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Highway Division
The Highway Division manages and maintains all streets, sidewalks, trees and bridges belonging to the Town, including related snow removal and pavement marking operations; and manages the garage and other miscellaneous activities of the Division.
Reporting Concerns
Any highway department/sign concerns can be reported to 508-832-7814. After hours, the Auburn Police may be contacted 508-832-7777 for emergencies only.
Catch Basins & Drainage
The Town is in the process of starting a new Storm water Department. This Department will be responsible for all of the catch basin cleaning and the drainage issues. This new department will be under the supervision of the Town Engineer. At this present time, the new Storm water employee has not been hired. When they are hired, they will work primarily on cleaning all of the catch basins every day, weather permitting.
Currently, any catch basin or drainage concerns can be reported to 508-832-7814. We are in the process of cleaning every catch basin in town and jetting all blocked lines.
Berm & Asphalt Work
The Highway Department owns two kinds of berm machines, a cape cod and a 6 inch. The Cape Cod berm is more popular and has a slope from the street up. The 6 inch berm is a straight up 6 inch berm, good for heavy flooding areas. Residents that need a berm replaced, a new berm added for water issues or need an asphalt repair, can call the office at 508-832-7814.
Please note, the asphalt repair list is only small repairs. These are not street that are going to be reconstructed. For a list of streets that are going to be reconstructed, please see the Town Engineer’s website.
Brushcutting
The Highway Department has two brush cutters. Unfortunately with all of the budget cuts, only one brush cutter has been running this year. Any brush cutting concerns can be reported to 508-832-7814.
- Holmes Street
- Oxford Street North at Sumner Street
- Sword Street at the railroad tracks
Leaf Pile Hours
The hours are as follows:
- Monday to Friday: 8:00 am to 1:00 pm
- Saturday and Sunday: 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
The anticipated opening date for the leaf pile is April 1, 2020.
Permits
Permits cost $20 ($15 for Senior Citizens) and are valid from July 1 to June 30. Permits are available to Town residents for purchase at the drop-off site at:
5 Millbury Street
Auburn, MA 01501
Snow Related Information
The Highway Department is responsible for maintaining the streets in all weather. The New England winters can sometimes prove to be a challenge. We do have a winter parking ban. From the 15th of November to the 15th of April, (which can be extended if need be), cars are not allowed to be parked on the streets overnight.
If a car is parked on the street and it is hindering our sanding or plowing operation, it can be towed. It is very important that our snow equipment be made access to all streets for everyone’s safety.
Routes
Plowing and sanding is divided into routes. Each route is responsible for specific streets. We have 8 sand routes and 16 plow routes. It takes approximately 2 hours to sand and 5 hours to plow the entire Town.
Sanding Operations
A mixture of sand and salt is used for our sanding operations. In staying within the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards set forth, we mix sand 3 times to 1 salt. A pile of that mixture is made available for the residents to take. We are very specific that the pile is for residents only, and not for business.
Anyone that is interested in plowing for the Town can contact the office for an application packet.
Street Sweeping
Each spring, the Highway Division sweeps every street at least once. The sweeping schedule is rotated each year, to keep it fair for all residents. The schedule is mainly grouped by precincts, however, some streets may overlap into different precincts. To allow the equipment operators to be as efficient as possible, please do not leave cars parked in the streets during the day. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.