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The Lansing Town Board unanimously approved new road and culvert specifications that will shift some responsibility for creating high quality new roads from the Town to developers.  The specifications will require developers to include a base course and a top coat to new roads before dedicating them to the Town.  Officials noted that will raise the cost for developers, but will bring down later costs for taxpayers.

"There have been road specs for 25 years," said Deputy Highway Superintendent Charlie 'Cricket' Purcell.  "But not good ones.  The biggest thing we've got to talk about is pipe sizing and things like that.  Pipe sizing is always an issue, but when somebody comes in this this puts it all in black and white for their engineer."

The specifications apply to roads that are to be dedicated to the Town.  While some roads are retained as private by developers, many are built with the intention of giving them to the Town as a condition of project approval.  For the developers this arrangement provides access where they want it, but absolves them from maintaining the road indefinitely.  The cost of building infrastructure is built into the selling price for lots in a development.

Purcell said that with changing environmental requirements governing what can be used in the manufacture of the emulsion, stone and oil road surfaces are not as durable as they once were.  He said that was one of the key reasons for updating road specifications.

"The existing specifications call for a two-coat surface of stone and oil," Purcell said.  "That is what it is until we re-do it with asphalt.  The emulsion that they use just doesn't hold up.  The (roads) need to be paved in all fairness to the taxpayers."

But he noted it puts more of a financial burden on developers.  Once the Town takes possession of a road it becomes responsible for maintenance, including snow plowing and maintaining ditches and the road surface.  So it is taxpayers' best interest that roads be constructed to a high standard before the Town becomes responsible for it.  Certificates of Occupancy are dependent on the roads being completed to specification and dedicated to the Town.


The new specifications came about when Highway Department officials asked TG Miller engineers to evaluate and update current Town road requirements.  TG Miller engineer Donald Harner said that Village of Lansing, Tompkins County and DOT road specifications were used in developing the new specs for the Town.

Councilman Robert Cree asked what financial impact the new specifications would have on developers.  Purcell said it would probably mean an additional $75,000 or $80,000.  Cree noted that without the new specifications the Town is on the hook for that expense after the road has been dedicated.  Cree noticed that other municipalities already have similar specifications in place.  But Town Attorney Guy Krogh warned that the added cost of building roads may present some pitfalls unless town officials are diligent as roads are extended.


"In large subdivisions I think you are going to find that developers will want to build and dedicate in phases because of the up-front cost of roads," said Krogh.  "So you are going to have to make sure that when they stop at a certain point and put in a temporary turn-around you abandon that turnaround to the adjacent landowner when the road is extended.  And if you join a new portion of the road there is always going to be a tough spot there.  But it's going to start happening if you are talking about increasing the cost by $1,000 per foot or whatever it's going to be."

The specifications cover materials and dimensions of new roadways and turnarounds, right of way and shoulders.  It includes specifications for culverts, storm sewers and ditches, and is specific as to the durability of construction  materials used.  Road cross culverts, roadside ditches, driveway cross-culverts and storm sewers with drain inlets must be able to handle a 25 year storm, and developers must provide an analysis of safe overflow conveyance of storm water in a 100 year storm.

Guide rails have been added to conform to New York State guidelines.  Topsoil and seeding is specified for non-road areas within the right of way, and a schedule of inspections is provided to make sure each stage of the construction meets the Town's standards.  Highway Department officials inspect new roads five times.  The first is to insure the sub-grade is up to snuff, then the sub-base course, the base-course, and finally the hot-mix asphalt and binder course.

The board approved the new specifications last week in a 5-0 vote.  The specifications are available in the Codes office at the Town Hall and on the Town Web site.

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