Residents press board to fix Raceway Road as foreman outlines multi-year repair options

At a lengthy public comment segment July 16, Speedway-area residents described long-standing problems on Raceway Road and urged the Select Board to make major fixes. Speakers said heavy winter freeze-thaw cycles, high traffic and inadequate base/drainage mean repeated patching no longer suffices and that emergency vehicles have been slowed by the road's condition.

Resident Vince Camagno said emergency access has been compromised, recounting a recent call when vehicles could only travel about 5 mph. Jim Bethenge, a longtime Foothills resident, urged a permanent fix: “The roadbed and drainage improvements outlined by the recent engineering report should be implemented, including paving it,” he said.

Highway foreman Jacob and staff explained practical steps before paving — ditching, removing berms, reestablishing base, fabric installation and culvert replacements — and suggested doing the project in phases. Jacob estimated a thorough gravel‑road rebuild with new base and ditching at about $350,000 and said contracting and additional prep could push toward seven figures if done all at once; he recommended a two-year in-house program (roughly $125k–$150k per year) to improve the base and drainage before final surfacing.

The board asked staff to include Raceway in a 5‑year capital/maintenance plan so residents can see tradeoffs, and to return costed options. Members also discussed near-term steps such as extending paved aprons at Route 15 intersections, re-siting speed signs and deploying portable speed readers and temporary traffic-calming measures.