New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 16 - TRANSPORTATION
Chapter 25 - UTILITY ACCOMMODATION
Subchapter 12 - UTILITY FACILITIES OCCUPYING LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY
Section 16:25-12.2 - Installation standards
Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) No above ground facilities of any kind shall be permitted within the limited access highway right-of-way.
(b) No above or below ground regenerator or backup power manholes or enclosures shall be permitted within limited access highway right-of-way.
(c) Handholes for the purpose of cable splicing or installation shall be permitted and shall not extend above the surrounding ground.
(d) Cable shall be placed in conduit.
(e) Above ground warning signs bearing the public utility's name and contact number shall be mounted by the utility upon adjacent control of access fencing at line-of-sight intervals or as specified in the highway project utility agreement or the highway occupancy permit.
(f) Service connections to adjacent properties from within the limited access highway right-of-way are prohibited unless the Department makes the determination that the connections cannot be otherwise accommodated and, therefore, will be permitted. If permitted, they shall be located as close as feasible to the highway's right-of-way line.
(g) Fiber optic duct banks shall be buried at least 54 inches deep. The utility shall install a continuous plastic ribbon marking tape along the duct banks at least 12 inches below the existing ground and above the fiber optic duct bank. The fiber optic duct bank shall be detectable by locator equipment operated on the surface. The utility shall bundle ducts to form one compact facility. The Department may allow a fiber optic utility duct bank to consist of more than four inner ducts, in the case of a multi-duct system, or more than four individual ducts, in the case of a single-duct system. The duct bank shall not occupy over 12 inches in width or 24 inches in depth. The width of excavation shall not exceed 18 inches.
(h) Fiber optic duct bank installations of one half-mile or longer shall require the utility to dedicate to the Department the use of one inner duct of a multi-duct system or one duct (two inch nominal size with associated separate manholes/handholes) of a single-duct system for State use. The utility shall construct the dedicated duct and associated manholes/handholes in accordance with the Department standards and maintain them in good repair. The State facility within assigned duct and manholes/handholes shall be the responsibility of the State. The utility shall not begin construction until the Department receives formal documentation indicating the utility's commitment to dedicate the duct use.
(i) The utility shall design and construct fiber optic duct banks to avoid future relocations within the limits of all projects listed in the Department's current fiscal year Capital and the 10-year Statewide Transportation Improvement programs. The Department may waive this requirement if the utility agrees to absorb all relocation or accommodation costs resulting from the construction of any project listed in the Capital Program and 10-year Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. The utility shall not undertake construction within the limits of such a project until the utility and the Department execute a written agreement regarding the payment of future relocation costs.
