Contact Information

Additional Information

The Mission of the Townsend Highway Department is to efficiently manage and maintain the towns’ roadway and sidewalk system to provide for the safe, convenient and efficient movement of traffic and pedestrians at the lowest cost and best value.

Permits are required for the following work and Application forms are available at the Highway Department:

Driveway Permits - Any new driveway, the relocation of an existing driveway or new common driveway requires a Driveway Permit and an application fee. Each permit will be checked by both the Highway Superintendent and Building Inspector for proper sight distance, safety and whether or not a drainage pipe is required. Once the driveway work is completed, it will be checked to ensure all permit requirements were met. Paving of an existing driveway does not require a driveway permit.
Permit Application Forms are now on line for your convenience:  Driveway Permit Application (5 page .pdf, 222 Kb)

Application for Permit to Cross, Alter and/or Construct Within a Town Way - Any construction or maintenance work conducted within the towns’ right-of-way requires an approved permit before any work may begin. The permit also requires a $100.00 fee that must be submitted with the application.

Used Motor Oil Collection Dates

Waste oil will be collected on the following days in 2010:

June 5, 2010

July 10, 2010

August 7, 2010

September 11, 2010

October 2, 2010

November 6, 2010

December 4, 2010

The hours of collection are from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM., at the Highway Garage, 177 Main Street.  The Highway Department asks that the motor oil is brought in nothing smaller than one gallon containers.  All  containers will be returned to the resident.

Please contact the Highway Department if you need any other information.

Operation Neat Streets - NEW! 

Are you interested in cleaning up your street?  Follow this link for the Operation Neat Streets Pamphlet (.pdf)

Town Roads Information

The Highway Department has compiled length, width, starting and ending points, street number ranges and acceptance status data for all Town Roads, listed alphabetically.  Follow this link to see the Town Roads information in an Excel spreadsheet.  The Highway Department plans to update the information regularly to keep it current.

Criteria For Road Paving

There are three categories of roads; Arterial (Rte 13), Collectors/Main (Lunenburg Rd, Warren Rd., New Fitchburg Rd., Ash St., etc.) and local roads or side streets (Smith St., Scott Rd., School St., etc).  The Highway Department is formulating a Pavement Condition Survey Program to evaluate the towns’ roads. Under this program, our goal is to inspect Arterial and Collector Roads every two years and Local Roads every four years.

The streets are rated using a Pavement Condition Survey Form and will be evaluated according to severity and extent of cracking, distortion, patch and utility cuts, rutting and depressions, spalling, raveling, potholes, drainage and traffic volume and classifications. Each of these categories is assigned a point value. This rating system is used as the primary tool in prioritizing roads for resurfacing and reconstruction.  

Follow this link for more information on Road Paving criteria

Frequently Asked Questions - Highway Department FAQs

   Q: What are the hours of operation at the Highway Department?

A: The Highway Department is open from 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

    Q: Does the Highway Department collect used waste oil?

A: Yes!  The Highway department collects used motor oil one Saturday of every month from 8:00 AM until 12:00 PM at the highway garage.  If a holiday falls on the Friday, Saturday, Sunday or Monday of the scheduled Saturday collection then the motor oil will be collected on the following Saturday.  We ask that the used motor oil be in containers at least one gallon in size.  Residents will be given the containers back after they are emptied.

    Q: Is the Highway Department responsible for trash pick-up in town?

A: No.  That responsibility belongs to the Board of Health, who can be contacted at (978) 597-1713.

    Q: Who do I contact regarding road defects, i.e. potholes, etc.?

A: Contact the Highway Department to reports any problems concerning road defects.  After 3:30 PM contact the police department at (978) 597-6214.

    Q: Who should I contact to report damaged street signs or signs in need of replacement?

A: Contact the Highway Department during regular business hours at (978) 597-1712. If the situation could be considered of imminent danger, contact the Police Department at (978) 597-6214. Please note that Route 119 is a state road, and is under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Highway Department.

    Q: What are the colored markers I see on the street?

A: 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

   Q: How do I report a damaged or malfunctioning streetlight?

A: Contact UNITIL at 1-888-301-7700, or the Highway Department at 978-597-1712.

   Q: When are you going to fix my street?

A: 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 state highway department.

   Q: Is Route 119 a town maintained road?

A: No. Route 119 is maintained be the Massachusetts Highway Department.  They can be contacted at either (978) 597-2012 or (508) 754-7204.

   Q: Whom do I call if I have a question or concern regarding a tree in front of my property?

A: Trees on public property are removed when they are a danger to people or property.  To report a tree problem contact the Tree Warden at (978) 597-2551 or the Highway Department at (978) 597-1712.

   Q: How do I obtain a driveway permit?

A:  Driveway permit may be obtained at the Highway Department.

   Q: Does the Highway Department sweep town streets?

A: Street sweeping begins as early as when spring arrives. Unfortunately 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.

   Q: Does the Highway Department clean catch basins?

A: We try to clean basins at least once a year. With over 750 such structures, it is a daunting task. We sincerely appreciate those residents that keep the basin tops clean in front of their homes, particularly in the fall when they can become clogged with leaves. REMINDER: catch basins are not intended to be trash receptacles. They are to collect rainwater and water from melting snow and ice. NEVER DUMP OIL OR CHEMICALS INTO CATCH BASINS!  All catch basins eventually drain to the river, which becomes polluted and harms fish and wildlife.

   Q: Does the town provide sand for its residents during the winter months?

A: Yes, there is a pile of sand/salt mixture available for residents ONLY located in front of the highway garage.  Salt is mixed with the sand to keep it from freezing.  If this were not done the sand would become hard and chunky.  Please limit the amount to 2 five-gallon pails per trip. This is NOT for commercial or industrial businesses.

   Q: Where can I drop off Christmas trees?

A: Residents may drop off their Christmas trees at the Highway Department, from December 26 - January 31.  Please drop off your tree in the designated area.  Residents MUST remove all foreign objects (lights, ornaments, plastic bags, etc).

   Q: Does the Highway Department maintain private roads?

A: 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.

   Q: Can I get a speed limit sign erected on my street?

A: The Highway Department may not install speed limits on town roads from just a residents’ request.  In order for a speed limit sign to be erected, an engineered speed study must be performed in accordance with the Massachusetts Highway Department’s Procedures for Speed Zoning on State & Municipal roads. Speed studies take into account geometry of the roadway, physical characteristics of the area, and the speed of which the majority of the vehicles currently travel.  A copy of the procedures may be obtained at the Highway Department.

   Q: Can I get stop signs erected to slow traffic?

A: Certain conditions must be met in order for a Stop sign to be erected. These conditions, or warrants, are set forth in the Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). The MUTCD is a national code for traffic signage/regulation. Slowing or discouraging traffic is not a warrant for posting stop signs. Any request for the installation of a stop sign will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

   Q: Where is my property line in relation to the paved roadway?

A: 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.

   Q: How do I get a deceased animal removed from the road?

A: Contact the Highway Department at (978) 597-1712 during normal business hours to have the deceased animal removed.  The town is responsible for the removal of dead animals from public property only (roads, sidewalks, parks, etc).  We are not permitted to go onto private property for removal.  During other times contact the police department at (978) 597-6214 for assistance.

   Q: Whom can I call after hours to report potentially hazardous roadway conditions?

A. For any after hour emergency situations concerning the Highway Department, please contact the Townsend Police at (978) 597-6214 and the dispatcher will contact standby DPW personnel.