OVERVIEW-

The Town of Dalton won a million-dollar grant through the state’s MassWorks program for repaving Orchard Road, along with doing additional drainage work to keep the road in good condition.

Residents have been calling for repairs for years, and this project is expected to address all their concerns.

“This is great news for Dalton, and yet another example of great work from our DPW Superintendent Bud Hall,” said Select Board Chair Joseph Diver. “Smaller towns like Dalton do not have the means to keep all our roads in good condition, so we appreciate the support from the Commonwealth for our major projects.”

Bud Hall, Superintendent of the Department of Public Works, said, “This is one of the worst roads in town and also one of the most heavily used. We’ve been trying to deal with the drainage for years—it’s at a low point and collects rainwater from a large area, and the outlets are not big enough to handle major storms, so water backs up and can form ice in the winter, damaging the road. This is the second year we applied for this grant. When we got some feedback from the state last year, we were able to submit a project that met their requirements.”

Hall expects construction to start in the Spring/early Summer of 2024 and, without delays, to be completed in the 2024 construction season.

CURRENT STATUS-

August 13, 2024 update from the Town Manager:
The state contract was executed January 24. We hired a designer, and I received an e-mail on February 22 informing me that easements would be necessary before going out to bid. I found the name of a recommended appraiser and wrote them the next day for quotes (for both Orchard Road and the L.P. Adams easement, whose lawyer has been after me) and they replied they would get me quotes. I got the money for the quotes from the Select Board from ARPA funds and hired the appraiser. We got preliminary plans and figures and brought the items to Town Meeting. I have been moving the process forward since then and we now have final plans and costs, and I received the Orders of Taking from Town Counsel yesterday for singing by th4e Select Board August 19. I will be filing the final plans with the Registry of Deeds when I get the checks next week.