Highway

March 21, 2023

The department has recently posted all town roads with the 4-ton weight limit signs. If you have any questions regarding this posting, please contact the highway department. There will be crews going around the town to clean up the wing-cuts, etc. caused by the winter maintenance of town roads with the snowplows. Weather permitting, we will be sweeping the roads town-wide of the sand put down during our winter maintenance season. Once the roads have been cleared and the warmer season progresses our crews will begin roadside mowing as time and weather permits. Please slow down when coming upon our employees and equipment, for their safety as well as yours.

03/21/23

Please Note:
The Highway Department will be posting the town roads for the 4-ton weight limit. If your vehicle is over this weight limit, please contact the highway superintendent before attempting to drive in or out of a town road. The superintendent can be reached at the following numbers:

Highway Department Office: (518) 882-6651

Highway Superintendent’s Cell: (518) 265-0426

Bulk Waste Drop-Off Dates:

Our annual Bulk Waste Drop-Off will be held this year on the following weeks:

1^st Date: To Be Determined
2^nd Date: To Be Determined
Time:  To Be Determined
Location: Town Complex, Highway Department

PLEASE NOTE – THE FOLLOWING ITEMS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED: 

• No Electronics
• No Hazardous Materials
  • Paints, paint thinners, petroleum products (oil/gas), etc.
• No Household Garbage
• No Propane Tanks
• No Tires
• No yard debris, leaves, branches, etc.

We will accept the following:

• Metal
• Refrigerators and Freezers
  • They MUST be drained of refrigerants prior to drop-off

PLEASE NOTE: All waste drop-off needs to be supervised so please see an employee before leaving your waste.

During the week of the bulk waste drop-off, enter the Town Complex and go through the gate to the Highway Department building. There will be a designated area for waste drop-off. If an employee is not available outside please honk your horn; we ask that you do no enter the highway garage. Thank you.

(This procedure is subject to change based upon COVID-19 guidelines.)

Current Road Construction:

Will update this section once the 2023 construction season is underway.

Updates:

2023 Updates Coming Soon

Department Maintenance Reports
We have added access to current and previous years of highway department maintenance reports from 2014 to the present. Please click the following link:

Highway Department Maintenance Reports

Construction Season
We have now added a Highway Department Construction Season page to the site. Currently available is the 2018 Construction Season. Please click the following link:

Highway Department Construction Season

Please Note:
The Highway Department has fielded several calls recently in regards to State Route 147; even though Route 147 runs through the Town of Galway it is NOT a town road that the department maintains. If there are any issues in regards to this State Highway please contact the New York State Department of Transportation at their DPW phone number (518) 584-3790.

In order for a resident to install or modify a driveway, a permit application needs to be filled out and approved by the Highway Superintendent. This is pursuant to Article IV, Section 2 G of the Town of Galway Zoning Law to construct or modify a driveway connection with in the Right of Way of a Town highway. This applies only to roads that the Town maintains. If an applicant resides on a State or County highway they will need to contact those authorities prior to any construction. The contact number for the Saratoga County DPW is (518) 885-9020 and for the State DPW is (518) 584-3790.

To download the permit please click the following link: Residential Driveway Interface Permit
In the Chrome browser it may not open automatically to the fillable form, you may need to Click “open in desktop app” to gain access to the fillable form or you can download the file to your computer where the form can also be printed and filled in by hand or you can use the fillable feature to fill in the form, print and sign.

Permit applications can be dropped off at the Highway Department or the Town Hall. They can also be faxed to (518) 882-5325. The department will also accept e-mailed permits but they must be in .pdf file format. Unfortunately we can not accept files in .jpg format due to the distortion that occurs as you magnify the file to get it to letter size; it makes the document unreadable and unprintable.

As a courtesy, we will replace mailboxes that we damage during the winter season, with a “standard” mailbox. This applies to residents on “Town” roads only. However, we are not responsible for keeping the area around your mailboxes plowed out. If you reside on a County or State highway you will need to contact those authorities in regards to your mailbox. The contact number for the Saratoga County DPW is (518) 885-9020 and for the State DPW is (518) 584-3790.

