HATFIELD — Washouts, mud and a surface that washboards, with parts so rough that drivers often choose to travel on the grass at the edge rather than on the dirt, plague the gravel section of Straits Road.
The main cause of these problems is evident to Highway Superintendent Duane Meehan, who points to a subbase made up of silt and sand — materials that are not stable and that cause even truckloads of gravel, used to maintain the road, to be swallowed up each year.
Sometime in 2027, those longstanding issues will be fixed, as stone is added to the existing base, a dense-grade top is placed on the road and six leaching basins are installed. The improvements are all part of a $670,440 grant awarded to Hatfield through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation’s inaugural Unpaved Roads Program.
In total, the program is awarding $11.26 million through 48 grants that will cover the costs of design, construction and equipment for gravel and dirt roads across the state.
“This grant opportunity will allow us to fix the road, and it should last for a very long time to come,” said Selectboard Chair Luke Longstreeth, who joined town and state officials at an announcement ceremony on Tuesday afternoon.
The ceremony was held under a tent a few yards away from the road, and next to rows of vines at Black Birch Vineyard, one of the prominent agricultural enterprises along the stretch of Straits Road.
“This should reduce material costs and improve safety,” Longstreeth said, adding that the project will also support the town’s economic and agricultural needs and enhance emergency response, as the road is used as one route for fire trucks to get from the center of Hatfield to the northern part of town.
DPW Director Marlo Warner II, who sought the grant in Hatfield and previously led Greenfield’s department, said the full cost of the work by a private contractor will be covered. The final product will involve the road being raised up a bit and with a crown to shed water to either side.
The Unpaved Roads Program has been championed by Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and former state Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, and also supported by state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, who represents Hatfield and has served on the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation.
For Comerford, the new program represents her pursuit of regional equity and combating disadvantages in western Massachusetts. She said she appreciates that officials in the Healey-Driscoll administration listened to the needs.
“This is a way for us to recognize the different characteristics of our rural or small towns,” Comerford said.
Regional equity, Comerford said, has included changing the Chapter 90 funding formula to one based on miles of road in a community. The governor has also made it easier to apply for these types of grants.
“We just want to compete on a level playing field,” Comerford said.
Various other communities in Hampshire and Franklin counties are also receiving grants, with $555,610 for a construction project in Goshen, $821,150 to Orange, $170,640 to Bernardston and $113,970 to Charlemont for similar construction work on gravel roads.
Grants for equipment were awarded to numerous other communities, including $250,000 each to Leverett, Shutesbury, Colrain, Conway and Warwick, as well as $239,190 to Deerfield, $226,000 to Worthington, $225,000 to Whately, $246,000 to Gill, $210,305 to Northfield, $171,128 to Buckland, $170,093 to Heath and $163,000 to Shelburne.
In the North Quabbin region, Phillipston received a $120,000 construction grant, Royalston got a $162,300 construction grant and Petersham was awarded $120,000 for equipment.
“These are big dollars,” Comerford said.
Other state officials on hand described the program as a milestone.
“This is an historic moment for us,” said Undersecretary of Transportation Jonathan Gulliver, explaining that it was first envisioned a few years ago when Comerford and Blais called and advocated directly to him.
There are 2,500 miles of gravel roads across the state. Gulliver said the grants are designed to help preserve the character of these roads.
“Until the launch of the new Unpaved Roads Grant Program, municipalities had no dedicated resource to maintain this critical infrastructure,” Gulliver said. “This program recognizes that one size doesn’t fit all, and provides targeted support for communities working to preserve and improve their unpaved road networks.”
The event was held with showers and occasional downpours, prompting interim Secretary of Transportation Phillip Eng to remark that the weather shows the importance of drainage. Improving gravel roads, he said, will help connect people to jobs, get them to appointments and spur economic activity.
“When they are properly graded and drained, they are more reliable. They can handle weather for all four seasons,” Eng said. “By supporting the maintenance, repair and improvement of dirt and gravel roads, MassDOT is helping municipalities strengthen local infrastructure and improve reliability with targeted investments that serve residents and businesses across Massachusetts.”
