Archive: Around Town

The Lansing Town Board considered a seven year road maintenance plan at their working meeting Monday.  The plan calls for spending an average of $326,000 per year over the next six years.  This year the plan is to spend $357,000 to pave town roads most in need of maintenance.

Deputy Highway Superintendent Charlie 'Cricket' Purcell says that preparation on shoulders, ditches and cross culverts will begin next week.

According to New York State Senator Mike Nozollio, local governments in New York maintain more than 89,000 bridges and nearly 100,000 miles of local roads and highways, which, if stretched end to end, would circumnavigate the globe almost four times.  The Town of Lansing has more than 93 miles of roads to maintain.  Nozollio pushed to increase CHIPS dollars this year, part of an initiative that added $75 million last month, bringing the total CHIPS allocation for this year to $438.1 million statewide.

Lansing breaks down its maintenance according to how much usage roads get.  Lesser used roads may only get an inch and a half of asphalt on a fifteen or twenty year schedule, while more actively used roads get two inches of asphalt about every ten years.  While most Lansing roads are topped with asphalt, a few are topped with an oil and gravel mixture. 

Money to resurface town roads comes partly from state and federal CHIPS money, and partly from town and sales taxes.  In March Highway Superintendent Jack French worried that CHIPS funding would stay at a reduced level and eventually be eliminated.  Last month he reported the Town's CHIPS allotment had been increased by over $43,000, bringing this year's total to $200,031.77.

"We were looking at a reduction," says Purcell.  "We actually got an increase, as did all the municipalities.  Obviously Albany did see the road issues."

Purcell says the additional allotment will cover a half mile of roadway.  A ton of asphalt covers an area about eight feet square with a two inch overlay.  A mile of road takes 1,320 tons.  He estimates that a mile of road with two inches of asphalt costs about $100,000.  Typically French maintains a list of roads to be repaved for a season.

This year Purcell says ten roads are definitely on the list.  They are the north side of Myers Road in Myers Heights, Gulf Road, Luce Road, Aspen Way, Placid terrace, Tahoe Trail, Murfield Road, Ryans Way and Lake Forest Drive.  Purcell says that if asphalt prices are favorable other roads may be added to the list for this summer.
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