’99 Saw An Increase In Road Improvements

By Steve Bigham

Public Works Director Fred Hurley met with the Board of Selectmen Monday night to report a very productive summer of road improvement work in Newtown. He attributed much of the success to the increased financial support in the current town budget. And the future looks bright, as long as the money is there.

This year, the town’s highway crews have resurfaced 21 miles of road, well up from a year ago.

“We made a lot of headway this year. It’s all due to the support of the budget in terms of paving and cap construction,” Mr Hurley said. “If [the Board of Selectmen] can stay at this level for another four or five years, we’re looking at a switch from a road reconstruction mode to a road maintenance mode.”

Mr Hurley said he has no plans to ask for more money, but stressed the importance of maintaining the current level.

“It all comes down to funding and we have the commitment of the Board of Selectmen,” Mr Hurley said. “Everybody benefits from improved road. It’s the one thing that everyone can share.”

At the current rate, First Selectman hopes the highway crews can make road improvements to 80 to 90 roads over the next four years.

“We’re starting to get good comments instead of just complaints about the condition of roads,” Mr Rosenthal said.

The tangible evidence of road improvements is there. Last year, highway crews were able to cover 4.98 miles of capital road improvement. So far this year, Mr Hurley reports 11.47 miles of capital road improvements and more is planned for the spring.

The Public Works Department, under the direction of the selectmen, shifted its policy this year. Seeking to find a balance in its approach to road rebuilding, the highway department is now doing more resurfacing and/or paving in an effort to hold roadways together. Many believe the method provides a better return on the investment.

The “paving instead of reconstructing” method was recommended last year following a public works management study conducted by the Connecticut Conference of Municipalities.

 As Mr Hurley points out, the 1999-2000 budget includes $1 million for road reconstruction, enough money to do only about a mile’s worth of roadway. There is simply not enough time and money to do reconstruction on all of Newtown’s troubled roads.

This year’s highway budget provided more money for overlay paving, which allows crews to address problems on more roads. The $1 million budgeted for either paving and chip seal is up from $100,000 allocated in 1998-99.

Crews continue to address capital reconstruction of main arteries such as Hanover Road, Georges Hill Road, Walnut Tree Hill and Boggs Hill.

Mr Hurley said the hiring of an assistant engineer this year allowed for more on-site alterations.