The rain was referenced by Sabadosa as well.
“Mother Nature is showing us why drainage is important today,” she said.
Sabadosa said that in her role on the Joint Committee on Transportation, a discussion can be about shuttles on Boston Harbor, as well as the dirt roads that touch every community in her district, even Northampton.
“This program is one we need to continue to expand,” Sabadosa said.
During a tight budget season, a $246,000 grant from the Unpaved Roads Program is a boon for the town of Gill.
Highway Superintendent John Miner presented his grant application to the Gill Selectboard in December 2025 with hopes that the grant would allow the town to replace its 2010 Komatsu loader with a new Caterpillar 930. Miner’s proposal explained that the town is responsible for more than 8 miles of unpaved roads, and the purchase of a bucket loader is a “strategic and fiscally prudent” path forward to maintain them.
“I think it will take a big burden off the town,” Miner said about receiving the grant.
The grant alleviates the extra financial burden on the town while replacing what Miner’s grant proposal described as the “most important piece of equipment” the department has.
“I can’t thank Ray [Purington] enough for helping me out with it. It’s the first grant I’ve ever written,” Miner said about Town Administrator Ray Purington’s help with applying for the funding. “It’s quite a lot of work, but obviously well worth it.”
Colrain is putting its $250,000 through the Unpaved Roads Program toward a new road grader. The whole grader costs around $450,000, so the grant won’t cover everything, but additional funding for this purchase was approved at Annual Town Meeting.
“The current one we have is a [1997 model], so it was time to get a new one,” Colrain Highway Superintendent Nate Gilbert said. “We have like 45 miles of dirt road.”
According to Gilbert, the grader should arrive to Colrain at some point in the fall.
In a small town like Heath, it’s sometimes hard to find money for highway equipment, according to Highway Superintendent Tyson Howard. But with just over $170,000 from the Unpaved Roads Program, he can buy a vibratory roller for the dirt roads.
“This is something that the town has never really had,” Howard said. “With this, we won’t need to use the grader as much. … It’s pretty amazing actually.”
Howard said the grant will narrowly cover the whole cost of the equipment and the trailer. With just around half of the roads in Heath being dirt, this new piece of equipment will be used all over town.
Conway plans to use its $250,000 grant, along with an additional $100,000 that Annual Town Meeting voters approved last June, to purchase a used road grader, equipment that town officials have had on their radar for a few years, according to Conway Town Administrator Véronique Blanchard and Conway Selectboard Chair Christopher Waldo.
“We’re thrilled,” Blanchard said. “Graders are things that every small town needs.”
According to Waldo, the state support came in handy for the grader given that renting the equipment often entails sharing it with other towns, and graders come with the highest price tag of any equipment the Highway Department needs.
With the funding in place, Blanchard said Highway Superintendent Ron Sweet is already looking for the right grader for Conway.
Blanchard and Waldo said grants like the Unpaved Roads Program make big purchases and projects possible for small towns.
“Although we have a smaller tax base, we have a larger footprint,” Waldo said, noting that half of the roads in Conway are unpaved.
“It’s essential for towns like ours,” Blanchard said.
Deerfield likewise plans to use its $239,190 for a new road grader, a “crucial” piece of equipment for a rural Right to Farm community, according to Deerfield’s Department of Public Works Superintendent Matthew Morse.
“Maintaining our rural, unpaved roads is critical to keeping our farms running efficiently,” Morse said. “Our farms are the heartbeat of our community.”
Morse said the road grader helps preserve the roughly 20 miles of unpaved roads in town, fixing issues like potholes. The town’s current John Deere grader dates back to 1989 and, with almost 40 year under its tires, is in need of a replacement, according to Morse.
He stressed that equipment like this carries the same price tag for towns and cities no matter their funding situation, making grants like the Unpaved Roads Program a big help for small towns like Deerfield. State support also lessens the load on taxpayers, who Morse believes appreciate the town taking the “extra effort” to seek out grants.
“It’s a home run,” Morse said of the program.
Aalianna Marietta, Johnny Depin and Erin-Leigh Hoffman contributed reporting.
