[Massplanners] Fwd: Granite Curb vs. Bituminous

[Amy Dain]

In 2004 I surveyed the subdivision regs for curbing requirements in 187
cities and towns in Eastern MA. I know those have changed... but here's
what I found back then, text below.

(Full report, published 2005, here: https://www.dainresearch.com/reports)

**

Curbs come in a range of materials (bituminous concrete, granite, or
pre-cast concrete) and shapes (vertical, sloped, or rolled). Municipalities
often vary the curbing requirements along roads based on the density of
settlement and the types of uses along the roads. Where curbs are required,
more than half of the municipalities require granite curbing in typical
subdivisions, slightly fewer require either bituminous or give an option
between bituminous or granite (often at the discretion of the planning
board).

It is standard practice across most municipalities to require granite
curbing at intersections and catch basins, so this was not tracked by the
study. Requirements for “cape cod berms”—rolled curbs—are counted as
bituminous. Most of the regulations specified a curb type to be selected
when curbing is installed, but this requirement does not by itself indicate
whether curbing is usually required on subdivision roads. A few
municipalities list that pre-cast concrete curbing is required—these were
counted as requiring granite, since pre-cast concrete is more expensive
than bituminous concrete.

Some of the regulations list clear mandates for a given type of curbing,
while others leave more discretion to the planning board. For example,
Abington has a clear requirement for granite curbing (Section IV.B.8):“Each
and every street proposed to be built shall be required to have
straight-faced granite curbing, (See Exhibit D), on both sides of the
street for its entire length including all radii regardless of grades.”
Acton has a requirement for bituminous curbing, although it gives the Board
discretion to require alternate materials under some circumstances (Section
9.5.1):“A continuous, low-profile, modified Cape Cod berm shall be provided
as an integral part of all new streets. The Board may require alternate
curb materials depending on local conditions and the location and purpose
of the curb.” Marblehead lists either bituminous or granite (Section
258-20.F.7.a): “Bituminous concrete curb (Type 2) or sloped granite edge
per MDPW standards.”

According to Rebecca Curran, Marblehead Planner, (6/28/04) granite recently
has been the most commonly used curbing material. Burlington’s regulations
(Section 10.5) state that the planning board prefers granite curbing
throughout subdivisions; the second alternative is pre-cast concrete; the
third preference is bituminous concrete.

**

Amy Dain
Consultant in Research and Writing
Dain Research
Newton, MA
dainresearch.com

On Sun, Nov 28, 2021 at 4:41 PM Jeffrey Robert Levine via MassPlanners <
massplanners at masscptc.org> wrote:

> I find that most (if not all) New England communities use granite as the
> baseline. I’ve seen some asphalt allowed but it doesn’t last. Every place
> I’ve worked around here has had granite curbing as part of their roadway
> standards.
>
> In the Midwest, my experience was they used concrete curbing. I think
> that’s because granite is harder to get there (same reason the farmland
> there is better, you don’t find rock potatoes everywhere…) The concrete
> works fine for winter conditions if installed correctly, but I’m not sure
> it’s any cheaper here, and granite lasts longer.
>
> Jeff
>
> Jeff Levine, AICP (he/him)
>
> Lecturer in Housing, Community & Economic Development
> Department of Urban Studies & Planning
> Room 9-511
> jrlevine at mit.edu
> Personal Zoom Room: https://mit.zoom.us/my/jeff.levine
> @JLevineDUSP
> (617) 253-3964
>
>
> *From:* MassPlanners <massplanners-bounces at masscptc.org> *On Behalf Of *Katrina
> O'leary via MassPlanners
> *Sent:* Wednesday, November 24, 2021 9:47 AM
> *To:* Listserv (massplanners at masscptc.org) <massplanners at masscptc.org>
> *Subject:* [Massplanners] Granite Curb vs. Bituminous
>
>
>
> Hello.
>
> I’m looking for “rules of thumb,” practices, or policies regarding which
> roadways in your municipality are constructed with either bituminous
> curbing, straight/sloped faced granite curbing.
>
>
>
> *Katrina O'Leary, AICP   *
>
> *Middleton Town Planner*
>
> 195 North Main Street     Middleton, MA   01949     PH: (978)777-8917
>
> *When responding, please be aware that the Massachusetts Secretary of
> State has determined that most email is public record and, therefore,
> cannot be kept confidential.*
>
>
>
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