Streets and Sidewalks Improvement Plan

Introduction
On this page, you will find information about the City's five-year improvement plan for streets and sidewalks. This plan is intended to be updated annually, with new streets and sidewalks added to the pipeline for the fifth year out. This plan is based on the 2020 report by engineering consultant BETA assessing the quality and need for repair for each street across the city. The original BETA report can be found here. Updates to this plan will be shared on this website and on the City's social media platforms. 

The plan was funded through American Recovery Plan Act (ARPA) Funding for for its first two years, which were combined with already allocated Chapter 90 and Meals Tax funding to execute the plan. On November 13th, the City Council passed a $6M bond allocating funding for the updated Roadway and Sidewalk plan for the next five years. To accompany the bond, the Administration delivered the City Council an updated version of the plan based on progress over the last two years and revised cost estimates. The new plan also adds further definition to which sidewalks will be repaired each year and adds an additional sidewalk and safety priority list of projects the City will take on as funding allows. 

The most up to date version of the Roadway and Sidewalk Improvement Plan can be found here.

News

11/13/23: The City Council has passed a bond for street and sidewalk repair for the next five years at a total amount of $6M. The Council is still considering the submitted Streets and Sidewalks plan and is expected to receive and file it at a future meeting. The Administration is preparing the roadway and sidewalk designs for all the 2024 construction season roads and will begin work in spring 2024. 

7/11/23: On Wednesday July 12, 2023 from 7am-6pm our contractor D&R Construction Co. will be preparing the roadway for final paving near #28 Plummer Avenue. On Thursday, July 13, 2023 both Plummer Avenue and Christopher Street will be paved on the whole length between the hours of 7am-6pm. In case of inclement weather, or if the paving process takes longer than planned, then the work will continue the next day. There will be no parking allowed on either street during the paving process.

4/25/23: Binder coats have been finished on Fruit, Fair, and Plummer. Work will continue Friday, 4/27 and into next week on securing the street structures like catch basins and manhole covers. Then paving will begin around Thursday, May 4th. This schedule is weather permitting, with rain in the forecast. 

4/24/23: Weather permitting, paving will be taking place the week of April 24th, starting with Curzon Mill and Plummer. Work continues on Plummer on Tuesday, 4/25, then moves to Fruit and Fair Streets. 

4/17/23: Starting on Tuesday, 4/18, D&R will be reclaiming Curzon Mill Rd. and Plummer Ave. then moving to Fruit St. and Fair St. on Wednesday, 4/19/23, all weather pending.The paving operation has been pushed out by a few days, due to a death in the company at D&R. 

4/10/23: The City Council acknowledged receipt of the Streets and Sidewalks Plan, and paving for the season is scheduled to begin  with milling work on Tuesday, April 11th on Hoyts Lane, then to Longfellow Drive. On April 12th work will finish on Longfellow Drive then move to Peters Road and then Christopher Street.

Reclamation will begin the following week on Fruit Street, Fair Street, Plummer Ave, and Curzon Mill Rd. More information will be shared later this week. 

2/27/23: The second iteration of the five year rolling plan has been released, covering years 2023-27. The plan can be found here: https://www.cityofnewburyport.com/department-of-public-services/files/streets-and-sidewalks-plan-2023-2027

If you would like to see your street considered for paving earlier in the plan, you can complete the petition form here: https://www.cityofnewburyport.com/department-of-public-services/files/streets-and-sidewalks-petition-form

A review of the streets paved in year 1 of the plan can be found here: https://www.cityofnewburyport.com/department-of-public-services/files/streets-and-sidewalks-year-1-review 

8/1/22: Street paving as a part of the first year of the plan has been completed. The City anticipates additional sidewalk repairs this year in advance of roadwork in the 2023 calendar year, and will keep this page updated on what sidewalks will be selected.

In addition, the plan has been updated to reflect the results of the petition process. The updated plan is here.

