The closing of the Framingham Registry of Motor Vehicles office will mean prospective drivers will have to travel to Watertown or Worcester to take the driving test, while other matters can be taken care of on the Internet or at the new Natick location.
The transition from the Framingham to the Natick RMV offices will occur in mid-August, said RMV spokeswoman Ann Dufresne. The new location, at the Mass. Turnpike service plaza, will provide some of the services offered at the Framingham branch, but not all.
"Natick will be an express branch, where you can do all registrations and license renewals," Dufresne said. "It will not have driver tests or road tests."
With Framingham closed, the closest branches for MetroWest and Milford area residents seeking to take a road test will be in Watertown, Dorchester or Worcester. The Milford branch does not offer road tests.
If the new system does not work, Dufresne said RMV officials may look at making changes.
"This is a plan that will require tweaking. We will measure the impact on our customers and their needs," Dufresne said. "It is a comprehensive plan, but it is not final. As things crop up we will address them."
The branches that will close are located in buildings not owned by the state, Dufresne said, but they will open new offices, like the one in Natick, in properties owned by other state transportation agencies that are either vacant or underutilized.
Several criteria were considered when RMV officials decided which branches would close, Dufresne said, including the number of customers served, geography, and the proximity to other Registry offices.
Framingham was the ninth busiest branch out of 34 branches last year, Dufresne said, with nearly 165,000 customers served last year. The building, located at 10 Pearl St., is owned by Hemenway Inc. of Framingham.
State Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, said the decision to close the Framingham branch was surprising, but she said the new Natick branch will help take up the slack.
"I was surprised. The Registry has been open in Framingham as far back as I can remember, and I know it is a very busy Registry but I also know we are in tough times," Spilka said. "It is going to be a little longer wait. We are trying to work things out so there will be the least imposition possible. (Having the Natick office) will be helpful to help mitigate the Framingham closing."
Spilka said she would like to see the new branch also be a place for people to get new license plates.
The move had to be made, said state Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, because the state must make cutbacks in the current tough economic times.
"Obviously there is an inconvenience for people in MetroWest who need the benefit of a full-service Motor Vehicle office," Linsky said. "In an ideal world, I'd like to see the Framingham Registry remain open, but people have to understand just how significant the state budget situation is. Services throughout the state government are being cut."
The Registry wants people to do as much of their business as possible through its Web site, Dufresne said. She said most routine transactions can be done there, besides things like getting a new license or converting an out-of-state license.
"All routine license and registration can be done online," Dufresne said. "We don't understand why people would want to go to a branch when they can do it in the comfort of their home."
The new Natick location will share space with the office where the Mass. Pike distributes FastLane Pass transponders, Dufresne said.
"There will be access through Rte. 27 so people don't have to go on the Pike or pay a toll," Dufresne said.
The transition will be made so the area will not have to go without a Registry office, Dufresne said.
"We are trying to schedule it so we close one branch on a Friday and the new one will open the following Monday," Dufresne said.
(Charlie Breitrose can be reached at 508-626-3964 or cbreitro@cnc.com.)
