Street Opening - Driveway Requirements - Applications

Street Opening Permit Requirements

A Street-Opening Permit (PDF) is required for excavation on any roads of the Town of Upton. The Department of Public Works (DPW) will issue the permit. There is a $100 fee for the permit and permits will not be issued during the period of November 15th to April 1st except for emergencies.

Contractors/applicants are responsible for that part of the street that was excavated for a period of one year after the completion of the work and acceptance by the Department of Public Works (DPW). Completion of the work shall mean the installation and proper compaction of the final top course, as well as when the contractor/applicant has completed the particular work requiring the excavation. Permits expire thirty days from the date of issuance. If work has not commenced by this time, a new permit must be obtained and an additional fee of $100 may be required.

Paving / Patching Specifications

The following are the paving / patching specifications and requirements of the Town of Upton. These specifications are for both road paving and the patching of utility road cuts with Type I bituminous concrete pavement.

  1. Base course (where applicable) - gravel borrow or processed gravel to be placed under the pavement shall consist of eighteen inches (18") of gravel evenly spread and thoroughly compacted. The gravel shall be spread in layers, not more than six inches (6") thick (compacted measure) and shall be compacted with a mechanical vibratory compactor. Tampering with a backhoe bucket is not an acceptable method of compaction.
  2. Temporary Pavement
    • Temporary Pavement is to be a minimum depth of three inches (3"). This may consist of a temporary "hot" mix or cold patch as approved by the DPW. The contractor/applicant will be held responsible for any and all repairs to the temporary patch and must maintain it until such time as permanent pavement is applied. The contractor/applicant is required to provide the DPW with the name and telephone number of the party responsible for making any and all repairs. The Town of Upton is not responsible for making such repairs. Temporary pavement shall remain in place for a minimum of ninety days to allow for any additional settling of the excavation. The permanent pavement must be applied within one hundred and twenty days from the time of placement of the temporary pavement, and must be applied using the permanent paving method described below.
    • In addition to the $100 permit fee, the contractor/applicant must provide to the DPW a bond large enough to ensure that the project can be completed in the event the contractor/applicant fail to do so. The bond requirement is three-thousand dollars, and must be posted prior to the commencement of any work done to roads under the jurisdiction of the Upton Department of Public Works. If the DPW determines that a $3,000 bond will not be sufficient to cover the cost of the proposed work, the Director of Public Works and/or the Highway Supervisor will specify the amount of bond that the contractor/applicant must post.
    • The contractor/applicant is responsible for their work for a period of one year from the date of completion. Any problems arising from their work must be corrected to the satisfaction of the Director of Public Works and/or the Highway Supervisor.
  3. Permanent Pavement - permanent pavement shall consist of a binder course and a top course as specified below.
    • Preparation: Trenches - utility road cuts - patches. Prior to pacing the permanent binder course, the existing pavement shall be cut using a concrete saw or by an equivalent method (a jackhammer for example) to the full depth of the pavement, in a neat, true line, one foot (12") outside the limits of the excavation, within the roadway surface. The pavement shall not be cut using a backhoe, Gradall, or other ripping equipment. Prior to paving, the gravel base course shall be evenly graded and compacted in six-inch (6") lifts utilizing a mechanical vibratory compactor. Tamping with a backhoe bucket is not an acceptable method. Immediately prior to installing the binder course, the trimmed pavement edges must be inspected and verified to be stable, unyielding and free of loose or broken pieces. All edges shall be thoroughly broom clean, and a tact coat of emulsion applied prior to binder course placement.
    • Binder Course: The binder course shall be a minimum of four inches (4") thick when compacted, and within the composition limits as approved by the Massachusetts Highway Department Standards. It shall be placed only between the edges of the existing pavement. Where the existing binder course exceeds three inches (3") in depth, multiple lifts of binder - not more than three inches (3") thick - shall be made to match the existing binder pavement thickness.
    • Top Course: The top course of pavement shall be one-and-one-half inch (1 ½") thick when compacted, and within the composition limits as approved by the Massachusetts Highway Department Standards. Prior to placement of the top course, the entire binder over which the top course is to be placed shall be broom clean and tack-coated.

Compaction: Compaction of the top course shall be achieved using mechanical steel-wheel-rollers at the appropriate time so that the mix temperature will allow for final smoothing of the surface and provide thorough compaction.

Non-compliance: Any contractor/applicant who fails to comply with any of these requirements - as determined by the Department of Public Works - will not be granted any new street opening permits and any of their current permits will be revoked.