New Jersey Administrative Code
Title 16 - TRANSPORTATION
Chapter 25 - UTILITY ACCOMMODATION
Subchapter 8 - PIPELINES
Section 16:25-8.3 - Bury
Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 18, September 16, 2024
(a) The low point(s) in the highway cross-section controls the depth that pipeline crossings shall be buried and that depth is typically the bottom of any longitudinal ditch.
(b) The minimum bury depth shall be 36 inches. Where minimum bury depth cannot be achieved due to the presence of other utilities, drainage structures, water table, or similar constraints, the pipe shall be rerouted or otherwise protected in a suitable manner in accordance with industry and utility company standards and approved by the Department. In such instances, the utility should consider increasing wall thickness or encasing the utility, taking into account the relative risk with respect to the product carried and engineering safety factors.
(c) In establishing the bury depth below an unpaved ditch, consideration should be given to potential increases in ditch depth resulting from scour, ditch maintenance operations, or the current or future need to increase the capacity of the ditch.
(d) On longitudinal installations, the critical controls for bury are the depths of lateral drainage facilities, landscaping, other buried utility lines, bridge structures, and highway maintenance operations.
(e) The bury depth shall be sufficient so that the liquid transmitted will not freeze or otherwise be restricted from flowing. In addition, the depth shall be sufficient to withstand the increased impact loads transmitted through the frozen soil.
(f) At no time shall the bury depth for pipelines carrying transmittants that are flammable, corrosive, expansive, energized, or unstable, particularly if carried at high pressure or potential, be less than acceptable industry and utility company safety limits.
(g) To protect the integrity of the roadway, the bury depth of pipelines installed by trenchless methodology is dependent on pipeline size, material, transmittant carried, and method of construction. Bury depth is established on a case-by-case basis, in consultation with the utility.
