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Selectmen hear Chapter 90 briefing as highway staff warn state funding won’t keep pace with road needs
Summary
Board members and highway staff reviewed Chapter 90 funding mechanics and recent work, citing per-mile cost estimates and a funding gap that limits how quickly town roads can be rehabilitated. Presenters estimated replacement costs around $227,000–$250,000 per mile and reported annual Chapter 90 receipts near $520,000.
Selectmen and highway staff reviewed Chapter 90 road-funding rules, recent uses of state funds and cost estimates at the March 24 meeting, concluding current state allocations are insufficient to fully maintain North Brookfield's road network.
A board member leading the presentation summarized the Chapter 90 process: towns submit project scopes and estimates to MassDOT, procure contractors under state rules, perform work using town funds up front, and then request state reimbursement. The town's allocation is calculated using miles of roads, population and employment, with occasional supplemental programs such as the 2024 "fair share" distribution.
Presenters gave unit-cost estimates from recent bids: reclamation roughly $33,000 per mile; base-coat paving (2 inches) about $107,000 per mile; top coat about $87,000 per mile. Combining these yields a replacement estimate of roughly $227,000 per mile; presenters recommended a planning figure of about $250,000 per mile to account for drainage and contingencies. They reported the town manages roughly 82–84 miles of roadway and has received about $520,000–$524,000 per year in Chapter 90 funds in recent years.
Using those numbers, presenters warned that at current funding rates it would take multiple decades to fully rehabilitate the town's paved network. They reviewed recent Chapter 90 projects (2021–2025), including reclamation and resurfacing of Bullard Road, North Street, Barnes Road, and base-coat/top-coat work on Brickyard Road, Donovan Road, Fuller Hill Road, Town Farm Road, Smith Hanson Road and Tucker Road. The presenters said 2024 had no paving activity and 2025 saw heavier use of funds.
Highway Superintendent Randy Morgan and town staff took questions from residents about eligibility of specific roads and the differences between maintaining dirt roads (regrading) and paved streets (paving and drainage). Selectmen encouraged clearer public discussion of priorities and trade-offs in using Chapter 90 funds.
Next steps: town staff will continue to prepare Chapter 90 project packages for MassDOT and pursue supplemental funding where available; selectmen said they would seek better public dialogue on project choices and long-term strategy.
