WARWICK — To the disappointment of some residents, the planned Northfield Road paving project has been delayed until spring.
According to Warwick Highway Superintendent Larry Delaney, the $270,000 project is to resurface and improve drainage on a one-mile section of Northfield Road. The project was slated to start Oct. 12, but cold weather intervened.
Town Administrator David Young said the paving contractor needs the temperature to be consistently above 50 degrees to do the work. The colder the air temperature, the less time asphalt crews have to work with the asphalt before it solidifies. If the asphalt doesn’t cure properly, the road can be left bumpy, uneven and irregular.
“The people that provided the tar thought that the weather was too unpredictable,” Selectboard Chairwoman Dawn Magi said. “I think they made the right decision.”
“The vendor postponed until spring given the cold forecast,” Young said. “We had an issue with Route 78 a few years ago where a paving contractor needed to redo a few hundred thousand dollars’ worth of work under warranty.”
Northfield Road, Young said, is one of the town’s five major roads which include Athol, Wendell, Winchester and Orange roads. He said that without repairs, the road will be difficult to traverse come winter.
“(Drivers) would be advised to travel more slowly, because some areas are in pretty poor shape,” he said.
Young added that because the road isn’t level, it will affect the town’s ability to plow. Snow and ice will remain in the road’s dips and cracks, though Magi said crews keep the road well-sanded.
Magi said some residents have expressed their disappointment with the delay, but are understanding of the circumstances.
“I think they’d rather see it done right than waste all that money,” she said. “I just hope people are extra careful.”