DPW Will Pave 11 Town Roads Before Year's End

Eleven town roads are scheduled to be paved by the end of 2010 in a project budgeted at $897,572, a cost that reflects "historically low prices," according to Assistant Director of Public Works Tiger Mann.

Deering Construction, Inc., from Norwalk will oversee the paving project on the following roads:

• Anthony's Lane
• Comstock Hill Road
• East Cross Road
• Green Avenue
• Guild Drive
• Lakeview Avenue
• Lapham Road
• Oak Street
• Thayer Drive
• Wardwell Drive
• West Cross Road

The roads will be milled, surfaces removed and new top courses placed on them, Mann said. Ten of the roads will be paved in entirety. The one exception is Lakeview Avenue, which will only be paved between Millport Avenue and Route 123.

The Board of Selectmen approved the project at their meeting on Tuesday, and Mann presented the list of roads to the Town Council on Wednesday.

Mann said that even though asphalt prices have risen, other prices have come down, leading to the favorable rates. "Prices are at 2007 levels," he told Patch. "That's a straight number, not adjusted for inflation. If I adjusted for inflation we'd be doing even better. It's a good time to continue to work."

Letters will be sent next week to residents of the roads on the list, and Mann expects work to begin the last week of September.  All work is expected to be completed by December.

Mann said residents of the roads on the list who are considering a construction project that requires cutting into the road might want to schedule that work before the road is paved.  The town charges $7.50 a square foot plus a 15 percent administrative charge for repairing roads, and homeowners that cut into roads paved within the last two years will be billed an additional 50 percent surcharge for the repairs.

"Pay attention," Mann advised homeowners, "if you need to do some work on the road way, do it now. It seems like permits rise right after we pave the roads.  We have to pay to come back out again, so we charge you additional fees."

Mann said he has a list of an additional 60 town roads identified for paving. Those will be prioritized in 2011.