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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.
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. Any brush cutting concerns can be reported to 508-832-7814.
YARDwaste Drop off 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 March 25, 2021.
Permits
- $20 for residents 60 years and over
- $25 for residents under 60 years
- $35 for in-town contractors
- $45 for out-of-town contractors
- $35 price per commercial load
Permits 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
Anyone that enters this site does so at their own risk. Only on vehicle per sticker. Stickers must be placed on the driver's windshield, left hand side. Any sticker that is not on a vehicle must have the license plate number written on the back of the sticker.
Only grass clippings and leaves are accepted on the grass clipping side. Only brush, small branches (no more than 3 inches in diameter) is accepted on the brush side.
We do not accept stones, sand, stumps, wood, fencing, trash, fruits, or vegetables. No plastic bags of any type.
No smoking - please respect our attendants and our rules. Those that do not will have their permit revoked.
If you purchase a new car, or replace your windshield, you should bring your sticker or your sticker number and your license plate to the attendant to receive a replacement sticker.
The attendant may close the site for safety reasons at any time.
Illegal dumping will result in the permit being revoked.
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 salting 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 salting is divided into routes. Each route is responsible for specific streets. We have 8 salt routes and 16 plow routes. It takes approximately 2 hours to salt and 5 hours to plow the entire Town.
salt for residents
A mixture of sand and salt at the entrance to the Department of Public Works is available for 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.