Private roads

In a decision filed yesterday, a State Supreme Court judge for Suffolk County ruled that roads in the Oak Hills community were made public highways by Town Board resolution in 2015, and that obligates the town highway superintendent to provide services due all public highways as required by State Highway Law.

A State Supreme Court judge this week ordered the Riverhead Town highway superintendent to plow the "roadways" in the Oak Hills community in Baiting Hollow, the subject of ongoing litigation between the homeowners association, the highway superintendent and the town board.

There's no love lost between Town Supervisor Sean Walter and Highway Superintendent George Woodson, but their dispute over the town's responsibility for private roads continues to escalate.

Highway Superintendent George Woodson’s dispute with the town board over taking over as “highways by use” private roads in Baiting Hollow has expanded into a dispute over responsibility for the highway chief’s legal fees.

An ongoing dispute between a Baiting Hollow community and the Riverhead highway superintendent over responsibility for maintaining roads in the community has made its way to court.

But the town's attempt to limit responsibility to snow-clearing violates state law, which requires the town to make the roads 'public highways', according to the Oak Hills Association, which says it has consulted legal counsel and is contemplating going to court.

Which “private” roads in the Town of Riverhead will be plowed and maintained by the highway department was again the topic of discussion at...

Dozens of residents who want the town to continue plowing the private roads they live on gave the town board an earful during a...

Riverhead's 'Supervisor for a Day" presided over Wednesday's town board meeting, where the board: held a hearing on the 2015 budget, set a Dec. 2 hearing on the issue of private roads maintenance by the highway department, authorized a $350,000 grant application for WaterFire Riverhead and more.

Riverhead will pursue legislation to allow the highway department to plow private roads without assuming broader responsibilities for maintenance and repairs.