Annual Expenditures on Pavement Management

The majority of funding for North Reading’s paving program comes from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) Chapter 90 program. These funds are from the annual Commonwealth’s Transportation Bond Bill and are allocated to all 351 Massachusetts communities via a complex formula with accepted public street miles being a key factor.

The Town initiated a program in 2009 to legally accept private ways as public streets (so long as they meet Town standards) to increase our Chapter 90 mileage. Since then North Reading has converted about 45% of our private ways to Town accepted public streets (5.6 miles).  (See Roadway Jurisdiction Map)

The Chapter 90 funding has increased from $333, 600 to $507,000 since 2009.  The Town appropriates funding annually to supplement the State funding. This local funding has ranged from a high of $250,000 in 2009 to a low of $63,000 in 2013. This variability and the recent escalation of asphalt prices (over a 75% increase since 2008) make consistent construction goals per year difficult.

The three most common types of resurfacing treatments are crack sealing, asphalt overlay and cold plane and overlay.  These treatments both extend the life of the roadway and replace the street surface. All may look similar but, as the Pavement Life Curve chart above shows, offer distinct cost differences that can be targeted to specific street needs. Through our Pavement Management Program, we can choose the best method for protecting our transportation needs and maximizing the benefits from limited paving funding.