CLARKSTOWN- Town officials are turning to a new pavement management system to evaluate the condition of every road in Clarkstown and help determine how future paving funds should be spent.
Supervisor George Hoehmann and members of the town board discussed the program at Dellwood Park, where they outlined the town’s partnership with Pavement Management Group, a national road infrastructure company.
PMG has completed the first phase of the project, recording high-definition video of every roadway under the town’s jurisdiction. The company is now completing an evaluation using automated technology to identify pavement defects and rate road conditions.
The system will assign each road a rating ranging from “failed” to “excellent.” The assessments consider 20 types of pavement defects, along with their severity and the portion of the roadway affected. PMG’s computer-generated scores will be reviewed by engineers before being finalized.
Town officials said the ratings will eventually be available through a public database, allowing residents to see road conditions and how paving priorities are determined.
The pavement-rating system is based on a method developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1970s and later standardized by ASTM International. It is now used by governments and other organizations around the country.
The announcement comes as some Clarkstown residents continue to press the town about delays in paving their streets. Residents of Doral Court and nearby neighborhoods joined town officials at Dellwood Park and have raised concerns about the condition of their roads.
At an April 14 Town Board meeting, Highway Superintendent Bob Milone was authorized to use $3.844 million for paving through a combination of serial bonds and the town’s cost-share program.
Town officials said Milone has since indicated that the highway department no longer has enough funding to complete paving on the streets in question. The Town Board disputes that claim, saying it has not seen evidence that this year’s paving allocation has been exhausted.
The board also rejected claims that it has barred the Highway Department from paving streets where utility work, including water-main replacement by Veolia, is planned or underway.
Under state law, the highway superintendent has independent statutory authority over highway maintenance and repair work. Town officials said they are examining additional fiscal controls and oversight measures, within the limits of state law, to improve accountability in the use of highway funds.
Hoehmann and the town board said the new pavement-rating system, combined with PMG’s long-term budget projections, is intended to provide a more objective basis for setting paving priorities and allocating taxpayer funds.
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