HOULTON, Maine — A major overhaul of the town’s roads is desperately needed, according to the town’s public works director.
Chris Stewart appeared before the town council during the board’s meeting on Monday, Aug. 24, seeking advice on how to proceed with the town’s road problems. He suggested if something was not done soon, the town would need a massive tax increase to right the ship.
“Let’s face it, it’s not getting any better,” Stewart said. “We are going further into the hole with our roads.”
Traditionally, Houlton budgets $200,000 per year for road paving projects. Some years, however, those funds have been slashed in cost-saving measures. If the current funding level remains the same, there would be a 21- to 22-year span between repavings of a road.
“We have come to a point that our road infrastructure is in dire need of repair,” he said. “As you are well aware, in this part of the country, that [21- to 22-year span] will not work.”
According to Stewart, there are 46.17 miles of paved roads within the town limits. With the current budget of $200,000 per year for road projects, that means only 2.2 miles of roads can be repaired each year. That figure also assumes no major issues are needed, such as grading or rebuilding a road or repairing catch basins.
Ideally, Stewart said the town should be completing between 4.6-5.5 miles of roadway each season to put roads on a 9- to 10-year rotation.
“We are in really bad shape and need to start looking forward,” he said.
Some of the town roads determined to be in poor condition have not seen any upgrades since as far back as 1985, because of relatively low traffic. Others were redone in the past 15 years but are in poor condition due to high traffic volume.
In addition to the roads, many of the town’s sidewalks need repair or replacement. The downtown brick sidewalks are tentatively set for replacement in 2021 as part of a Maine Department of Transportation grant, but there are many other asphalt and concrete sidewalks around town that are also in poor condition.
To repave all of the town roads and sidewalks, a $5.8 million bond would need to be acquired. Stewart acknowledged that plan was highly unlikely and instead suggested the town consider raising between $580,000 to $646,000 per year for both road and sidewalk repair.
“This is a huge project, but it is something that needs to be done,” councilor Sue Tortello said. “The longer we wait, the worse shape we will be in. Our roads are really important and if we don’t take care of them, we’ll be in a lot of trouble.”
Stewart suggested that the town resurrect its Roads Committee to explore funding options before the next budget cycle, which begins in November.
No action was taken during the council meeting.
