An open letter to Governor Shumlin and to our federal and state delegations:
This winter Route 9/Western Avenue off of Interstate 91 Exit 2 in Brattleboro has been in abominable shape. Despite the best efforts of the Brattleboro Department of Public Works to keep ahead of new pot holes through patching, both new-timers and old-timers in town say this is the worst shape they have ever seen the road.
Traffic has slowed to a crawl as everyone tries to avoid flat tires or damage to their undercarriages.
Drivers bob and weave like prize fighters, hopefully not into the fists of oncoming traffic. (Of just the
drivers the DPW has heard from, department head Steve Barrett reports well over 20 blown tires.) This focus on the decrepit road condition distracts drivers from watching for bicyclists and pedestrians.
On the morning of February 21 a State Police car had to be towed away. If their vehicles are disabled, rendering them unable to respond to a call, this becomes even more of a dangerous situation.
And this is Vermont’s gateway to Southern Vermont, one of its prime skiing and tourist destinations?
This stretch of Western Avenue was resurfaced (and paid for) by the state not quite 10 years ago.
Listed recently on the VTrans Pavement Condition Map as “very poor,” it has gotten considerably worse this winter. Greatly exacerbating conditions is the large increase in heavy truck traffic since the weight limits were raised during the last several years.
While I have personally been one of the victims, I have hardly been alone. The evening before my
flat tire Select Board member Kate O’Connor had one. And immediately after mine a poor woman followed me with two blown tires at once!
It is also widely known that the road really needs to be rebuilt, not just repaved, because of the old, narrower concrete roadway under laying it. Repaving it, while a short term fix, is only putting a band aid on the sore. The state spends its resources to repave it and within a few short years needs to do so again.
VTrans, when contacted this winter for help and a possible solution, recommended that the Town spend $200,000 of its own funds to repave this section of road, which would be a 3-year fix. The road is not scheduled for repaving by the state until sometime after 2020. Thank you state! With a total budget of $250,000 for repaving, this would leave $50,000 for the other almost 50 miles of paved roads in Town!
Route 9 is of course a state owned road. When Brattleboro accepted responsibility a number of years ago for maintenance of this stretch from High Street to Edward Heights, it clearly must not have understood that it would be left high and dry (or low and patched) like it has been today. But maybe what makes the most sense is taking the little remaining blacktop out, returning it to a dirt road and supplying tourists and locals
with horses and buggies for slow, nostalgic trips to the ski areas or just to the store.
When will the state wake up and accept how important this road is? Can targeted state or federal funding help Vermont move faster on this?
Michael Bosworth, President
West Brattleboro Association
Board of Trustees
Serious attention needed
How big are the holes?
The holes are so big…
– Stephen Hawking is discussing their event horizons
– Exchange students from China are arriving through them
– The Selectboard is considering taxing them
– Tourists are buying up lakefront properties around them
– Evel Knievel is considering jumping one
– etc.
Seriously, though, well said. The road needs serious attention.
Moon Craters
I just read where the Space Station has reported the moon craters on Route 9 to NASA.
The DOT is out there now shoveling in the usual granulated tar nodules that should last until about rush hour.
Considering the amount of traffic especially trucks and tractor-trailers, that Western Avenue absorbs I can’t understand why the DOT has not accounted for the unusual and near-constant pounding the avenue takes. Why hasn’t a long-term solution been implemented with both repaving and possible expansion where possible. The craters extend as far as the Liquor Redemption where I just came from.
After my harrowing experience dodging left and right I’m ready for a glass of sherry. A tall one.
Western Avenue should be
Western Avenue should be condemned. It is not safely drivable. I’ve talked to people who have lived here forever and they’ve never seen it this bad. So many people have gotten holes in their tires. At this point, you’d be better off driving through the middle of the woods.
I’m not blaming the town or the state for this, because it was clearly those two big rain storms that brought it to this decrepit condition and you obviously can’t pave the road in the middle of winter. Nature has just taken its toll on the road.
But something’s gotta be done because pretty soon, even Evel Knievel is going to say: “screw this, I ain’t jumping; that hole is just too damn big.”
