Mark Cressotti, Jeremy Cigal, Engineering; Casey Berube, Highway; Joseph Kietner, Stormwater; Ward 4 Councilor Michael Burns and Mayor Brian P. Sullivan at work on Granville Road in 2018. (WNG)
WESTFIELD – Mayor Brian P. Sullivan wants residents to be aware of two major road projects that will take place over the next several weeks.
Beginning next week, mill and overlay will be done on the Prospect Street Extension from Pine Street to Pochassic Street. “We did a lot of pothole filling and band aiding in early spring, but we’re going to do the whole thing over the next two weeks,” Sullivan said.
Pochassic Street is wet and very shady due to trees along the road, according to the Mayor.
“Stormwater and Mother Nature are not working for us over there,” he said.
Another big project that will start in early August is the entire length of Northwest Road, from Bates to Granville roads. Sullivan said the road will receive cold in-place recycling, the same technique that was used on North Road last year, in which machines pick up the old pavement, grind it up, and use it for the base coat of the road, followed right behind by repaving. He said some drainage work will also be done.
“We’re lining up our contractors now,” he said.
Sullivan said he wanted to give a “shout out” to Ward 4 Councilor Michael Burns and Ward 1 Councilor Mary Ann Babinski who have constantly come to his office and been involved with road maintenance in their wards for the last year.
The Highway Department will also be crack sealing other roads that haven’t yet fallen into disrepair in order to maintain them. High priority roads on this list are Court Street, West Silver Street, East Silver Street (from Broad Street to plaza entrance pavement transition), South Broad Street, City View Road (from Southwick Road to Valley View), Southwick Road, Springdale Road, Feeding Hills Road (from pavement transition at #54 to the bridge at Pontoosic Road), Pontoosic Road, Franklin Street (from Elm to Maple. Additionally, from Allen Avenue to Highlandview Street), Arch Road, Shaker Road (from pavement transition at West Springfield water treatment facility south of Laro Road) to 182 Shaker Rd., 59 Court St. (City Hall) parking lot, Montgomery Road (from #65 to city line), and Noble Street.
If funding allows, Sullivan said they would also like to consider adding North Road (from Southampton to Holyoke line), East Mountain Road (from North to Holyoke roads), Elm Street, North Elm Street, South Maple Street, Main Street and Smith Avenue.
Sullivan said the engineers the city hired last year to create a program to assess the roads strongly suggested that the city perform maintenance on roads that are in decent shape.
The program, created by the BETA Group, a full-service engineering firm with offices in Chicopee and around New England, did a comprehensive assessment of Westfield roadways and what it would take to fix and maintain them.
In its recommendations, the BETA group said the breakeven point for the roads to stay level, or slightly less, is $2.8 million per year. To start gaining ground, the group recommended that the city needs to spend $4 million per year on the roads; and to gain more ground, $5 million per year.
The work being planned on the roads this year will be paid for through a combination of city and Chapter 90 funds. Sullivan said the city spent over $5 million last year in road and stormwater improvement projects from all sources of funding. “It looks like we’ll be spending it again,” he said.
The mayor said that figure includes the costs for engineering, sub-contractors, attention to stormwater, equipment and materials. He said Northeast Road alone will cost $800,000.
Sullivan said some city-owned parking lots will also be on the list for maintenance work.
