Woodside Road

Woodside Road is a street of Queensland, the summer colony laid out in 1928 and 1929 on the west side of the Concord River in West Billerica, north of Nashua Road near its bridge over the river. It first appears on "Plan No. 1," the "Plan of Queensland on the Concord, Billerica, Mass., developed by the Linn Realty Service Inc., 251 Harvard St., Brookline, Mass.," drawn in December 1928 by R. F. Smith, surveyor, of Boston Road, Billerica, and recorded on May 3, 1929 (Plan Book 53, Plan 73). On that plan Woodside Road runs north from Curve Road, a short road off the "Chelmsford Road" (as Nashua Road was then called on the plan), parallel to and east of Queensland Road, with narrow house lots on both sides. No road on this line appears on the older maps.

The plan does not explain the name. Like Riveredge Road, Outlook Road and Curve Road on the same plan, it is a descriptive name of the kind common in such developments, here for the road along the edge of the woods back from the river.

Woodside Road was accepted as a town way at the annual town meeting of 1956. The warrant asked the town "to accept the laying out of Woodside Road as a town way" (Article 101), on the petition of residents, and to raise $1,320 to improve it (Article 102); the appropriation was voted, and the town's list of accepted streets gives "Woodside Road 3-27-56." In 1956 the highway department widened it to an 18 foot travel way, provided drainage and laid 12 inches of gravel base, and in 1957 it was given an asphalt surface ("Woodside and Bristol Streets"). A water main of 1,580 feet laid on "Woodside Road" in 1961 was probably on this street. It was graded, graveled, penetrated and sealed in 1969 and graded again in 1978. In 1988 the town accepted the adjoining stretches of Queensland Road "from Woodside Road southwesterly to James Road," and in 1989 it discontinued the short piece of Curve Road between Woodside Road and Queensland Road.

Woodside Road is not among the roads of the 1831 town map accepted by town meeting in October 2016. It should not be confused with the "Woodside Road, westerly from Boston Road" of the Woodside Manor Estates subdivision of 1956 (Plan Book 88, Plan 15), accepted in 1960 and renamed LaSallette Road when the town accepted it again under that name in 1961.

References

1. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1955: warrant Articles 101 and 102 to accept Woodside Road as a town way and raise $1,320 to improve it
2. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1956: appropriations voted, Article 102, Woodside Road $1,320
3. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1956: list of streets accepted by the town, "Woodside Road 3-27-56"
4. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1956: Seminole Rd., Fairview Ave. and Woodside Rd. widened to 18 ft. with 12 inches of gravel base
5. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1957: asphalt surface for Woodside and Bristol Streets, after resurfacing of the Queensland roads
6. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1961: water main extended 1,580 feet on Woodside Road
7. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1969: Woodside Rd. among streets graded, graveled, penetrated and sealed
8. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1988: town meeting accepts Queensland Road from Woodside Road southwesterly to James Road
9. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1989: town meeting discontinues the portion of Curve Road between Woodside Road and Queensland Road
10. Annual Report of the Town of Billerica, 1961: LaSallette Road, westerly from Boston Road, accepted (the other Woodside Road of 1956 to 1961)