Easton DPW Director: Preventive Maintenance on Town Roads Will Save Money Over Time

Easton Department of Public Works Director David Field presented a pavement Management Plan to selectmen Monday in which he hopes to spend $3 million over the next three years.

The focus, he said, will be keeping Easton's roads in good condition - which will prove to be cheaper over time. He added that it would be more costly to repair badly damaged roads than to maintain good roads over time.

"The process of pavement management is geared to give you the best benefit value and best bang for your buck," he said.

Field hopes to use Chapter 90 Funding - money from the state dedicated to road repairs - for the program.

Currently, Easton receives just over $700,000 from the state for road repairs, but a bill is in the legislature to increase the funding by approximately $300,000, Town Administrator David Colton said.

Field said the town has money left over from last year's Chapter 90 Funding to help fund this year's repairs, which will include $1 million for extensive crack sealing throughout the town, reclamation of Howard and Canton Streets and preventative maintenance for Short Street.

The plan for FY15 includes $1 million worth of repairs for reclamation projects on Dean and Lincoln Streets; and preventative maintenance on a portion Foundry Street.

FY16's funding will be geared towards mill and overlay on Center, Bay, Foundry, Church, and Main Streets as well as a reclamation project on Lincoln Street.

"I’d like it to be a transparent process so people understand what is going on with the roads, its published, we put it on our website," Field said. "It’s contingent on funding."

"If we don’t realize that funding level, we’ll have to revise this and take some of this out," he added.