I went snowmobiling this weekend and the snowmobile trails are light years better than Western Avenue and even the Vermont roads. Maybe we should just all start traveling the state via snowmobile? – the infrastructure is better! haha 🙂
This road cost my family some money this week...
$115 for a blownout tire which is how I started my day Friday morning, and a follow up balljoint replacement today for $154.10…
$300 repairs
Why is it that all car repairs cost about $300.
Ouch!
The water-filled holes are deceptive, and new holes seem to pop up in new places each time one goes out.
I’m reminded of a saying a friend told me when we moved here: “Vermont eats cars.” It seism to hold true.
Oh no! Not scheduled for major repaving for another five years
Brattleboro officials say they’re doing their best to keep the road passable through periodic patchwork.
But the road is not scheduled for major repaving by the Vermont Agency of Transportation for another five years, and there is not yet any commitment to change that schedule.
Full story: http://www.reformer.com/food/ci_25218450/rsquo-really-bad-right-now-rsquo-western-ave
Drive Slowly, maybe?
I’ve allowed extra time to navigate my way from West B. to town.. I agree the road is in terrible shape but I also realize we’re in the midst of winter and there isn’t much that can be done until the weather improves and the roadways are drier. For anyone to get a blown tire, they must be going too fast for conditions; pure and simple. There is a sign warning of the road being hazardous but like other signage (such as speed limits) one must read them, and then take them seriously. I travel that route daily to and from my home and my car is no worse for the wear. It’s a little early for such a lambasting IMO. When Irene passed through, too, the roads were not completely redone but patched. No doubt there was unseen damage under the roadbed and I think that is possibly why this year seems so much worse than others. The solution for now is to drive slowly. I see the game of dodge-the-pothole and think it’s a little ridiculous. There are some deep ones and those are well marked for folks to drive around, but going slowly through a moderate pothole shouldn’t blow a tire. I don’t agree that it makes the road any more dangerous for bikers and pedestrians. People can’t just zip and zoom their way into or out of town for a while, that’s all, and that’s not some emergency worth raising taxes even higher than they already are.
All states take a big yearly fee from trucking companies.. I would imagine a big reason would be to cover the cost of stress and damage to the roads they travel, but again for me it’s the money – the cost of a loaf of bread is already high enough and if they can load an extra few hundred pounds per trip I don’t honestly believe it makes the roads any worse for the wear when we are talking several tons to begin with.
I think the repairs made between seasons are adequate. I think a better solution for the duration of the season is to remind people to relax and slow down.
I like the idea of bringing back dirt roads though 😀
The hole that blew our tire
The hole that blew our tire was covered in water, and it was quite early. It was also unmarked and later that morning was marked with an orange barrel. We were one of three cars within ten minutes, and we were going slow; how fast does one go in a commuter line of traffic on Western Ave? The pothole was past 91 headed towards town in a section that was not yet a mess. Within an hour after we hit it, they had come through and marked it. I am not blaming anyone but mother nature, but I certainly would be offended and upset if I thought anyone was making any comment that might sound like I was driving like a pot hole dodging maniac early on a Friday morning with my young son in the car.
I think to say that the
I think to say that the solution to this dangerous and costly condition of Western Ave is to “drive more slowly” is not only quite naive but also condescending to those people who are careful drivers and still end up with expensive damage to their cars. Granted this has been an unusually severe winter and potholes happen everywhere. But to have a major road in town left in this kind of disrepair is inexcusable. If the current town budget for road care is not enough to maintain our roads in a safe manner then the town government needs to take a serious look at that. Money is being allocated for projects that do not affect the daily well being and safety of this town’s residents but money can’t be found to repair the roads? There are certainly idiots on the roads who don’t pay attention and have no regard for either the rules nor other drivers. But, I think most people who have to use Western Ave to get to work or bring their kids to school or daycare are not driving in a reckless manner. The accidents and car damage happening is due to the deplorable condition of that road – not because people are racing along Western Ave in a reckless way. To suggest that all would be well and damage to vehicles minimized by everyone just remembering to “relax and slow down” is more than a little simplistic.
weaving and bobbing
This: http://funnyasduck.net/post/14253
See also http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/15/street-mending-robin-hood-steals-from-city-gives-to-potholes.
