The report, which draws on data going back to 2002, was generated through a petition from at-large city councilor Kathy Amuso.
“Our pavement condition index in general is around the low 60s, and we want to bring that to around 70- And that's going to be a massive undertaking, but I think with the work we're doing and the financial support from the city council, we can achieve that," said Commissioner of Public Works Ricardo Morales. “This year, we're expecting to have a significant increase in how much preventative maintenance we can do on our streets. With that, I mean, having crack seal programs on the roads that we paved six to eight years ago, so that they don't deteriorate as fast as they typically do.”
According to the commissioner’s report, 2024 is set to be Pittsfield’s most prolific year for roadwork in over 20 years. Climate change and the increasing regularity of extreme weather are fueling the rise.
“These winters are accelerating, the amount of distress that our roads are seeing in the Northeast in general, with multiple cycles of freezing and thawing," Morales explained. "And what you would see generally in one cycle for two in one winter, you're seeing multiple cycles – four, five, six times – where over the winter, there's freezing and thawing cycle. And that places a lot more distress in our pavement, and creates more instances for water to enter the subsurface- And eventually, when it freezes back again, pumps it out and creates the potholes that we're seeing.”
Morales said that due to the limited number of contractors available in Berkshire County and the number of repairs needed on city streets, much of the fiscal year 2024 work has been pushed into the spring.
“One of the streets that will not be doing under that contract is the West Street project, resurfacing, just because we're taking that aside, and under multiple reviews with the public last year, and as the mayor mentioned, last year as well, we are taking a closer look and into having a more holistic project for West Street,” Morales continued.
The commissioner says the new year comes with new arrangements to address Pittsfield’s infrastructure, including with contractors, budgeting, and through state funding mechanisms.
“We are planning still to have this new contract put in place, and that's going to be, what we're looking at, about $4 million worth," said Morales. "We're expecting $1.3 million for Chapter 90, we're expecting maybe about $2.5 million from free cash, that's I think the plan. Traditionally, we have been borrowing for that, but we are expecting to use free cash and present that. On the state level, we have been, and that's where we want to get some of the money to do more preventative maintenance. We have been getting additional sources of funding with the new tax, the millionaire’s tax, right, we received $600,000 from that into our Chapter 90 account. I just heard that the state will be appropriating a little bit more than usual for Chapter 90, so that's going to be more than the $1.3 million potentially.”
Morales said a plan to carry out crack sealing in the city was disrupted in 2023.
“We had to scratch some of that stuff because our bid came in too high," he said. "So, the amount of money that we had slated for roadwork included preventative maintenance, and we had to replace and use that money to cover the entirety of the repaving contract.”
The commissioner said the new contract will be by unit price.
“With our sidewalk condition index, we want to send the contractor to do specific sections of sidewalks that are in bad shape,” he told the council.
Morales addressed questions about equity in how Pittsfield is prioritizing street and sidewalk repairs. For instance, well-off Ward 4 on the city’s east side stands in stark contrast to the long neglected, comparatively dense and impoverished Ward 6 in the West Side neighborhood — the heart of Pittsfield’s Black community.
“In a perfect world, I guess, you would see it same number of miles for every ward," said the commissioner. "In reality, every ward not only has different amount of lane miles, but also a different level of distress. So, we try to use that to be truly equitable in the amount of work we do per ward. So, sometimes words will get a little less than others, but if you compare that as a percent of the work that's needed in that ward, they should be more equal in that sense.”
Ward 1 city councilor Kenny Warren applauded Morales’s report.
“I really like it, especially that chart where you went back multiple years showing the spending and how it's increased," said the councilor. "Because obviously, one of the things we all hear is Pittsfield’s roads are in a bad condition and we never take care of them. Well, clearly, in the last two years, at least, we've put the most amount of money we have in prior years. And actually, in the last five years, like you say, since you've been here, we’ve put a ton of money.”
