Paving is underway on Whitney Avenue.
Photo by Katherine Koretski.
By Erin Reilly
Hamden will be getting a facelift this fall with the repaving of all or part of 56 roads.
“Investing in our road infrastructure helps build value in our neighborhoods, shows our residents that we care about the quality and appearance of our road system and reduces expenses from the liability presented by a damaged road,” Hamden Mayor Curt Balzano Leng said.
According to Leng, the paving will cover a total of about 11.5 miles. By the end of 2017, about 76.5 miles will have been paved in the past six years, which is about 31 percent of Hamden’s 240 miles of roads. Paving cost for the year will have a total of about $2 million.
Leng says the decision to pave these specific roads was determined by multiple factors, including pavement condition, amount of traffic and proximity to places like schools and parks.
“We prioritize which streets to pave using data,” Leng said. “All of Hamden’s roads are evaluated by an independent company and given a pavement condition index rating.”
The more damaged roads are, the lower their ratings. With lower ratings, these roads are more likely to be repaved.
Map by Katherine Koretski.
The map shows all the roads set to be repaved this fall.
Bonnie Smith lives on one of the streets that will soon be paved and is looking forward to the improvements.
“The road has been pretty damaged for quite some time now so I’m glad it’s finally going to get fixed,” Smith said. “My car is very low to the ground so even though I always drive very slow I am always worried the potholes might damage it.”
While she is relieved that her road will be repaired, Smith is concerned about the timing of the repaving.
“Part of me thinks that they’re going to do all this work to fix these roads, but come winter they’ll all get potholes again,” Smith said. “I just wish they had fixed them earlier in the year so we could enjoy it longer.”
Smith also said that the parking ban for her road will be an “inconvenient hassle.” She says her driveway is not big enough for all of her family’s cars so she will have to find somewhere else to park and then walk the rest of the way to her house.
“I just hope it doesn’t rain those days,” Smith said.
Parking bans will be in effect for all of the streets that are being paved. Signs will be posted to inform residents of the ban at least 24 hours before paving starts. Cars will not be allowed to park on the street until the work is done.
The fall paving program will continue until Nov. 1. A complete list of the roads that will be paved can be found on Hamden’s website. The list does not include state routes that run through Hamden, including Whitney Avenue, that are being paved by the state.