Tewksbury Conservation Commission Approves Utility and Wetland Restoration Permits

Conservation · Meeting of February 4, 2026

Tewksbury Conservation Commission unanimously approves permits for a utility corridor overhaul and a $1.65 million Superfund-funded wetland restoration. The commission voted to approve a notice of intent for a transmission line maintenance project along the 396 right-of-way, covering the replacement of five wooden utility structures with steel, access road improvements, and work pad grading across roughly 1.9 miles from the Tewksbury 22A substation to the Andover border, with construction set for March 2027 through February 2028. The commission also approved a notice of intent and land disturbance permit for town-led wetland restoration at Molly Drive and Poplar Street, funded through a natural resource damage settlement tied to the Sutton Brook Superfund site.

Senior Ecologist Alex Patterson of EA Engineering told the commission the project would remove approximately 6,726 cubic yards of historical fill across the two sites and restore more than an acre of shrub wetland, forested wetland, and floodplain, with construction targeted for late fall 2026. Two Poplar Street residents, Paul Roy and Sean Hussey, raised concerns about a previously proposed parking area, since removed from the plan, and the need for a dead-end sign to prevent drivers from turning around in residential driveways near the gated site entrance.

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Source: the Conservation meeting of February 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.