Soon: Bumper stickers all over Bratt, “I’m not drunk, I’m avoiding potholes”.
Priorities Priorities
You might as well forget about that road getting fixed. The state has always favored social programs to infrastructure upkeep. Howard Dean was great at that. But hey I’ve always said this town has wanted to model itself after an eastern soviet bloc country so here ya go.
West B’s Tax Base Not Competitive
In heat, cold, weight, water and composition conditions American road paving and repair is no match for Mother Nature. Having said that, it is curious that roads like Main and Canal Streets do not evidence having much crater damage.
Western Avenue, just as you go west beyond I-91, is unmatched with that kind of damage. Yet, it sustains more brutal high traffic volume and weight than other streets. If VTran is right that there are no plans to repave Western Avenue in the next five years then its Third World designation is not too far off the mark.
It is true that West Brattleboro’s population and tax base is not competitive with Brattleboro proper. West B’s 2010 population was 2,740. Its estimated median household income in 2011: $32,241, which has gone down since 2000 when the median was $35,332.
why is it worse?
Your post contains the answer – constant heavy truck traffic. Rt. 9 is some sort of designated through route for commercial hauling. Which makes me wonder why the town accepted responsibility for that stretch. There is no way that road can stand up to the beating it takes. Re-doing the base would help a bit, but won’t solve the problem.
I’ve lost track in recent years (having moved into the woods), but as I am sure Elkins could confirm, there have been repeated attempts to run a new east-west interstate through this part of the state; it was an issue when I moved here, almost 50 years ago. I have always assumed that one reason haulers refuse to do the sensible thing & go down 91 to catch the Mass Pike is the hope that we will give up & give them a (publicly funded) road that would actually be safe for that sort of traffic. Forget the fact that crowding another mega-road into this little state makes little sense.
Truck transport is heavily subsidized; all transport depends on tax funds. I always get a cynical chuckle out of complaints that rail transport doesn’t “pay its own way”.
You can't have it both ways
And just how do you think goods are going to be delivered from a major rail yard in Vermont?
You do realize that trucks have to take the most direct route due to time constraints. It’s not as easy as “just going down 91 to the Mass pike.” Truck drivers are being more and more pressed by the DOT for hours of service so they need to get to there destinations as quickly as possible. The bottom line is, if Vermont was as “progressive” as it claims to be it would move forward like the rest of the country and update it’s infrastructure instead of building methadone clinics and pot dispensaries.
Trucking on Rt. 9 is required for...
our livelihoods, at this point.
Of course Rt. 9 is used for trucking – it runs through a part of our state with a wealth of natural resources (forests, mountains, water) and industry (logging, service, manufacturing), and connects two of the top ten population centers of our state. All of these things require trucking.
Was the weight limit raised on Rt. 9? Or are you referring to interstates like I-91? Greater weight limits on the interstate actually lead to less pressure on secondary roads like rte. 5 and 9. Until the limit was raised, heavy truck traffic like log trucks had to roll through town to haul to capacity. Granted, the center of Brattleboro can not be avoided by most log trucks traveling to Cersosimo, our states largest sawmill and a major source of employment in our town and our forests.
You bring up a great point about rail. What great potential we have in the CT River Valley reconnecting it’s industry with a viable transportation infrastructure such as rail.
Virtual Interstate
Our route 9 is part of a de-facto virtual Interstate running from Cleveland to Portland, ME. Only a part of it (Binghamton to Albany)is actually up to Interstate Standards.
Regardless, it’s still the most economical way to carry freight along much of this corridor and we’re stuck with it. The only alternative for us is to construct a bypass from West Bratt to Exit 3, and I don’t see that happening.
BTW, the potholes are a direct result of snow removal. If we compacted the snow instead of plowing it (as once was done in Vermont), we wouldn’t have the potholes. I’m not sure what we would have, tho.
National Highway System
It’s not about local truck traffic, it’s about through-traffic.
