Pavement study puts Madisons town-maintained roads at 71.1; consultant recommends about $2M/year to stabilize network

Joe Maguire of Beta Group presented the towns pavement-management study on Oct. 28, summarizing automated LiDAR scans and a segment-level engineering review covering roughly 125 miles of town-maintained paved roads (out of about 200 miles total municipal network). The towns current overall Road Surface Rating for that town-maintained portion is about 71.14, which the consultant characterized as “above the New England average” and consistent with a network in which a substantial share of roads are in the routine or preventative maintenance bands.

Maguire explained the five repair bands and recommended focusing on preventative treatments (fog seals, microsurfacing, rubber chip seals where appropriate) to extend pavement life at lower cost rather than defaulting to expensive reconstruction. Using a forecast model, Beta Group showed that a roughly $2 million annual pavement program over five years would allow the town to maintain or slightly improve the overall score, balancing funds between major rehabilitation for the worst roads and preservation for those in fair condition.

The study offered a GIS dashboard and forward-facing photographic log so staff can inspect segments and track year-to-year interventions. Maguire said the LiDAR-based ratings were quality controlled by trained engineers before inclusion in the draft deliverable.

Board members asked how the study should feed into the towns CIP and budget process and whether one-time infusions would be treated differently from sustained annual funding. Staff and the consultant said the study can be used to run alternate funding scenarios and produce a 3–5 year CIP that the board can use as a policy guide; no formal budget decision was made at the meeting.