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Highway Department Annual Report 2020

Town of Raynham Highway Department

Annual Report  2023-Pending

There are seven major areas of responsibility that are under the jurisdiction of the Highway Department: Maintenance of Public Ways, MS4 Stormwater Permit compliance, Snow and Ice, Solid Waste, Parks and Grounds, Highway Facility and Equipment  Maintenance. The department also reviews and oversees new residential and commercial development in conjunction with the Planning Board.

The Highway Department has 15 full-time employee positions, 1 part-time employee and additional seasonal employees. Of the 15 full-time positions, 5 are assigned to Maintenance of Public Ways, 3 to Solid Waste, 3 to Parks and Grounds, and the remaining 4 are management and support staff. This  staff is made up of the Highway Superintendent, General Foreman, Public Works Specialist, and Mechanic.

Maintenance of Public Ways 

The Highway Department is responsible for the general maintenance and repair of Public Ways Infrastructure in the Town of Raynham. Maintenance activities typically consist of pothole repair, roadside litter removal, roadside brush mowing, cleaning catch basins, street sweeping, sidewalk cleaning, stormwater system repairs, storm cleanup, emergency repairs, pavement markings, street signage, and two traffic signals in areas under the Town’s jurisdiction. The Highway Department also assists most other Town Departments such as Police, Fire, Water, Sewer, Parks and Recreation, Council on Aging, Library, Town Hall and School Department on an as-needed or emergency basis. The Town Highway Department does not maintain Route 138 (Broadway), Route 44 (New State Highway) Route 24, or Route 495 which are Mass DOT’s jurisdiction. 

2020 Summary of Routine Maintenance Performed

  1. Placement of bituminous concrete for street patching was performed as needed throughout the Town to repair potholes and utility trenches.
  2. Many of the drainage easements and storm water retention areas the Town is responsible for were cut this period.
  3. Street sweeping of all travel lanes of Town roadways was performed. All Town roads were swept at least once and nine public parking lots were swept.
  4. Cleaned and/or inspected Town-maintained catch basins as needed.
  5. Most pavement markings including centerlines, fog lines, stop bars and crosswalks were re-painted through the Town.
  6. Issued 67 combination Street Opening Trench Permits.
  7. Issued 17 Property Development Permits.
  8. Issued 2 Public Works Construction Licenses.

Snow and Ice Removal

The Highway Department performs snow and ice removal operations on all public ways under the Town’s jurisdiction. The department has 8 large CDL trucks equipped with plows and/or salt spreaders, additional smaller plow trucks, and several pieces of heavy equipment. The department also hires additional equipment from the Raynham Center Water District and private contractors to complete the snow fighting force. Rock salt is purchased and stored at our facility. The Highway Department completed the construction of the new 1,800-ton capacity Salt Shed in late 2019. This facility also provides much needed Equipment storage space and is a welcomed addition. 

In the 2019-2020 Winter season approximately 18 inches of snow in total was reported. This consisted of eleven (11) Snow & Ice related events which required a response from the Highway Department. Four (4) of the 11 events required plowing. The cost of this year’s program was approximately $208,788.91.                                                

2020 Highway Department Infrastructure Projects 

The Highway Department managed a number of asphalt paving and other Infrastructure projects using available funding sources from Chapter 90, Infrastructure Articles, Planning Board and Sewer Department funds to perform pavement resurfacing and sidewalk re-construction. Roadway work generally consisted milling, leveling and overlaying with 1.5 to 2.5-inches of bituminous concrete. Castings were adjusted or repaired as necessary. The following streets were completed;

  1. Britton Street (Route 138 to Center Street) – 0.52 miles
  2. North Main Street (Bridgewater Town line to Tracy’s Corner intersection) – 1.5 miles
  3. Locust Street (Pleasant Street to Forest Street) – 1.52 miles
  4. Forest Street (Locust Street to Leonard Street) – 0.65 miles
  5. Brook Street – 0.29 miles
  6. Fair Lane - 0.16 miles
  7. High Ridge Drive – 0.33 miles
  8. Cedar Mill Drive – 0.16 miles
  9. Rose Terrace - 0.17 miles
  10. Juniper Hill Drive - 0.29 miles 

Total roads paved is approximately 5.6 miles

Additional Projects of Note

  1. White Street Pedestrian Footbridge – After several years of planning and following the re-construction of White Street roadway and sidewalk in 2019, RHD completed construction of this 60-foot plus span footbridge at the Forge River on White Street. The project consisted of a built in-place concrete and steel arched bridge to connect the previously completed sidewalk network on White Street. This provides enhanced safety and fluid pedestrian access at this location which was previously incomplete due to a narrow road bridge without the necessary sidewalk connectivity.
  2. Pedestrian Safety Improvements – Added the Town’s first Solar powered RRFB’s (Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons) at two Crosswalk locations for enhanced Pedestrian and Public Safety. One system was installed at North Main Street near White Street, the second at Pleasant Street near Darrington Drive. The Highway Department will monitor these locations and plans are to continue adding additional RRFB’s to high traffic Crosswalk locations in the near future.
  3. Approximately 500 feet of new Sidewalk, curbing, and crosswalk was added to a section of Pleasant Street between Bayberry Road and Paddock Road. This addition provides a safe new link to connect the two large subdivision entrance roads with direct access to the Pleasant Street Sidewalk Crosswalk.
  4. New ADA compliant ramps and Crosswalk access improvements were completed at a several locations on North Main Street (at Juniper Hill Dr. and Jess Marie Rd), Orchard Street (between Katie Dr. and Orchard Ave.), and at other existing locations on Pleasant Street.
  5. Pavement Traffic Markings - were refreshed throughout the Town. Crosswalks are being converted to the Zebra-stripe style for improved visibility. North Main Street (from Bridgewater line to Tracy’s Corner was upgraded to Thermoplastic. A bicycle lane will be created in 2021 in this area.
  6. Traffic Safety Signage Improvements – Crosswalk and other Traffic Sign replacement and improvements are planned for 2021 to enhance Public Safety.

5 Year Capital Improvement Program 

At the Special Town Meeting in October of 2020 Capital Improvement Programs were postponed until the Spring Town Meeting due to uncertainty related to the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Highway Facility and Equipment Maintenance

Maintenance is generally performed on-site for all Highway Department vehicles and equipment. The department has one mechanic. 

Parks and Grounds Division

The Parks and Grounds Division of the Highway Department consists of 3 full-time employees. They are responsible for the day to day mowing and general landscaping maintenance of the recreational facilities of the Town including Borden Colony, Johnson’s Pond, Merrill and LaLiberte complexes, Raynham Middle School, and other small areas throughout the Town of Raynham. The maintenance activities generally include extensive mowing of grassy areas, marking and lining of playing fields, cutting brush and shrubs, beautification, mulching, oversight of fertilization program, operating and maintaining irrigation systems, and trash removal in designated areas. Work is performed in conjunction with the Parks and Recreation department. During the growing seasons of spring, summer, and fall, it is necessary to add seasonal staff to meet the demands of the division. The division also assists with special events, parades, and holiday lighting.

Solid Waste

The Solid Waste division within the Highway Department consists of 3 full time employees and 1 part time employee. They are responsible for the daily operations of the Transfer Station and annual maintenance and upkeep of the closed landfill adjacent to the facility. The Transfer Station operation consists of municipal solid waste collection and a recycling center which includes the items and annual quantities listed below in the recycling report card.  

The existing closed landfill was monitored and maintained in accordance with all DEP requirements. This consists of operation and maintenance of the gas flare, bi-annual mowing, groundwater and gas well monitoring and sampling, and other routine inspections.