The list of changes can be found here:

Ward 1: Adds Federal Street and Smith's Street to FY25, moves Neptune Street to FY27. Extends work on Lime Street to go from Milk to Water Street, all still in FY27. 
Ward 2: Adds Independent Street to FY26
Ward 3: Moves Eagle Street to FY25, Moves Perkins Street to FY27
Ward 4: Adds Plummer Ave to FY24
Ward 5: Adds Norman Avenue to FY27
Ward 6: No changes

4/15/22: The City Council approved American Rescue Plan Act funding for $2.4M for the first two years of the Streets and Sidewalks plan. The updated plan can be found here, and paving will begin April 19th. The schedule can be found below. 

List of Streets for Repair

The list of streets as of 8/1/22 can be found here. This list was updated after the FY22 petition process. 

The previous list of streets and sidewalks can be found here.

Petition Form
To ask to have your street reconsidered for earlier scheduling, you can fill out the petition form. Residents may submit a petition signed by five residents on a street, or a majority of houses on the street (whichever is smaller). Please provide the required information and return it in person to the Mayor's Office at City Hall or by email at dps@cityofnewburyport.com. 

The petition form is available here.

The original presentation on this plan from March 22 can be found here.

Frequently Asked Questions

How were streets selected?
In 2020, engineering consultant BETA finished an audit of all City streets and sidewalks and evaluated their condition and what paving work is recommended to be completed, including mill and overlay, reclamation, or surface treatment. They also estimated the costs of all these improvement on the various streets and sidewalks. The Newburyport Department of Public Services (DPS) used this information to create a prioritization plan based on a budget of $2M per/year. The Mayor’s office made the decision to work on three wards at a time, beginning with wards 1, 3, and 5, and following up with 2, 4, and 6, to make sure all wards received attention. The plan prioritizes roads in each ward that are classified as being in the worst condition, and groups them by geography and cost. This means DPS and their contractors will be able to complete the work in the different wards for around the same cost amount each year and all wards will have their priority roads addressed. 

What does the repair process look like?

Most paving and sidewalk work will be Replacement In Kind (RIK) and will follow existing plans and conditions. DPS has awarded a contract to D&R Paving following the process laid out in MA General Law which requires that they then pursue a contract with the lowest qualified bidder. DPS, with the collaboration of the City Engineer, will create and design plans for the new sidewalks and will seek additional input for any new crosswalks.The road work done will fit into the following categories:

• Reclamation: Removes all asphalt by grinding and pulverizing in place to create a uniform base material before the road is repaved.
• Mill & Overlay: Removes the top layer of asphalt typically ranging between 2-2.5 inches, and then replaces this layer with a new Hot Melt Asphalt surface.
• Surface treatment: Patching and seal coating of the road, with no removal process. Appropriate for roads that are currently classified as fair or good.

How can residents have input on this plan? 
As the initial study used for this plan was completed in 2020, we understand conditions may have changed in some places and want to be responsive to any streets urgent in need of service. The Mayor’s Office and DPS have created a petition process that can be used to request another look at any streets not included in the plan. Residents may submit a petition signed by five residents on a street, or a majority of houses on the street (whichever is smaller). After receiving the petition, a committee will review the street and determine if it can be added to the plan. A public meeting will be held to respond to all received petitions and discuss next steps.

How does the ward system work?
Roadwork will begin in wards 1, 3, and 5 in the first year, and will move to wards 2, 4, and 6 in the second. We will alternate between these wards each year. While this looks like Wards 2, 4, and 6 will only receive two years of repairs versus three for the other wards, Wards 2, 4, and 6 will  repairs in the first year following the end of this plan, FY28. While this is a five-year plan, we anticipate repeating this process in the future and prioritizing the next round of repairs in a similar manner. It will make more sense to evaluate the needs of Wards 2, 4, and 6 for FY28 when we are closer to that date.

How will communication on this plan be shared?
In addition to this page, the City and DPS will use their social media channels to share updates. There will be an annual public meeting discussing the streets and sidewalks scheduled for repair and covering the progress made in the year before.