Tolland Votes for Road Improvements

The nation may have decided its president on Tuesday, but Tolland residents also voted on an issue a lot closer to home: the repair of Tolland roads.

Tolland voters overwhelmingly supported a referendum question concerning the bonding of $5 million to improve local roads. As of 11 p.m. on Tuesday, the count showed that 4,335 residents supported the bonding, while 2,531 were opposed.

"We're going to get a good boost to improving our infrastructure from this," Public Works Director Clem Langlois, Jr. said. 

He explained that the funds will not be available for use until July 2013, but starting then, roads on the proposed bonding list will be improved over the next three to five years.

Tolland roads have an average Pavement Condition Index of 71, with a score of 100 signifying a road in perfect condition.

Langlois said that a number of the roads in town are far gone and that the $5 million will allow the Public Works Department to get ahead on many maintenance needs and prevent further deterioration.

He said that all of the roads on the list will also need to have their drainage examined and fixed before paving can begin.

A list of the roads that could be repaired with the funds can be found on Tolland Patch.

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