The Hubbardston Select Board voted Oct. 20 to approve submission of a Massachusetts Department of Transportation application to exclude heavy commercial vehicles from the upper section of Brigham Street and reroute truck traffic to Evergreen and Route 68. The motion was made and seconded and passed by unanimous vote.

Town staff presented the application as a preventive step taken after the town replaced a culvert and plans to repave that portion of the road. Tricia (town staff) said the requested exclusion would bar vehicles over 2 tons from Brigham Street "especially since that road is to be paved" and to "maintain its structural integrity as time goes on." She told the board the top part of Brigham is extremely narrow and that she has seen large trucks and minivans jockey for space.

A nearby resident, Tom Robinson of 5 Brigham Street, who lives at the "tight spot on the road," told the board the road has become rough from increasingly large trucks, citing 20- and 24-yard dump trucks. Robinson said the change would be welcomed by residents on that stretch. Staff said traffic and axle counts, plus speed data collected by the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission with town assistance, were included in the packet sent to MassDOT.

Officials described the MassDOT process: the town will forward an application and supporting evidence; MassDOT will treat this as an emergency request because of road condition, inspect the site, and typically take about a week to 10 days to act or to request supplemental information. The board said once MassDOT issues its determination the town will receive notification and follow any next steps.

Board members asked about enforcement; the chief explained enforcement will rely on signage and routine police patrols and that the town can increase patrols initially. Staff also said the town will notify commercial routing services and mapping vendors once MassDOT issues the exclusion so truck routing maps will change to reflect the restriction, though mapping updates are not instantaneous.

The board voted unanimously to approve the submission as presented and directed staff to notify the board once MassDOT reaches a decision.