To download Highway Department mailbox requirements please click the following link:  Mailbox Requirements

During the spring and summer months the department maintains the recreation fields located on Route 147 across from the bank. We are charged with mowing, weed-whacking and seeing that the fields are maintained in good order for the publics use.

With the warmer weather the youth activities at the ball fields on Route 147 are in full swing. We would like to remind residents and visitors to please respect the rules of the fields by not parking on the grass or pulling vehicles onto these location to load/unload your vehicles. Also we request that you please pick up your garbage and dispose of it properly. The employees work hard to maintain these fields for public use and appreciate the public respecting the Towns’ requests in keeping these areas clean and safe for our children.

PLEASE NOTE: No Dogs Are Allowed on the Dockstader Recreational Fields

(By resolution of the Town Board on June 14, 2016)

Depending on the weather, street sweepers will be out in March and April cleaning the winter sand off the roads and intersections.

We will continue maintaining the ROW’s (Right of Ways). Our focus will be on clearing brush, downed trees and branches town-wide as well as fixing washouts, pot holes, etc.

Roadside mowing continues through the summer and fall months along with maintaining several cemeteries throughout the town.

The department also assists during the annual Road-Side Clean-Up by picking up the roadside debris that has been collected by volunteers. This activity is usually scheduled in spring. Residents that want to participate in cleaning their “assigned road” can pick-up the orange trash bags at the Highway Department. This clean-up applies only to the roads that the Town maintains. Please see the Town’s home page in the spring for details.

For those residents that have garbage picked-up by County Waste or Twin Bridges, please remember that your cans can NOT be placed in the roadway. Your garbage cans should be off the pavement. Placing the cans in the road creates a hazard to the motoring public.

The Town operates four trucks during the winter months each following a planned route that covers 57.77 center-line miles resulting in 113.94 total lane miles that the Town maintains. It takes approximately three hours to complete one round of plowing.

With the winter season comes the need to touch on the subject of mailboxes and garbage cans. We try our best to not hit mailboxes or your garbage cans. For those residents that have their garbage picked-up by County Waste or Twin Bridges, we request garbage cans be placed behind the snow banks, your cans CAN NOT be placed in the roadway. This will help to keep them from getting knocked over by the snow coming off of our plows. Placing them in the roadway creates a hazard and puts the motoring public at risk and results in our hitting the cans.

There are wood chips and during the winter months, salted sand, available to Town residents. These items are located on the right-hand side of the driveway, as you pull into the Town Complex, BEFORE the main gate of the Highway Department.

PLEASE NOTE:

Any materials that are in the gated area of the Highway Department are NOT for public use.

If you notice that a street sign is missing that belongs on a road maintained by the Town please contact the department so that a new replacement sign can be ordered and installed.

As for making a request for signage on town roads the following is the process for those requests:

• A letter needs to be written and submitted to the Highway Superintendent with the request for the signage (i.e. speed limit reduction, stop, yield, bus stop ahead, etc.) and the location of the request.
• Once this has been done the Highway Superintendent submits that request to the Town Board.
• The Town Board then notifies the proper State/County authorities with the request.
• Please Note that any request for signage involves a lengthy process and does not happen over-night. It can take several months before the Town is notified of the decision for the signage request which is received from the New York State Department of Transportation.
• Due to liability issues the department does not put up any road signs without prior approval from the New York State Department of Transportation.

To download the driveway permit please click the following link: Residential Driveway Interface Permit
In the Chrome browser it may not open automatically to the fillable form, you may need to Click “open in desktop app” to gain access to the fillable form or you can download the file to your computer where the form can also be printed and filled in by hand or you can use the fillable feature to fill in the form, print and sign.

Permit applications can be dropped off at the Highway Department or the Town Hall. They can also be faxed to (518) 882-5325. The department will also accept e-mailed permits but they must be in .pdf file format. Unfortunately we can not accept files in .jpg format due to the distortion that occurs as you magnify the file to get it to letter size; it makes the document unreadable and unprintable.

To download Highway Department mailbox requirements please click the following link: Mailbox Requirements

Highway Department Maintenance Reports
Access to the department maintenance reports from 2014 to present.

Highway Department Construction Season
Pictures from the current road construction season. Currently available is the 2018 construction season.