Summer road projects on schedule

FARMINGTON – The Public Works Department crew is busy rebuilding and paving local roads this summer.

Voters at the annual town meeting in March approved spending $233,000 in the fourth year of a five-year capital improvement program plan to repair the town’s neediest roads.

Scheduled this summer is to complete the rebuild of Porter Hill Road, repair upper Middle Street to the Industry Road intersection and to rebuild West Farmington’s Mohawk, Seminole and Shawnee drives in the Voter Hill Estates. The final surfacing work of the first section of Porter Hill Road that was completely rebuilt last year is also on this summer’s agenda.

The $233,000 raised by voters and another $158,780 chipped in by the state-administered Local Road Assistance Program are funding this summer’s road projects.

Over the past few years, the town roads repaired, and in most cases completely rebuilt, include Voter Hill Road, Morrison Hill Road, a section of Temple Road, upper Bailey Hill Road. In addition, the first half or about one mile of Porter Hill Road was rebuilt and paved last summer, beginning at the Town Farm Road intersection.

Town Manager Richard Davis said the road projects are on schedule. Public Works Department Director Philip Hutchins has had his crew on Porter Hill Road all week. He’s expecting to begin work on the Voter Hill Estates’ three roads next week.

Those residential streets will be rebuilt with the old payment already milled off, which Davis said was an improvement over the broken up old pavement once there.

Some culverts will be replaced where needed, ditching, then gravel and paving to finish the work.

“Things are going well, pretty much on track,” Davis said. According to the original five-year plan, Titcomb Hill Road is scheduled for road repair in 2017.