Town Engineer Explains How Road Repairs Are Prioritized
A crew from the Amherst Department of Public Works filling potholes on Sunderland Road, Febuary 2025. (L-R) Scott Gavron, Robert Zakaitis, and DJ Gancorz.
Do you want to know how Amherst decides which roads to repair? The town has posted the video presentation that Town Engineer Jason Skeels gave to the Town Council Town Services and Outreach Committee on March 20. In the one-hour video, Skeels explains how streets and sidewalks are evaluated and the criteria for deciding which are most in need of repair. He also describes the types of repairs from crack filling to total reconstruction, and a new method called cape-sealing for roads in relatively good condition, but in danger of deteriorating rapidly.
In addition to money from the town budget which averages about $1 million per year, the town gets Chapter 90 money from the state and some grant money from MassWorks and Community Development Block Grants to support road repair.
Superintendent of Public Works Guilford Mooring recommended that residents who observe potholes use the “see, click, fix” app on the town website to report them. Until the asphalt plants open in the spring, the town is using hot box patches to repair the potholes. This is not as durable a repair as using poured asphalt.
So grateful for the repair of the bridge on 116 at Mill Lane. I hope they remove the rust and paint from the adjacent pedestrian bridge before it also requires replacement.
Noticeably absent from most discussions about our roads is mention of the free riding (pun intended) by UMASS. The usage by students, faculty, staff, delivery trucks, contractors doing landscaping, maintenance, and construction impacts the wear and tear on our roads far beyond what the University’s payment in lieu of taxes covers. This is grossly unfair for permanent residents, and the Town Council and State Representatives should communicate loudly and repeatedly to the State Legislature about the formula used to determine those payments.
Route 9 is a growing public hazard. I saw an 8-man crew partially fill three of 35 potholes in front of Dunkin Donuts near Southeast St. in the morning recently, then they all head in for some Dunkies, and disappear for the day. There are potholes so big people swerve into oncoming traffic to save their vehicles. Nice work! Totally normal stuff. No sign they are ever coming back weeks later…