Little Relief in Sight for Amherst’s Roads
Section of Lincoln Ave. between Amity St. and Route 9 illustrating active potholes and profusion of irregular and uneven patches of more than a decade's worth of previous potholes. Photo: Stephen Braun
Town engineer Jason Skeels estimates that to improve Amherst’s Pavement Condition Index (PCI) above the current average of 62 or “fair” would require an additional allocation of $5 million per year toward road resurfacing.
See related: The State of Amherst’s Roads is Fair. Town Faces $42 Million Repair Backlog
He notes that in recent years town contributions have varied between $500,000 and $1,000,000. This level of expenditure typically allows the Department of Public Works (DPW) to repave 2-3 miles of the town’s 104 miles of roadway per year.
Skeels estimates that if Amherst continues to invest this little in road maintenance, the town’s average PCI will fall from 62 to 40 by 2034. This would put Amherst’s average road condition in the ‘very poor” category.
The Town Manager’s FY26 Capital Improvement Program calls for $775,665 to be spent out of Cash Capital for road repair, in line with the historical spending amount. There is hope that a proposed 50% increase in state Chapter 90 funding for public ways could bring in an additional $400,000 or so, but this boost is both uncertain and insufficient to meet Amherst’s needs.
Further dimming the prospect for systemwide improvement of Amherst roads is a recently introduced drain on Cash Capital – the Jones Library renovation-expansion project. The Town Council and Town Manager have deemed partially demolishing, renovating and expanding the library at an estimated project cost of $46.1 million to be a priority. Paying back loans for the project has been projected to cost the town $1.25 million in annual tax revenues for the next 20 years.