Highway Department
.Mike Tarr is the Road Agent for the Town of Nelson. This position is appointed by the Selectmen. Together with his “crew”, Nick Barrett (below), they manage the challenges of huge snowstorms, heavy rains, and of course, mud season. In addition to knowing how to use all the heavy equipment, they need to be able to fix it when “stuff” happens.
Nelson has 37 miles of public roads. N
nine miles are state roads, including approximately three miles of Route 9 which run from the Sullivan to the Stoddard town
lines, the section of Old Route. 9 beginning from the off ramp from Route 9 to the turn onto the Nelson Road, and the Nelson Road itself which begins with a westerly turn off of old Route 9, passes through Nelson Village, and continues to the Harrisville town line.
Of the 28 miles of town roads, six miles are paved, and 22 are dirt (or, seasonally, ice or mud). Over the years the roads have been improved by the addition of larger and strategically placed culverts, as well as careful attention to drainage patterns. As a result they have held up remarkably well in spite of major rain storms and snow melts that had the potential to do significant damage and make the roads impassible. The skill and forethought that goes into maintaining roads of this nature has not gone unappreciated by the citizens of Nelson