Communities putting road funds to work

Communities across the state have been hard at work using the record total of $330 million in local roadway funding available for the current construction season.

The Baker administration released $100 million in Chapter 90 funds in January, another $30 million in Winter Recovery Assistance funds in March, and an additional $200 million in Chapter 90 funds on July 1.

The $330 million has been put to work patching potholes, paving cracks, resurfacing road defects, and replacing salt sheds, damaged signs, guardrails, storm drains and line striping.

In Newbury, work on town roads has been speeding along at an unprecedented pace this summer, Town Administrator Tracy Blais told the Daily News of Newburyport. Town Meeting approved $31,000 to hire an engineer to create a detailed road inventory and assist the Department of Public Works in prioritizing future roadwork through a pavement management program. Voters also approved a $125,000 tax override to start implementing the new management plan.

“Although we had a preliminary listing of town-adopted roadways,” Blais told the Daily News, “a reconciliation of the town’s records with Mass Highway’s records indicated some discrepancies, so a review and inventory were the first step.

“The [pavement management] program classifies our roadways into repair categories that allow us to address the backlog of necessary roadway repairs while maintaining the other roads with preventative and other routine maintenance initiatives,” Blais continued. “We expect that residents will notice a marked improvement in the town’s roadways immediately — with continued improvement on an annual basis.”

The Wellesley Department of Public Works received state approval to use Chapter 90 funding to construct a $900,000, 6,700-square-foot building for storing the town’s salt, de-icing and sand-salt mix materials. The new building will replace the existing 3,360-square-foot salt shed as well as the adjacent 900-square-foot sand/salt building. The project budget, funded entirely by Chapter 90 funds, is based on DPW forces doing the on-site drainage, site work and landscaping.

In recent years, Wellesley has received about $830,000 per year in Chapter 90 funds, used for a variety of projects. The salt shed project has been part of the town’s financial plan and was originally proposed for construction in 2012. The project was approved by the state in March.

Oxford Public Works Director Sean Divoll told the Worcester Telegram that he is in the process of getting a consultant to design a sidewalk on Sutton Avenue near a Market Basket and Home Depot. He said the town plans to fund the $500,000 project with a combination of Chapter 90 funds and supplemental town meeting appropriations. This year, the state granted Oxford $755,000 in Chapter 90 funds, while Town Meeting appropriated an additional $150,000.