Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 24, December 18, 2024
(a)
Screening and fencing required by the Junkyard Control Act shall be located,
planted, constructed and maintained in the following manner:
1. Where screening or fencing is used, it
must, upon completion of the screening project, effectively screen the junkyard
from the main-traveled way of the highway on a year-round basis, and be
compatible with the surroundings.
2. Screening or fencing may not interfere
with the ability of the operator of a motor vehicle to have a clear and
unobstructed view of the highway, intersecting streets, or ramps, or
approaching, merging, or intersecting traffic, or of official signs, signals or
traffic control devices.
3. No junk
shall be deposited or placed on the highway side of the screening or
fencing.
4. The junkyard entrance
on a national highway system must be consistent with the objectives of
effective control and
N.J.A.C.
16:47-3.5(e). Any gate which
provides access to a national system highway shall provide effective control
when closed. Such a gate shall be closed when the junkyard entrance is not in
use. A junkyard entrance on a national system highway may also be made through
a baffle of screening so as to provide effective control. Any junkyard entrance
not on a national system highway but visible from the national or interstate
system shall be closed when not in use or shall be screened through a
baffle.
(b) Screening
and fencing may be accomplished by use of natural objects, landscape plantings,
fences, and other appropriate means, including relocating inventory on site to
utilize an existing natural screen or a screenable portion of the site.
Screening and fencing should be relatively maintenance free, and should be as
compatible with the general area as possible. Climate, soil conditions, extent
of land area available, and the availability of material are pertinent factors.
Use of existing "natural" screens should be given high priority. Alternative
methods of screening or fencing include the following:
1. Use of plant material: Trees, shrubs,
etc., of a sufficient size and density to provide year-round effective
screening may be used.
i. Plants should be
selected to complement the existing highway and adjacent land use and
environmental conditions. Dead trees and shrubs should be replaced in order to
provide continuous effective screening.
2. Earth grading: Berms, graded, shaped and
recovered with topsoil and planted so as to provide a natural appearance may be
used to block visibility. Berms should be constructed to fill material or
building demolition fill material of a non-contaminating nature.
3. Architectural barriers: Fences, walls, or
other structural elements may be used.
(c) For the purpose of establishing a height
from which to determine the effectiveness of screening, the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Standard of three
feet nine inches, average is to be used. This standard is to be used at the
pavement centerline of the highway.
