* In the two full fiscal years under his leadership.
CLICK TO ENLARGE IMAGE BELOW
This chart shows that every year, there are millions of dollars in recommended road projects that go unfunded and therefore not completed. Each year, due to projects not being done, the need for increased amounts of money continues, and funding is usually at half or less that is required for completion. This means that each year, more and more roads are falling into disrepair.
It appears that under Spicer, road repairs were made in a more complete manner than under Sisitsky, who is primarily focused on bringing more and more apartments to south side, and therefore more traffic and road use. Our roads need love… now.
The longer we wait, the more costly these repairs will be.
The following is the road condition map from 2015:
CLICK TO ENLARGE MAP
At that time, over 76% of the roads in Framingham were listed as at least fair (70% life remaining).
In 2020, five years later, 58% of the roads were listed as at least fair.
The following is the road condition map from 2020:
CLICK TO ENLARGE MAP
In the time the roads in Framingham have been studied, the average life of roads have been maintained as at least fair, in the 73-85% range since 2002.
2002 – 76%
2007 – 81%
2010 – 78%
2015 – 81%
2018 – 75%
2020 – 73.02%
Essentially the average road in Framingham has been graded as in at least fair condition (73%), to bordering on being deficient.
As we’ve learned, since 2020, or FY 2021, about $37,500,000 has been requested as monies needed to fund repairs, and only $6,500,000 of the money needed for projects has been procured. This means that since 2020, only about 17.3% of needed road projects have been funded.
Prior to that, between 2015 and 2019, or FY 2016-2020, about $33,000,000 has been requested, and $26,600,000 had been funded. This means that between 2015-2019 that 80% of needed road projects have been funded.
In the years 2015-2019, where the 80% funding occurred, the studies showed road conditions hovering in the fair range. The roads have not been funded adequately since then, nor have they been studied… perhaps they don’t want to even know at this point.
Well, they keep having to dig up and repave some of the main roads. Again and again and again. I remember hearing some engineer talk about this phenomenon- he said it was becasue no one bothered ot coordinate the work. The contractors do not mind as they get paid multiple times. Imagine how much money could be saved if they only dig up and paved Concord or Union St ONCE. But if we need all this work, why is the town talking about ‘nice’ things like parks and swimming pools, when the infrastructure needs work.
Why are they reconfiguring all the intersections? For example – Walnut Street and Union Avenue. That flowed perfectly well before they put a dogleg in it and squeezed it tight. Wait until two large trucks meet there at the same time and neither one can get through. Who is the “planner” behind ruining the following intersections? 1. A Street and Concord Street. 2. Summer Street and Concord. 3. Old Conn Path and Concord. 4. Summer Street and Central Street. 5. Lincoln Street and Union Avenue. 6. The previously mentioned Walnut Street and Union Ave. 7. The rotary at Buckminster Square. The snowplows will tear that up this winter! With all the streets that need legitimate repair, we are wasting time and money on intersections that were perfectly fine! And don’t even get me started on the Marian High “Community Center”!