Transportation
Howland Road & Truck Traffic
What moving 6.45 million cubic yards by truck would mean in trips — with every assumption stated and adjustable.
60-Second Summary
- At 30 cubic yards per load, the full 6.45M cubic yards is approximately 215,000 loaded truck trips — about 430,000 total movements counting empty returns.
- At 20 cubic yards per load (a smaller, more common local truck size), that figure rises to approximately 323,000 loaded trips.
- The owners told the Town they hoped rail could carry some volume depending on the eventual end user — use the calculator to see how the truck-trip count changes if less than 100% moves by road.
- The maximum daily truck-trip count the applicant would commit to has not been disclosed.
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Illustrative scenario — not an applicant operating commitment
Fixed input: total project volume of 6,453,850 cubic yards (source: Lakeville public hearing notice). Rail can reduce road hauling only to the extent it is operationally available, physically connected, commercially viable, and contractually committed — see Rail Feasibility.
Illustrative Truck-Trip Scenarios
Calculated ScenarioTruck trips (loaded and total, including empty return)
| Loaded trips at 30 yd³ | ≈215,000 |
| Loaded trips at 20 yd³ | ≈323,000 |
| Total movements (30 yd³, incl. empty return) | ≈430,000 |
Assumptions: 30 cubic yards and 20 cubic yards represent a typical range of dump-truck/tri-axle capacities. Total movements = loaded trips × 2 (one empty return per loaded trip).
Methodology: 6.45M cubic yards ÷ truck capacity, rounded up to the nearest whole trip.
Key sources
- Lakeville traffic study — Howland Road corridor — Town of Lakeville, 2024
- Aggregate, sand and gravel railcar equipment — typical 100–110 ton capacities — CSX Transportation
What has not been disclosed
- The maximum number of truck trips per day, week, and year the applicant would commit to
- The absolute maximum truck-trip scenario if rail transportation does not materialize at all
- Proposed haul routes, hours of operation, and any routing restrictions
- Howland Road's existing pavement structural capacity for repeated heavy-axle loading
See also: Roads & Infrastructure for the Town’s 2024 paving estimate, and Rail Feasibility for what would actually be required to move volume by rail instead of road.
Key sources
- Lakeville public hearing notice — proposed removal of approx. 6,453,850 cubic yards — Town of Lakeville, 2026
- Lakeville traffic study — Howland Road corridor — Town of Lakeville, 2024
- Aggregate, sand and gravel railcar equipment — typical 100–110 ton capacities — CSX Transportation
- Soil design guidance — loose dry sand, approx. 99–102 lb/ft³ — MassDOT