely up to me.

 

[yak651]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( You should feel lucky all you need is turn outs. Around here with a dirve that long they require the base to be the same a the public road and a turn around at the end for the fire truck. When I found that out I started paying attention to any land we were looking at and where the house would sit.

Eric )</font>

There is a clause stating that there should be a turnabout of at least 40' radius or someother method to allow emergency vehicles to turn around. 40' radius is huge /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif so i'm hoping that the fact I'll be sharing the driveway with my neighbor and it will split at the top will be enough satisfaction for them that emergency vehicles can turn around. If not I guess I'll go with the recomendation above where I'll put a real thin layer of gravel for a turnabout and then "let it" turn to grass over time after building inspector is gone.