During the Dean administration, Route 9 was put into the National Highway System. The designation negates the truck length limits imposed under statute on other state roads, allowing longer, heavier, interstate truck traffic to pass over Route 9. In return, Vermont gets more federal transportation funding.
Before the Dean administration’s action, most of the larger east/west trucks did use Route 2 or the Mass Pike. Now there’s a nearly constant convoy of tractor/trailers thundering over Route 9. It’s taking its toll on the road and those who live near it.
Ah yes, thank you for the
Ah yes, thank you for the insight. I was a teenager when Dean was in office. Clearly, the road is not up for its current incarnation, and transportation policy has a huge effect on little hubs like Brattleboro. For now, slow I go on Western Ave.
RESURFACING NOT SCHEDULED UNTIL “THE 2020-2025 RANGE!!”
“I can only imagine how frustrating it can be to be broken down on the side of the road because of a pothole,” said Moreland. “It’s also frustrating for us not being able to provide them with the satisfaction they desire.”
Nevertheless, Moreland encourages those whose vehicles they believe have been damaged by the town’s road conditions to file a claim through his office to help the town document the extent of the problem.
“They are certainly welcome to contact the Town Manager’s office and we can facilitate them filing a claim with our insurance company, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns,” he said. “The reason this is important is that there is concurrent jurisdiction between the town and the state on this stretch of the road. We are in regular communication with the state, which as indicated resurfacing of this area will occur sometime in the 2020 to 2025 range. We think that may not be soon enough.” ~Bob Audette reporting from the Reformer
Possibly 10 years or more of this pot hole hell? Really?
Yes, exactly - through traffic
Thank you, Maus.
Please note, all who assume I said something I did not – I did not say trucking should be banned. I did not say rail is a universal answer. I said that interstate heavy hauling is mandated for a road that can’t stand up to that use, & that the town – any town, really – lacks the resources to maintain a road under such conditions.
It would be refreshing if those who valorize our imaginary free market economy would acknowledge the huge public investment in building & maintaining the infrastructure that makes so much of our economic activity – & business profits – possible. This is the primary argument for the proposition that a system which restricts profits to an ever-narrowing private sector while shifting as many risks & costs as possible onto the public sector is neither rational, honest, just, nor sustainable. This is not a radical position; it is just a recognition of facts on the ground. If we leave out large segments of reality, we will not be able to find a workable solution. A system that does not find a way to balance energy, resources, etc. will not survive.
Again, please do not assume I am proposing whatever solution you either support or abhor. I am only mentioning a few facts.
Traffic calming
Yes, the market economy roughs up the political economy with about as much grace as Tony Soprano keeping his crew in line. Market forces are officially presented as engines of efficiency and innovation. However, market forces also provide incentives for secrecy, graft, pollution and the exploitation of public politics for private gain. Clearly, our ‘balance of powers’ has become unbalanced. The markets are constantly being distorted so that existing players reap advantage.
I think that it is wonderful how a discussion about potholes has turned into a discussion of politics and society. It is pretty clear that once the trucks entering town on Route 9 reach exit 2 and get off on I91 the physical condition of Western Avenue east of Exit 2 improves, as if by magic.
In fairness, I will add that driving on Western Ave through West Brattleboro is a very intimate driving experience. I feel a camaraderie that is totally absent on roads that do not boast so many hazards. I intently watch the vehicle in front of me for clues as to the next pitfall. Sometimes this fellow traveler veers left in a failed maneuver – I quickly veer right, wincing at their obviously painful bump. The whole experience is full of empathy and rapid fire decision making that is quite frankly missing in more conventionally engineered highways. Some have advocated for years for more speed bumps in town to ‘calm’ traffic. Now we have speed bump heaven.
If you are really feeling upset about the bombed out nature of Route 9 and want to find something even worse, check out this link for a description of the road to the Bagdad Airport that appeared in the Christian Science Monitor a few years back. I particularly like the relevant bible verse:
“A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.”
http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0426/p01s03-woiq.html
Potholes devour municipal budgets
‘They’re worse than ever’: (Bloomberg) February 24, 2014
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20140224/NEWS02/140229907/theyre-worse-than-ever-potholes-devour-municipal-budgets-in-u-s?template=printart