Is a private road open to the public?

Answer 1

Per West's Law Encyclopedia:

A private road is often established because an individual needs to gain access to land; such a road can cross another person's property. A private road can be used by the general public and is open to all who wish to use it, but it primarily benefits those at whose request it was established. Unlike highways that are cared for by the public at large, private roads are maintained at the expense of the private individuals who requested the road.

Anyone visiting a resident of the road can use it. Anyone performing work on any properties along the road can use it. The mail carriers can deliver mail; oil trucks can deliver oil and door to door sales people can use it. Private ways are often "dead end" streets and generally have scant traffic. However, if not a dead end a private street may be used by the public as a cut-through to another street.

Towns will often make minor repairs to private ways, such as resurfacing, upon petition by the abutting owners. However, there may be charges for that work. State laws that affect private ways vary from state to state.