Weymouth Details Data-Driven System Behind $30 Million Road Paving Program

WEYMOUTH -- November 17, 2021, Weymouth's "Pave the Way" road program has spent more than $30 million over six years but completed only about 35 miles of the town's roughly 170-mile road network, Mayor Ted Hedlund said on the November 17 episode of his public-access program "Town Talk with Ted." Hedlund was joined by Jim McGrath, the town's assistant engineer, who described a GIS-based rating system in which streets scoring below 70 on a pavement condition index are prioritized, the average score for roads completed under the program is about 61. With paving contractors capped at roughly $3 million of work per season and state Chapter 90 funds providing only about $1.2 million annually, McGrath said 29 miles of road currently fall below the town's key repair threshold of 61. Private roads present a separate legal barrier, as the town solicitor has confirmed that public funds cannot be spent on private property. Hedlund also noted that average Weymouth tax bills will rise about $357 this year, with $191 of that increase tied directly to the 2019 debt-exclusion vote for the new Chapman Middle School, a project whose gymnasium the school building committee has voted to name in honor of slain Weymouth Police Sergeant Michael Chesna.