New utility construction rules protect Herriman’s newer streets

The Herriman City Council has approved new rules that limit cutting into newly built and recently treated streets. The ordinance is designed to keep roads smoother for longer, protect taxpayer-funded road projects, and reduce repeated construction on the same stretch of road.  

The new rules focus on “pavement cuts,” which are trenches or holes made in the asphalt for utility or construction work. On streets that are newly built or fully reconstructed, non-emergency pavement cuts are not allowed for three years. The City Engineer can approve exceptions only for emergencies or urgent utility connections.

For streets that are three to five years old, any approved cut now requires a larger repair. The contractor must repave the full width of the road, from curb to curb (or edge to edge where there is no curb), at least 25 feet in both directions from the work area. This helps prevent patchy repairs and early cracking in newer roads.

The ordinance also protects streets that have recently received a surface treatment, such as an asphalt overlay, chip seal, or slurry seal. If a road has been treated within the past two years and must be cut, the contractor must restore the full width of the treated surface.

When excavation work affects nearby private property, the contractor must put landscaping, driveways, and other improvements back to their pre-construction condition, even if the work took place in a public utility easement. The City Engineer may also pause excavation work if weather or other conditions would prevent proper repair of the road.

By reducing early cuts into new pavement and requiring more complete restoration, the updated ordinance is expected to extend roadway life and lower long-term maintenance needs, with restoration costs paid by the utilities and contractors who perform the work.