Roads FAQ
Who do I contact regarding road defects, i.e. potholes, etc.?
Contact the Highway Department to reports any problems concerning road defects. After 3:30 PM contact the police department at (978) 597-6214.
When are you going to fix my street?
Street paving is an on-going process and is scheduled on a five-year plan. For specific inquiries call the office at (978) 597-1712. Please keep in mind that Route 119 the responsibility of the MASS DOT State Highway.
Does the Highway Department sweep town streets?
Street sweeping begins as early as when spring arrives. That could be mid-March to Mid-April or later. All streets are swept. Residents are asked to leave sand in the gutters and spread out. Please DO NOT leave it in piles. The sweepers get bogged down when the sand is left in piles.
Where is my property line in relation to the paved roadway?
One of the more frequent issues that impacts resident's dealings with the Highway Department is where the Town's right-of-way is situated on an abutting street. Unless residents live in a relatively new house or have gone through the expense of a survey of their property, they are generally unaware of where their front property line is located – this front property line is also the limit of the right-of-way for the street. The widths of the Town's rights-of-way are extremely variable but in no cases does the roadway edge of pavement coincide with the limits of the right-of-way. Older Town roads frequently have a right-of-way width of “2 rods” or "3 rods", rods being an old unit of measurement that equals 16½' per rod, or a total width of 33' or 49.5'. Newer streets are often 40' or 50' wide, and some State or County layouts for Town roads are even wider. With the average width of paving of 18' to 22' on less traveled roads, and 22' to 25' on busier streets, there is generally 5' to 13' on each side of the paved surface that is part of the right-of-way, not part of the abutting property. Sidewalks and grass strips lie within these limits as well.
What are the colored markers I see on the street?
These colored markers indicate the location of public and private underground utilities. Whenever any excavation takes place, whether public or private, the law requires that DIG SAFE be notified so that all utilities in the area can be marked. Even homeowners must obey this law. Their telephone number is 888-344-7233. The color codes are:
- Blue - Water mains and service lines
- Green - Sanitary sewer lines
- Purple - Reclaimed water lines
- Yellow - Natural gas lines
- Red - Electrical and power lines
- Orange - Telephone and cable television lines
Is Route 119 a town maintained road?
No. Route 119 is maintained be the Massachusetts Highway Department. They can be contacted at (857)368-3000.
Does the Highway Department maintain private roads?
The Town is not authorized to do any maintenance on private roads.However, we do sand and plow snow some private roads as authorized by the Board of Selectmen.