To Public Works Director Fred Hurley, the sound of pavement milling and the smell of newly laid asphalt spells progress.

Several milling and paving teams from Newtown’s Department of Public Works and contractor Tilcon Connecticut Inc have been fanning out across the community with plans to complete more or all of the scheduled and budgeted road projects before the state’s asphalt plants close for the year, signaling the end to “paving season.”

Speaking to The Newtown Bee earlier this week on the subject, First Selectman Dan Rosenthal said most of the planned drainage work, milling, road renovations, and paving projects are going as planned.

He did say that several areas where chip sealed resurfacing failed around town were being, or had been, addressed by the appropriate contractor working in cooperation with local DPW staff. He said areas of Cobbler’s Mill and Mountain Manor Roads in Sandy Hook will be completed in the spring, before the end of the fiscal year.

“We’re also looking at several other roads for chip sealing in the spring,” Mr Rosenthal said, “and we’ll be reserving some of our budget to complete that if weather prevents us from getting to it by the end of this paving season.”

Another road initially selected for resurfacing — Birch Hill, between Scudder and Great Hill Roads — is going to be subject to more intensive renovations, the first selectman said. That work will involve new drainage systems, which might be installed before winter.

“So that overlay will probably be done in the spring,” he said.

In addition, residents on private roads who are collectively contributing to materials costs will also see all planned road resurfacing and work completed as planned either before winter or soon after asphalt plants reopen in the spring.

Newtown Legislative Council Chairman Paul Lundquist told The Newtown Bee that he is inviting Mr Hurley to an upcoming meeting to review any road work already completed and to discuss plans for the remaining fiscal cycle. Residents can check for that session by accessing council agendas at newtown-ct.gov/legislative-council.