DPW goes out to bid for Elm Street repaving project
Date: 9/26/2013
By Chris Maza
chrism@thereminder.comEAST LONGMEADOW – Elm Street will be getting a much-needed facelift.
Department of Public Works Senior Project Manager Sean Kelley told
Reminder Publications that the town has gone out to bid for the major work of one of the most travelled roads in town that acts as a major throughway to Springfield.
“We’ll be doing milling and repaving, in other words taking up some of the old pavement and laying down new pavement,” he said.
Elm Street has been a source of constant complaints from East Longmeadow residents and has been subject to numerous temporary repairs as a long-term solution was sought.
Kelley said the project agreed upon would cost somewhere in the vicinity of $600,000, all of which would be funded through Chapter 90 monies received from the state.
Kelley had previously been seeking federal funding to the tune of $5 million for a complete overhaul of the roadway that would have included the complete rebuilding and some straightening of the road, new sidewalks, improved catch basins and new culverts, but in a competitive environment for funding and the relative small scale of the project, that funding never materialized.
In addition to the paving, Kelley said drainage issues that have plagued certain stretches of the road would be addressed.
“The areas that we’ve deemed to be drainage issues areas will be taken care of,” he said. “There are a couple of areas where we’re going to be doing some adjustment to the profile. We’ll be adding some gravel to make water run off properly.”
While Kelley is hopeful that the work can be done shortly, he said there is a more realistic possibility it could be delayed.
“It all depends on the weather,” he said. “It could theoretically be done this year, but it most likely will be done in the spring.”
The Board of Public Works also recently rubber-stamped seven other paving projects for 2013.
Chestnut Street from house number 173 to Somers Road; Chestnut Street from Holly Drive to Excel Dryer Corp; Anthony Drive, West Allen Ridge Road; Meadowbrook Road from house number 48 to Somers Road; Pease Road from house number 28 to house number 126; and Gates Avenue from the intersection of Dearborn Street to the end of the road were all approved.
The projected cost of repaving those streets was determined to be $263,827.
