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City says roadway resurfacing rising to $92M; ADA curb-ramp obligations slow pace of paving
Summary
Public works and streets officials told the council that roadway reconstruction funding increased in the capital plan but ADA consent-decree obligations for curb ramps have slowed resurfacing throughput; the city resurfaced about 25 miles last year.
Boston officials told the City Council committee on April 17 that the five-year capital plan increases funding for roadway reconstruction and resurfacing, but that the legal and engineering obligations tied to curb ramps under an ADA consent decree have constrained the pace of work.
Chief of Streets Yascha Franklin Hodge said the five-year plan shows $1.4 billion for streets and infrastructure and that the annual roadway reconstruction line rose from $70.5 million in the previous five-year plan to $92 million in the new plan. “Last year, we did about 25 miles of roadway resurfacing, which is the highest number since the pandemic,” he said.
How resurfacing interacts with accessibility: Franklin Hodge and other street engineers told the council that because the city is under a consent decree requiring higher scrutiny and replacement of ADA curb ramps whenever streets are resurfaced, the ramp work must be coordinated carefully with pavement projects. That coordination has slowed the rate at which resurfacing contracts can be staged and completed, officials said.
Officials said they are building capacity — including more ramp production and area contracts to address sidewalk and ramp needs — so the city can combine higher-volume ramp work with paving. They also said federal grant uncertainty and supply-chain pressures can affect timing and cost.
Other details: The plan’s streets and infrastructure bucket covers bridges, traffic signal equipment and roadway networks; large projects like bridge and major reconstruction programs can be complicated and costly. The city expects to continue similar mileage of resurfacing this construction season but is seeking ways to accelerate both ramp and pavement work while meeting state and federal accessibility obligations.
What the council asked: Members sought a benchmark for resurfacing and asked whether the additional dollars would translate to more miles. Officials said the $92 million figure is for roadway reconstruction in the five-year plan but that mileage fluctuates depending on project timing and design complexity.
