Road repairs underway, more to come

Memorial Day Weekend approaches which means roadwork projects will be increasing common around Abington.

Crews working on behalf of the town spent last week repaving the stetch of upper Washington Street from Route 18 to the Whitman town line. Funding came from a $100,000 earmark in this year’s state budget. Striping will take place in the coming days, according to DPW Director John Stone.

Next on the docket are the roads dug up last year during sewer main replacement work. Most of Summer Street, Vernon Street, and portions of routes 18 and 123 will receive a new coat of pavement in the coming weeks. Unlike the temporary coating laid down late last year, this coating will be enjoyable to drive on afterwards.

“We had been waiting for the [Water Department] to make a main repair and that took place last week,” Stone said.

The town has allocated additional money the past two years to address the backlog of crumbling roadways. Town Meeting in March approved $1.1 million to repave Linwood Street and Plymouth Street. That work will take place after July 1 when the funding comes available.

Abington this year will receive nearly $387,000 in state funding for road repairs. According to Stone, this so-called Chapter 90 money will be used to repave Green Street, Coleman Street, complete High Street from Ashland Street to the Whitman line. That work will also take place after July 1.

The town maintains a list of every roadway in town and evalutes their condition. A third of the town’s 221 roads are rated 5 or below.

In addition, Stone announced that the town has received a $200,000 Shared Streets and Spaces grant to fund improvements to the Thicket Street/Old Randolph Street intersection. Work on that project won’t begin until this fall at the earliest.