Silver Spring Authority agrees to contribute up to $1.2 million toward North I‑81 sewer-area paving

The Silver Spring Township Authority agreed by consensus Aug. 20 to contribute up to an additional $1.2 million toward placement of the wearing course on roads within the North I‑81 Sewer Extension Project area.

Township Supervisor Board Chairman Carl Machamer and Township Engineer Jonathan Robinson told the Authority that HRG, the township's engineering consultant, estimates preparation and placement of the wearing course at about $1.6 million and that the township is not in a position to fully fund that work because of roughly $40 million in pending township capital projects. Robinson also pointed to Authority minutes from September 2023 indicating the Authority had committed to paying for the wearing course in addition to required base and binder work tied to the sewer project.

Authority Chairman David Weihbrecht said the final paving will benefit residents in the project area and supported an Authority contribution. The board agreed that the township would administer project management and inspections for the paving contract and that bids would be prepared for advertisement in March 2026. Hillcrest Drive was excluded from Authority costs because no sewer lines were installed there. Any base failures identified in the project area are to be repaired before placement of the wearing course.

The board asked staff to obtain a unit cost for paving repairs that fall outside warranty work so out-of-warranty repairs could be completed in a single mobilization. The scope-of-work and cost-sharing details are to be prepared for the Authority’s further review before any binding expenditure is made.

Next steps: township staff will finalize a scope of work, the Authority will review the unit-cost estimates, and the bid package is expected to be advertised in March 2026.