Engineering
Jack A. Hurlbert, P.E.
City Engineer
300 Lee Street
Bristol, Virginia 24201-4327
Phone: (276) 645-7363
Fax: (276) 645-7365
Email: jhurlbert@bristolva.org

Office Hours
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

DIVISION OVERVIEW

PAGE CONTENTS

Stormwater Management

 


The Engineering Division of the Public Works Department plays a key role in the planning and operations endeavors of the City of Bristol. The involvement of the Division spans the gamut from development site plan review and preliminary subdivision plat oversight to the field operations of construction stake out and project inspection.

The Division is responsible for the planning and design of minor construction and maintenance projects to be performed by city Public Works forces as well as the design and project management of larger, more complex projects that will be constructed by private contractors. The Division also coordinates and manages projects that are designed by consulting firms retained by the City.
 

In addition to City projects, the Engineering Division is responsible for the review and approval of site plans for development for commercial, industrial, institutional and certain residential developments. The Division performs inspection work on these developments to ensure compliance with the statutes and regulations of the City and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virtually every development or expansion of this nature requires that a site plan be submitted. Downloadable copies of the City's Site Plan Ordinance and Off-Street Parking and Loading and Unloading Ordinance are available at the Engineering FTP Site.

Many developments, particularly residential, involve the subdivision of land, including the dedication of rights-of-way for the construction of public streets. While the submittal of proposed subdivision plans falls under the purview of the Department of Planning and Community Development, the review and approval of the engineering and construction aspects of the infrastructure for the proposed development are the responsibility of the Engineering Division. This review helps to ensure that the plat submitted to the Planning Commission and ultimately to the City Council conforms to the Subdivision Ordinance of the City of Bristol. For information regarding the subdivision of land within the City of Bristol, contact the Department of Planning and Community Development at (276) 645-7470 or atrivette@bristolva.org
 

Whenever a new driveway or entrance is constructed in the City where connection is made to a public street or right-of-way, a permit is required by the City Code. These permits are issued at no cost to the property owner, but must be secured prior to construction in order to permit Engineering Division staff to determine the site-specific requirements for the permit. Sites for which a site plan has been approved do not require additional entrance permits if the type(s) and location(s) of all entrances serving the development are shown on the approved site plan. All driveway and entrance connections are inspected by Engineering Division personnel prior to approval for use. A downloadable permit application form may be obtained at Permit Forms. Additional information regarding driveway or entrance connections may be obtained by contacting the Engineering Division at (276) 645-7363 or bvaeng@bristolva.org.
  It is sometimes necessary for a public or private utility, contractors or members of the public to perform work within a public right-of-way. The City Code requires that a permit for this work be issued by the City Engineer and that the applicant secure a performance and indemnity bond or liability insurance policy for the proposed work. There is a fee of $35.00 for each permit issued. Each individual disturbance of the right-of-way, whether in the paved area or not, requires a separate permit. Details concerning the bond and/or insurance requirements can be found in Article II, §74-31 et seq. of the City Code, by calling (276) 645-7363 or by contacting bvaeng@bristolva.org. A downloadable permit application form may be obtained at Permit Forms.
 
  The City of Bristol contains literally hundreds of unimproved street and alley rights-of-way. On many occasions, property owners, both residential and non-residential, whose premises abut one of these rights-of-way has a need or desire to petition to have the unimproved street or alley, or a portion thereof, abandoned, or as it is more commonly called, closed. Less often, but still occasionally requested, is the abandonment of all or a portion of an improved right-of-way. The Code of Virginia provides a statutory procedure by which these public ways must be abandoned. The procedure requires that a petition be circulated by the applicant to all owners whose property abuts the public way that is the subject of the petition to abandon, that the request to abandon be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation within the City, that a public hearing be conducted on the request and that the City Council adopt an ordinance effecting the abandonment. For additional information on the abandonment of a public right-of-way, please contact the Engineering Division at (276) 645-7363 or jhurlbert@bristolva.org. A downloadable file containing instructions and the forms necessary to petition for an abandonment may be obtained at the Engineering FTP Site.
 
  Each fiscal year (July 1 - June 30), the City of Bristol compiles a listing of streets and alleys to be included in the pavement maintenance program for that year. The pavement maintenance program consists of a combination of cold planing (milling) where warranted and resurfacing with asphalt concrete plant mix. Both of these functions are advertised for bid in the sixty day period immediately preceding the beginning of the fiscal year with bid prices to remain firm for the entire fiscal year. The City receives maintenance funding from the Commonwealth of Virginia to assist in this program. A needs assessment based upon a computerized pavement maintenance program is performed to establish a hierarchy of numeric ratings for inclusion of a street or alley in a given year's schedule, with streets or alleys having the lowest numeric score receiving priority. While some flexibility is built into the schedule, the overall program is constrained by budgetary limitations, preventing wide deviation from the established schedule. For information concerning current scheduling or subsequent projections, please contact the Engineering Division at (276) 645-7363 or jhurlbert@bristolva.org
 
  The Engineering Division, in conjunction with the Traffic Engineer from the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and the Traffic Planner from the Department of Planning and Community Development, provides traffic engineering services for the City of Bristol. These services include traffic sign placement determination, pavement marking design, speed studies, traffic counts, roadway and intersection geometric design, work zone safety plans and special event traffic movement plans. The Division also is involved in the needs assessment for traffic signalization, approach design and signal phasing. The City Engineer and the Traffic Engineer serve on the Transportation Safety Commission. This Commission is charged with the review of traffic and safety issues referred by City staff, the City Council or requested by members of the public. For information or to address a concern relative to traffic or safety matters, contact the Engineering Division at (276) 645-7363 or jhurlbert@bristolva.org
  Extensive archives of maps, including subdivision plats and replats, site plans, erosion and sediment control plans, street and highway plans, drainage plans, and the Real Property Identification Map of the City of Bristol, Virginia (Tax Maps) are maintained at the Engineering Division office. Additionally, as-built drawings for a large number of projects and structures are available at the Division office or at the office of the Building Official which is located in the same building as the Engineering Division. The Engineering Division has the capability to produce copies of any drawing or map on file in either hard copy (paper) or digital format. There is a reproduction charge for all copies. the charge varies for type, size and quantity of reproductions. For more information contact the Division at (276) 645-7363 or bvaeng@bristolva.org.
 
  One of the most common dilemmas dealt with by the Engineering Division and the greatest generator of citizen complaints is the problem of stormwater management. While it is relatively simple to design new projects to handle projected drainage quantities, older, more developed parts of the City often experience problems that are more difficult to solve. It should be recognized that runoff and flooding from adjacent private properties are matters to be resolved between the parties involved or for the civil courts to deal with. On the other hand, if drainage problems are caused by or exacerbated by public streets or facilities, they fall under the purview of the Engineering Division. These problems should be reported by contacting the City Engineer at (276) 645-7363 or jhurlbert@bristolva.org. In the majority of cases, the City can provide relief or, if the problem is determined to be caused by factors other than the City, provide an analysis and consultation service to the affected party to suggest a remedy that the property owner can employ to provide a solution.
 
  The following is a partial list of other services that the Division either provides or can lend assistance for. Please contact the Division at (276) 645-7363 or jhurlbert@bristolva.org for inquiries related to the following, or for other questions that deal with subjects not enumerated but you believe may be the responsibility of the Engineering Division.
 
  • Sidewalk and Curb/Curb and Gutter Construction or Maintenance
  • Requests for Street Lighting
  • On-Street Parking Management
  • Floodplain Management
  • Street and Alley Status (Public/Private, Closed/Open)
  • Public Works Projects
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