DALTON, Mass. — The Dalton Division Road project has moved down on the Transportation Improvement Plan list and construction is now projected to start in 2027. 

 

Joseph Diver, Select Board chairman and Dalton representative to the Transportation Advisory Committee, informed the board of the project's new placement on the list at Monday night's meeting. 

 

Diver went to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's TAC meeting last week in an effort to secure the project's place on the list. But he said it became clear during the meeting that it is unlikely the project was going to get support from other committee members because Pittsfield has three other projects the members are not willing to risk by moving the Dalton Division project up the list. 

 

"It was clear it was not gonna get the support from other TAC members to win a vote to move us up," he said. "It was clear that, God bless Pittsfield, and they got a lot coming up, but they have, I think, three other projects on that TAC list, which I don't think they were going to risk by moving us up either."

 

The Mount Washington Road project is likely to move ahead of the Dalton Division Road project on the list. The committee's reasoning for dropping the project further down the list is that it is not ready compared to other projects that have 25 percent of design. 

 

Diver argued that this is still good news because the project has not been removed from the list completely, which was a possibility, and that this will give the town more time to complete the engineering and the rights-of-way but that it does require the board to look at the cost of maintaining the road.  

 

That scenario, the second of four possible options, is expected to go before the Metropolitan Planning Commission.

 

Diver has been working with Highway Superintendent Edward Hall on furthering the road project. 

 

"My opinion, the good news is we're still on the list, because it could have dropped us completely. The good is that we're on the list. The bad is that now we're looking at 2027-28. The other good is like it's more time to do the engineering and the right of way," Diver said. "The bad is that we have to then look at the maintenance of the road."

 

Hall had an engineer look at Dalton Division Road who determined that it is not going to survive another six years as it stands now. After measuring the width and length, a contractor estimated that — based on the price of blacktop — it will cost $330,000 for repairs.

 

This estimate surprised Hall, as he was expecting that it was going to be a lot more and that the town has the money in Chapter 90 road funding. They discussed potentially holding off on a couple of other less crucial projects to get this one completed. 

 

"We do have the money in Chapter 90 for me to do that," Hall said. "I know there are some other roads we put through the [Franklin Regional Council of Governments purchasing group], which I'll find out in May how that's gonna work out and if we have to bump one of those other little streets off to do that, because obviously, that's a major road coming in and out of town."

 

Board members mentioned having Pittsfield pay for half of the cost since it has a bigger budget and half the road is on the city's side but Hall mentioned that Pittsfield paved Hubbard Avenue, which is located in Dalton, but that Dalton has not yet helped Pittsfield.  

 

The board discussed what projects could be put on hold to accommodate the Dalton Division Road repairs and brought up Orchard Road because although it is in need of repair, there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed such as the engineering and drainage. 

 

The town approved money a couple years ago to do the drainage but it has not yet been spent. Hall and Town Planner Grant McGregor also applied for a grant so that the town can start working on the drainage issues with Orchard Road and hope to start the project in March or April this year. 

 

"I have all the intentions to take care of that road, because that's probably the worst one in town," Hall said. 

 

Select Board members agreed that it is important that these roads get proper funding so the repairs can be made and that over the years, many towns, not just Dalton, have let them slide.