Aqua Repaving Only Required for One Lane

You may see in your travels that the water utility Aqua is repaving streets that it had dug up throughout Haverford Township. You may also notice that in many cases only half of the affected street is being repaved.

Fourth ward commissioner Dan Siegel writes in an email to constituents that he has heard a rumor that residents have been told that the reason only half of a road is being repaved is because "the township is not paying for the work."

"This is not an accurate statement," Siegel writes. "The reason that only one-half of a road is being paved is because Aqua is repaving the road consistent with the Township Code."

According to Siegel, Aqua is required by Section 157-30 of the Township Code to repave the portion of any streets it has opened:

When four or more openings, or one continuous opening, have been made within 100 linear feet of pavement, the permittee shall [pave] the traffic lanes in which the opening was made, for the entire length of highway between the ends of the furthest openings.

According to Siegel, if Aqua had made four openings in a 100-foot stretch of roadway, or has opened a 100-foot continuous stretch of roadway, it must repave the traffic lane it opened. "For most streets, this means that Aqua must repave one-half of the street," he writes.

Before the Board of Commissioners recently amended the ordinance, Aqua was only required to repave the specific part of the road it had opened, Siegel writes. He said the new ordinance is similar to those in neighboring townships.

"It is important for you to know that this is an Aqua project, and not a Township project. No tax dollars are being spent, and all work by Aqua must be performed in accordance with our Township Code," Siegel explained.