Medford To Repair Over 30 Roads Starting This Fall

MEDFORD, MA — Starting this fall, the City of Medford will treat roughly one third of roads that have cracks and gaps identified in the Pavement Assessment plan as most in need, said Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn.

The type weathering that causes cracks and gaps occurs when water infiltrates roadway surfaces causing the asphalt to expand. Through a process called ‘crack sealing,’ the cracks in the roadway are filled with liquid asphalt that seal the opening and prevent water and other liquids from infiltrating the surface.

“Without question, one of the biggest issues I hear from the community about is the conditions of our roads,” Lungo-Koehn said in a statement. “I commissioned a comprehensive study of streets and sidewalks, and we’re now using that report to prioritize and repair our roadways. This is just one part of our full sidewalk and pavement plan that will guide our infrastructure repair strategy and make the streets in our City more accessible and navigable."

"We’ve also issued a new engineering directive earlier this month that requires companies doing utility work on our streets also repair any existing damage to the entirety of the roadway, including sidewalks, in front of the property line,” she continued.

The comprehensive pavement report is a tool the city uses to plan for the work that is needed to address the severe backlog in pavement and infrastructure work. There are many projects highlighted in the report that require extensive planning, but crack sealing is the most cost-effective and efficient process to extend the life of a road and prevent significant traffic disruption.

There are approximately 90 roads in total that the Pavement Plan highlighted as candidates for crack sealing. About one third will be done this fall and the city plans to complete the remaining streets during the next construction season.

A list of roads that will be repaired this year and those next year can be found here.