To the editor: Route 103 repaving a disaster
The Chester Telegraph | Feb 05, 2019 | Comments 2
During the summer and fall of 2018, I watched in amazement and wonder at the haphazard manner in which Pike Industries approached the repaving of Route 103. I do not know who planned that exercise in futility as the paving process leap-frogged over the entire route.
It ended in late fall, after our first snow, with a thin pavement process on the route as it approached Route 7.
Today, I drove from Ludlow to Rutland over Route 103. It was covered with numerous places where the new pavement had been removed, where there were no visible lines defining lane separations, and spots where three lanes (as indicated by road signs and past experience) were totally undefined.
I am familiar with the road, so I could guess were the lanes were. A visitor would have no idea as to whether the road was comprised of two or three lanes.
I am not a lawyer or an engineer but it doesn’t take one to realize the liability exposure the state (and I as a taxpayer) would face as a result of an accident resulting from the lack of lane definition.
Additionally, I would like to know who planned this paving fiasco, what it cost and how it will be remedied this year – and the cost of such remedy.
If you share my concern and disgust with this situation, please email it to these two Agency of Transportation individuals responsible for it:
wayne.symonds@vermont.gov
joe.flynn@vermont.gov
It won’t hurt to contact your state legislators and the governor as well.
Sincerely,
Ralph Pace
Ludlow
Filed Under: Commentary • Letters to the Editor
I was hoping this topic would come up soon. At this place in time I would have thought this kind of poor planning and coordination would not be seen?
Yet here we are with one of the biggest botched jobs I have seen! I could go on and on about all the things that did not make any sense. From the start to the hurry up and get what we can done!
I would like to say there were some good things done by all that made this mess possible. I just can’t. I can however cut a little slack with the rain we had for that time frame. Even with that rain many other companies and paving jobs have to take that in to consideration as well! So very little slack.
What I think we all really want to know is this:
1. What is the chain of command that allowed this to happen? They need to step up to the plate and take the heat. They messed up.
2. Will this cost the taxpayer any and I mean any money outside of bid on project? Needs to be put out there in numbers so we taxpayers can see for our selves.
3. Need to inform taxpayer as to what and when project will be fixed and finished?
4. Why at the part of 103 by the Chester Cavendish Ludlow section was there a rush to place a Quick thincoat down? I have to ask the question. Did this have anything to do with the ski Mt.? It just seems there is a lot more going on here then we know of and no one is stepping up to the plate to tell the taxpayer what in the world is going on?
If the repaving of Rt. 103 was not bad enough the Sheriffs department has to jump right in and take more advantage of situation! Pike left the job for up to four weeks with all their equipment.
The only thing left was road signs but the Sheriffs Department one officer made it his quest to ticket Joe worker 6-8 a.m. and 3-5 p.m. in what was a 50 mph zone but with work site drop to 40 at top of gulf?
He was there a lot and giving out a lot of tickets to people going to work and back. Nice to see it’s back to 50 mph All around poor job. Glad to see that one made use of the bad situation. Thanks
I have worked at trucking pavement for I-91, Rt. 4 and others during the years, and for Whitcomb and Pike, but I have never seen a road left in the condition that Rt.103 is in. The biggest waste of our taxes I’ve seen. The shame of this falls to DOT.