Town of Dighton Provides Information on Summer Road Maintenance Plan

DIGHTON – Town Administrator Ralph A. Vitacco would like to share information about Dighton’s planned road maintenance for the summer.

Weather permitting, road work by the Dighton Highway Department will be ongoing on the week of July 21 through July 25 on Horton Street, Oak Street, Maple Street and Maple Swamp Road, including a first treatment, a preservative treatment and a rejuvenating treatment.

Road work is also scheduled on those same streets, Horton Street, Oak Street, Maple Street and Maple Swamp Road, from Aug. 4 through Aug. 29. This work will include a second treatment, crack-filling, leveling and hot asphalt patching.

This road work is being completed in accordance with Dighton’s five-year Pavement Management Plan, finalized by the town in August 2022.

Dighton contains more than 74 miles of public roads with an average Road Surface Rating (RSR) of 71.12, as determined by the town’s engineering consultant, BETA Group, Inc. This rating, on a 0 to 100 scale, indicates that on average the roads throughout the community are in fair condition, requiring preventative maintenance.

The roadwork planned for Horton Street, Oak Street, Maple Street and Maple Swamp Road sticks to the five-year Pavement Management Plan, using a two-step road preservation process.

With an RSR of 38, Oak Street is in need of major rehabilitation. Both Horton (RSR 52.7) and Maple (RSR 56.94) are in need of minor rehabilitation. Maple Swamp Road is in the best shape of these streets, with an RSR of 68.56, requiring preventative maintenance.

Town Administrator Ralph A. Vitacco said Dighton’s strategic Pavement Management Plan is protecting the community’s investment in its roadway network by maximizing the lifespan of the pavement surface structure, preventing damage to the base layers underneath it, which would lead to more costly full-depth reconstruction.

Town Administrator Vitacco thanked Dighton residents and drivers for their patience during these upcoming road work projects.

“This preventative maintenance plan saves our community hundreds of thousands of dollars in public funds. Preventative maintenance costs us five times less than major rehabilitation work,” Town Administrator Vitacco said. “Through this strategic approach, using a scheduled multi-year preventative maintenance plan, we are able to maintain the highest cost-benefit value for the roadwork in our community.”

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