Board Approves Several Upcoming Road Projects

The days are numbered for potholes on several of Wayland's roads, which have been approved for repaving and repair before the end of this construction season.

Wayland Highway Director Stephen Kadlik appeared before the Board of Public Works July 23 with a proposed schedule of road work he hoped to accomplish in the coming months using carried-over funds from Fiscal Year 2012, his appropriate capital and operating funds for FY13, and approved Chapter 90 reimbursement funds from the state.

Kadlik told the board that the state is not yet accepting project proposals for Chapter 90 funds, but Wayland has been granted $474,762 in possible reimbursement dollars. In the schedule Kadlik presented, he indicated he hoped to use that money to complete a mill and pave of Route 30, about two miles of the road from Natick to Natick, which will cost about $440,000.

In the meantime, Kadlik received approval from the board to use the about $220,000 carried over from FY12 and a portion of his operating and capital dollars (which total $300,000) to complete the following repairs:

• Old Connecticut Path from the intersection of Route 126/27 to Rice Road -- A new process known as comprehensive restoration will be used. Kadlik said comprehensive restoration will cost about $40,000 and will last for five to six years. A full repaving would cost about $245,000.
• East Road, Holiday Road, Farmcrest Lane and Plainview Road -- These roads will be repaved with a total bill of about $171,000.
• Glen Road, Wallace Road and Pine Ridge Road -- These roads will be repaved with a total bill of about $122,000.

"All these are in real tough shape,” Kadlik told board members, adding that a few of the roads had been on previous schedules for repair work.

He said that he expects to finish these projects by early October, but that will push the repair on Route 30 to next spring. And, Kadlik told board members, roads are a bit of a moving target.

“This constantly changes," Kadlik said. "We could have a road wash out on us or have a really bad winter. This is just a guide to show where we’re channeling our money.”

While it didn't make the schedule for imminent repairs, Pelham Island Road was mentioned during both public comment and official discussion.

Pelham Island resident Gary Slep urged the board and Kadlik to fix a variety of issues on Pelham Island Road, which he said is treacherous now and will likely get more so as traffic to Wayland Town Center and a housing development in Sudbury increases.

“Frankly, neglect is not an option," Slep said. "It’s not a mitigation tool you can use. I’m really requesting due consideration be given to the road in 2013.”

Slep said he understood that portions of the road in the flood plain needed drainage work prior to repaving work, but he said there are portions of the road above the flood plain and he asked that those be considered soon.

Kadlik agreed that Pelham Island Road is in desperate need of repair, but said that truly fixing the problem -- drainage and repaving -- would require two years-worth of "all our monies." He estimated the complete project would cost about $2 million.

"I cringe every time one of the sanders goes down that road," Kadlik said. "I’m afraid it’s going to end up in the pond. If we have any kind of flood this year, the road down by the pond is not going to make it."

Board members indicated they would consider requesting capital project dollars for the needed repairs to Pelham Island Road, though the road's status as a Scenic Road further complicates the situation.